"In the absence of Tadej Pogacar, they lacked the clarity and quality needed to beat Visma" - Philippa York questions UAE's Paris-Nice struggles

Paris-Nice was once again Team Visma | Lease a Bike in 2025 as Matteo Jorgenson successfully defended his crown. Usually Visma's main rivals, UAE Team Emirates - XRG failed to really sparkle in the general classification, despite Joao Almeida getting the better of Jonas Vingegaard in a thrilling finale to stage 4.

"Jorgenson further cemented his place as an essential part of the Visma GC line-up that will support Vingegaard for the Tour de France. He’s developed into the Indurain mould of rider: a solid pace-setter who climbs well, with a strong TT and the tactical awareness to back it up," begins Philippa York's post-race reflections in a column for Cycling News. "Vingegaard, contrastingly, knows he has work to do on his form but his crash and ultimately leaving the Paris-Nice should not be overly influential in his build-up to the summer races and his face-off with Tadej Pogacar in July."

Speaking of Pogacar, the performance of UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the absence of their superstar leader left much to be desired in the opinion of York, a three-time top-10 GC finisher at Paris-Nice in her own right. "UAE's team selection at Paris-Nice lacked cohesion," York evaluates. "Almeida was inconsistent and Brandon McNulty wasn’t at the expected level. Poor weather might be their excuse, however, in the absence of Pogacar, they lacked the clarity and quality needed to beat Visma."

"Team Visma | Lease a Bike were again the dominant force at the Race to the Sun, led by Nice local Jorgenson, who claimed their third title in four years at one of the most prestigious one-week races on the calendar," York concludes. "He's some way off of Sean Kelly's tally of seven GC wins at Paris-Nice but Jorgenson proved again that he is perfectly suited to the trials and tribulations that present themselves on the route south from France's capital."