January 6, 2021 – 11:45 AM
– For the 12th consecutive year, Paris-Nice will start from the Yvelines department. Saint-Cyr-L’École thus succeeds Plaisir, from where the race started last year.
– The Paris-Nice peloton will compete for the third time in four years at the climb of Colmiane, where the Briton Simon Yates won in 2018 and where the 2020 edition ended with a stage victory for Nairo Quintana and the coronation of the general of Maximilan Schachmann.
– On the occasion of the 79th edition of Paris-Nice, Century 21 will sponsor the white jersey of the best youngster ranking. Otherwise, Antargaz becomes a new Official Partner and sponsor of the Antargaz Prize for Combativeness.
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Since 1933 Paris-Nice has been bottled up, but it is by remaining faithful to its terroir while trying out new grape varieties that the Course au Soleil has remained the benchmark stage event at the start of the season. It is in the Mâconnais and Beaujolais mountains that the 2021 vintage will draw its character, with an extremely hilly 4th stage which should give rise to one of the great battles of this 79th edition. ” We needed an eventful stage early enough in the race, explains the race director, François Lemarchand. Runners tend to take their bearings, and it’s up to us to change their habits ! “. With a passage through the Roche de Solutré, two climbs of Mont Brouilly, where Julian Alaphilippe had reached a plateau in 2017, and an unprecedented final in Chiroubles after a 7.3 km ascent at 6%, the runners will taste, with a total height difference of 3,500 m.
The overall positions, already outlined the day before during a 14 km time trial for specialists in Gien, should then be refined before the final weekend around Nice, where the race will return to its usual playground. . La Colmiane thus settles down as a meeting point for Paris-Nice, after the victories of Simon Yates in 2018 and Nairo Quintana in 2020, and the peloton will have a thought for the inhabitants of the valleys of Vésubie, Tinée and de la Roya, devastated by bad weather and mudslides last October. ” NOTWe unfortunately cannot go to the Vésubie valley in 2021, but we had to return to Colmiane to pay tribute to the victims », Explains François Lemarchand.
The Brignoles-Biot stage on Friday is identical to that proposed in 2011, with notably the passage of the Ferrier pass at mid-race, while the final picked up on Sunday on the heights of Nice, of which the riders had been deprived in 2020 , will follow the 2019 route including the Peille coast and the Eze pass. Everyone knows that anything can happen, since the victories of Geraint Thomas in 2016, Sergio Henao in 2017 and Marc Soler in 2018 were all played out in less than four seconds.
The start of this edition will take place for the 12th time in Yvelines for a Grand Départ around Saint-Cyr-l’École, where the Tour de France took place in September. Like last year – and this will still be the case for the second stage between Oinville-sur-Montcient and Amilly – the weather conditions and in particular the westerly wind could cause damage and prevent the sprinters from expressing themselves. However, the 5th stage between Vienne and Bollène seems promised to them.
The stages of Paris-Nice 2021:
Sunday March 7, 1st stage : Saint-Cyr-L’École> Saint-Cyr-L’École, 166 km
Monday March 8, 2nd stage : Oinville-sur-Montcient> Amilly, 188 km
Tuesday March 9, 3rd stage : Gien> Gien, 14.4 km (time trial)
Wednesday March 10, 4th stage : Chalon-sur-Saône> Chiroubles, 188 km
Thursday March 11, 5th stage : Vienne> Bollène, 203 km
Friday March 12, 6th stage : Brignoles> Biot, 202.5 km
Saturday March 13, 7th stage : Nice > Valdeblore La Colmiane, 166,5 km
Sunday March 14, 8th stage : Nice > Nice, 110,5 km
The 23 teams selected:
In accordance with the regulations of the International Cycling Union, the following nineteen UCI WorldTeams are automatically entered:
AG2R Citroën Team (Female)
Astana – Premier Tech (Kaz)
Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
Bora – Hansgrohe (Ger)
Cofidis (Fra)
Deceuninck – Quick-Step (Bel)
EF Education – NIPPO (Usa)
Groupama – FDJ (Fra)
Ineos Grenadiers (Gbr)
Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux (Bel)
Israel Start-Up Nation (Isr)
Jumbo – Visma (Ned)
Lotto Soudal (Bel)
Movistar Team (Esp)
Team BikeExchange (Aus)
Team DSM (Ger)
Team Continue Assos (Rsa)
Trek – Segafredo (Usa)
UAE Team Emirates (Uae)
In addition, the team Alpecin-Fenix, first in the UCI ProTeams ranking in 2020, will automatically participate in Paris-Nice 2021.
The organizers invite the following teams:
B&B Hotels P/B KTM (Fra)
Team Arkéa – Samsic (Fra)
Total Direct Energy (Off)
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