Paris-Nice 2026 stage 3 preview, profile, favourites & predictions - Vingegaard's Visma and Ayuso's Lidl-Trek fight for yellow jersey

The 2026 edition of Paris-Nice will be taking place from the 8th to the 15th of March and is, as every year, one of the key pro cycling events of the spring. It features opportunities for the climbers, sprinters and classics specialists alike. We preview stage 3, which is estimated to start and finish at 15:10 and 17:00CET.

The race was first held in 1933 and won by Belgian Alfons Schepers. Due to the race's nature, as the name says from Paris to Nice in the Mediterraneen sea; it is often called the 'Race to the Sun', and on the road that is quite literally often the case. It is an event, with 8 days in duration, that has crowned some of the sport's very best over the generations. Jacques Anquetil, Tom Simpson, Eddy Merckx, Raymond Poulidor, Joop Zoetemelk, Seak Kelly (the record holder, winning every single edition from 1982 to 1988), Miguel Indurain, Laurent Jalabert...

The list goes on and on, and in recent years the race hasn't lost any of its meaning. Modern legends such as Alberto Contador, Tony Martin, Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar have all inserted their names onto the history books. In 2025, it was Matteo Jorgenson who took the overall win, defending it successfully with a performance that spanned great stages in all terrains.

Perhaps the most important day of the race when it comes to the overall classification. With the Tour de France having a team time trial in its opening stage this year, it doesn't come as a big surprise that the French race will have its own; only in this case, it can be much more important. s

With the race lacking high mountain stages, and with this stage coming before the first of the truly hilly days, it can create key differences in the GC. The course from Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Pouilly-sur-Loire is 23.5 kilometers long.

But aside from that, it is a TTT that also features two small ascents and also a slight downhill section in the final kilometers. It is certainly not an easy TTT to gauge, as it is key to go as fast as possible in the uphill sections, but the final kilometers benefit the teams that carry the most riders into the finale. 23 kilometers is enough terrain to create gaps of up to a minute between the top teams and those who are minimizing losses.

*** Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek
** Movistar Team, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
* INEOS Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Decathlon CMA CGM Team

Pick: Team Visma | Lease a Bike