João Almeida and Mattias Skjelmose ruled out of Paris-Nice - Jonas Vingegaard's path cleared up for potential overall win

Paris-Nice is having Jonas Vingegaard as its headliner, a rider who was not initially scheduled to be racing in France this spring. However, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike will not have as much competition as initially expected, as both João Almeida and Mattias Skjelmose have been confirmed to be absent from the race this year.

Both were strong GC options and candidates not only for the final podium but for victory. UAE Team Emirates - XRG have announced their '7' for the race, which did not include João Almeida, the designated leader. Hours before the race organizers published the preliminary startlist, which did not feature the Portuguese rider; according to Marca, this is because of the flu. He should return to racing at the Volta a Catalunya.

The Emirati team will be led by Brandon McNulty, who showed great form throughout the month of February, as well as Pavel Sivakov and Marc Soler, who should all have their chances to chase individual results. Ivo Oliveira, Rune Herregodts, Igor Arrieta and Nils Politt complete the lineup.

Whilst the 'Race to the Sun' is usually characterised by the difficult weather conditions that see many riders fall ill and injured, many casualties are seen before its start. Lidl-Trek will not be able to have Mattias Skjelmose at the start line, a rider who would be a key figure and overall classification contender. Last year, the Dane was in a position to finish on the podium before he crashed out in the final days of the race.

The team will nevertheless have Lidl-Trek's Juan Ayuso as a prime contender for overall victory, likely able to challenge Vingegaard. Vingegaard won't be alone in his pursuit of the yellow jersey; Team Visma | Lease a Bike has surrounded the Dane with a powerhouse climbing squad, including Matteo Jorgenson (the defending champion) and Sepp Kuss, creating a 'Triple Threat' that looks even more daunting following the rival withdrawals.