photo credits @ ASO
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) was head and shoulders above the rest of the sprinters to win stage 1 of Paris-Nice 2025 and be the first leader of “the Race to the Sun”, just like he did in 2023. The Belgian star survived the traps of the day, marked by a punchy finale, and perfectly navigated the last kilometer to fly past everyone and take his fifth success of the season. Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Alberto Dainese (Tudor) complete the podium of the day. As for Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), the defending champion in the overall standings, he started the race just like he did last year, claiming time bonuses in the finale.
The 83rd edition of “The Race to the Sun” kicked off in the department of Yvelines with a first stage open to different scenarios, which featured two loops around Le Perray-en-Yvelines adding up to 156.1km of racing. First, the riders headed into the Versailles plain, before exploring the Chevreuse valley. They then got back to the first loop as they battled for the first leader’s jersey of Paris-Nice 2025.
The tricky terrain inspired three early attackers. Alexandre Delettre (Cofidis) and Samuel Fernandez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) immediately set off, while Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty) joined them at km 4. Behind, Mads Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek and Merlier’s Soudal Quick-Step quickly got in action to control the gap.
Alaphilippe and Jorgenson move
Delettre made the most of the first two ascents to claim 6 KOM points, but the attackers’s advantage never got higher than 2’35’’ (km 20) and dropped down to 1’05’’ as they crossed the line for the first time (km 54.6). Fernandez attacked with 62 km to go to breathe some new life into the breakaway, while Delettre joined him with Van der Hoorn dropping back to the bunch. However, the lead duo was eventually caught just inside the last 50 kilometers.
Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) shook the peloton on the steepest section of the Côte de Villiers-Saint-Frédéric (21.6km to go), with Jorgenson following him to take the summit ahead of the Frenchman, while the bunch rapidly got back together afterward.
A flurry of attacks
The climb of Les Mesnuls, with an intermediate sprint awarding time bonuses just inside the last 10 km, was the perfect launchpad for more attacks. Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was the first rider to tackle the first summit ahead of Jorgenson and Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers).
A flurry of attacks later ensued with three riders eventually getting away inside the last 7 kilometers: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor), but the trio was caught with less than 3 kilometers to go.
Jayco AlUla and Alpecin-Deceuninck tried to set their sprinters for the win… But Bert Van Lerberghe and Merlier moved themselves into perfect position inside the last 300 meters.
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