Preview. Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and David Gaudu have been battling for the yellow jersey this week, and stage 8 will be the final day and opportunity for this big battle to climax on a very dangerous day.
The traditional final stage in Nice will wrap up the race. The general classification can and likely will play out in this day. A breakaway can also succeed here, and it's with no surprise as the stage features only 118 kilometers and five similar categorized climbs, all followed by descents which are frequently technical. An explosive day where a lot of action is in store.
Start Time: 11:55CET
Finish Time: 14:50CET
Stage 8: Nice - Nice, 118.4Km
6,2Km at 5.8%, 5.4Km at 4.5%, 6.5Km at 5.8% are the details of the initial climbs of the day which start after 14 kilometers of racing. This is likely where the breakaway will be set, the GC fight will begin to be played out tactically, as the short succession of ascents and technical descent are ideal terrain for a chaotic race situation, leading up to the first decisive climb of the day.
Côte de Peille which has 6.6Km at 6.9%. It's a climb which doesn't frighten many by it's details but almost every year sees big attacks which decimate the peloton. There are 14 hairpins in this ascent which could be called a mini Alpe d'Huez. It is no surprise why so many riders try their luck attacking here and why even the best GC riders find themselves under great difficulties. After follows a long plateau and descending section into Nice.
Côte de Peille: 6.6Km; 6.8%; 50Km to go
And the hardest vertent of the Col d'Éze which is 6.2Km at 7.6% (with some 1.9Km at 10.7% in the middle). It's a brutal climb and likely the most difficult vertent of the climb. Used in past years, this is one where differences can actually be made. It features the gradients, but also the distance, it's a serious ascent which at the end of such a difficult day and eight days of racing can be deadly to some.
The summit is 15.5 kilometers away from the finish, most of them downhill back into Nice where gaps can still be cut or increased, before the finale at the Promenade des Anglais.
Col d'Èze: 6.1Km; 7.7%; 16Km to go
Stage 8 Finale
The Weather
Paris-Nice stage 8 map
Calmer, at long last. Some small breeze from the south but it won't be crucial throughout the day. The sun will finally be out (the saying Race to the Sun could not be more fitting) and there won't be threats of strong wind and rain.
The Favourites
Tadej Pogacar - He's the man to beat. Over the whole week Pogacar has looked to be the strongest consistently. The toughest day would be today, but having taken the win he will be calmer. The gap to Gaudu isn't big however, he will need to have his very best level to keep his yellow jersey.
Jonas Vingegaard - Vingegaard has the motivation, but the legs are not yet his very best. The Col de la Couillole was the climb where he could do damage, he looked better but Pogacar was on a superior level. He will most likely try to raid the race at Peille, it is a very frequent strategy and it's not like he has much to lose. Very likely Jumbo will try to get Tobias Foss in the breakaway, who could both fight for the stage win or be there as a possible rider to bridge across.
David Gaudu - Gaudu is showing his best legs. The gap to Pogacar is of only 12 seconds, the yellow jersey is very much within reach if there is a mishap, the gap can almost be closed on bonifications alone. He's got some time over Vingegaard and a lot over Yates so as to go on the attack, and the explosive gradients of tomorrow will suit him quite well.
Simon Yates - Don't be mistaken by not having directly responded to the attacks today. Yates finished only 19 seconds back on Pogacar and continues within reach of the podium. Last year he's won this stage and the climbs suit him. Let's see if he will find his best level, if so he could fight for the stage win as well.
The GC fight won't just include them however. Most likely they will be the main figures, but it is possible for there to be surprises on the final day of racing. Gino Mäder, Neilson Powless and Aurélien Paret-Peintre have shown very good level throughout this race on occasion, and despite having GC responsibilities they most likely can surprise and benefit from the lack of coverage from the other men.
Romain Bardet, Matteo Jorgenson and Pavel Sivakov will also be within the outsiders for the stage, likely to battle for the lower spots in the overall classification, but always within reach of a great day and a surprise.
As for the breakaway it holds big chances. This is a stage that very much suits a breakaway, although less than it used to as the organizers have brought a very difficult climb to it's end. Nevertheless the constant climbs and very technical descents make it hard to have an organized chase, and this late in the race many quality riders have lost time. This provides an opportunity for some to succeed.
The likes of Daniel Martínez, Ion Izagirre and Kévin Vauquelin had a bad day today and lost time in the GC. On the upside they've got freedom now, and if they have a day back at a strong level they can benefit quite a lot. Kobe Goossens and Javier Romo who thrived in the final ascent today, out of the breakaway riders, will also be good cards for a result.
Lilian Calmejane, Wout Poels, Nick Schultz, Clément Berthet and Bob Jungels are in my oinion riders who will also have a chance of succeeding in this scenario. It's a day for the in-frm climbers, this is where they have to perform if they want to consolidate the work of the whole week.
Prediction Paris-Nice 2023 stage 8:
*** Tadej Pogacar
** David Gaudu, Jonas Vingegaard, Simon Yates
* Neilson Powless, Romain Bardet, Gino Mäder, Kobe Goossens, Daniel Martínez, Kévin Vauquelin, Ion Izagirre
** David Gaudu, Jonas Vingegaard, Simon Yates
* Neilson Powless, Romain Bardet, Gino Mäder, Kobe Goossens, Daniel Martínez, Kévin Vauquelin, Ion Izagirre
Pick: Ion Izagirre
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 3visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
Loading
🏁 🇸🇮@TamauPogi s’impose au col de la Couillole ! ⛰ 🏁 🇸🇮@TamauPogi wins stage 7! 💛 #ParisNice
Write a comment