PREVIEW | Paris-Nice 2025 stage 3 - Will Visma take time on the rest in key TTT?

Paris-Nice is one of the most reputable and toughest stage-races in the World Tour calendar and every single year it hosts many of the world's best climbers, sprinters and classics riders. This year the race takes place from the 9th to 16th of March. We preview stage 3.

Day 3 of the race will be the team time-trial, a discipline that has risen in use this year due to it's presence at the Tour de France. Some teams will be testing their setups here in the 28-kilometer long course, one that is not completely flat and will be interesting for teams to pace.

This will begin in the Magny-Cours race track, the first kilometers will be on perfectly smooth terrain before heading into a long straight road into the town of Nevers. In the town, there will be a small climb of 900 meters at 6%, with a small ramp featuring double-digit gradients. The final kilometers will then be slightly downhill, very fast until the uphill rise to the line. It won't be an easy one to pace certainly.

A sunny day with no wind.

Red Bull and Jayco have each lost a rider and that will be very important on the day, costing important time for the stage win and overall classification. All the top teams have important GC men and a few strong TTists next to them, and the Top4 teams are very well balanced in my opinion. INEOS and Lidl-Trek absolutely have what it takes to win here, but perhaps UAE and Visma's year-long ultra TT work can give them the little extra edge on the day.

*** UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Team Visma | Lease a Bike
** INEOS Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek
* Soudal - Quick-Step, Movistar Team, Groupama-FDJ

Pick: Team Visma | Lease a Bike

How: I will put the confidence in the Dutch team. With Vingegaard, Jorgenson,Affini and Campenaerts, despite not having their best lineup, they could well take the win and the yellow jersey.