Paris-Nice 2023 – Stage 1 [FULL STAGE]

March 10, 2023

Paris-Nice 2023 – Stage 1 – La Verrière – La Verrière : 169,4 km

Before the globalisation of the cycling calendar, Paris-Nice marked the beginning of a new cycling season and the start of a long, winding road towards the Tour de France in midsummer. As it usually falls in early March, the race also marks a symbolic shift from winter to spring. This seasonal transition is what characterises the week-long stage race and why many nickname it ‘The Race to the Sun’. The format and flavour of the race has chopped and changed over its 90-year history, but for the most part it has followed a tried-and-tested formula of seven road stages and one – often decisive – individual time trial. Wind-battered stages through France’s central hinterland characterise the first half of the race and give the Classics specialists and hardy rouleurs a chance to shine. The mountains then start to rear their heads as the race skirts Provence and heads ever closer to the finish in Nice. It’s then on the final stage, in the capital of the French Riviera, where the race routinely draws to a dramatic close. For decades this final stage took the form of a mountain time trial up the infamous Col d’Èze climb, but in more recent years the organisers have replaced this iconic time trial with a hilly and incredibly unpredictable road stage that regularly catches out the race leader.

Tim Merlier gave Soudal-Quickstep the first win of Paris-Nice when he took sprint victory ahead of Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mads Pedersen (Tek Segafredo) in a bunch sprint in La Verrière.

Merlier took a decisive win by over a bike length against Bennett after a dominant final few kilometres from the Soudal-Quickstep team. Kasper Asgreen led Merlier to the front of the peloton in a sprint that saw all the major teams place their riders in contention – with Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) all finishing just off the podium.

The day was marked by a number of breakaways and splits in the peloton, with a two-man breakaway of Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) and Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) riding alone for the majority of the day, before the last 10km saw short and sharp attacks coming from Neilson Powless, Tadej Pogacar and Florian Senechal. However, the sprint teams were able to draw the pack together for the finish.

“It was a great effort from the team, and they believe in me and today and it was a great lead-out,” Merlier said following the finish.

“It was a hard day certainly, with a lot of strength in the peloton and the steep climb 9km from the finish, and we had to think tactically and we had two men in there and we come back on the last climb very well and Kasper Asgreen brought me to the front.”

“From there the team worked well together, I can’t say how great it is to be on this team,” he said. “It’s like a dream.”

The result marked Merlier’s fourth sprint victory this season, his first season with his new team Soudal-Quickstep.

How it Unfolded
The Race to the Sun set off to an aptly bitter cloudy afternoon from La Verrière, making the sun of Nice no doubt a hugely appealing destination for the heavily layered peloton.

The race took in 169.4km, laced with short but steep ascents harsh enough to split the sprinters from the main field. The famous crosswinds of the Paris-Nice opening stages were notably lacking, though, reducing the threat of a major spit in the peloton.

The first 20km saw a slow pace in the peloton and a lack of any serious attacks, and when a duo of Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) and Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) broke clear over a small unclassified climb, it was largely without objection.

Riding clear with 150km remaining, the two were allowed a generous lead of over two minutes in a little over 5km of riding.

The break was allowed to stretch to over 3:30 over the next 40km, but as the 100km mark approached, and the Côte de Milon-la-Chapelle behind them, the peloton began to ramp up the chase and quickly cut minutes out of the two riders’ lead.

At the front of the peloton, Lotto-Dstny were making clear their intentions for Arnaud De Lie – tipped as a favourite for the stage – accompanied Alpecin-Deceuninck, who were likely placing hopes on a Kaden Groves stage win.

Ourselin and Gregaard were left undisturbed for the next 70km, with a manageable gap of around one minute, before the peloton picked up in pace and swallowed up the two riders with 30km remaining.

The peloton was now clocking in speeds of between 50 and 60kmh on the flat Northern French terrain, with the tension leading to a crash of around a dozen riders as the peloton squeezed through a small village sitting 25km from the finish.

UAE Team Emirates, EF Education Easypost and Jumbo-Visma began to rapidly increase the pressure at the front, trimming riders from the main peloton as the pack approached the final two classified climbs of the day.

Just inside the final 20km, on the climb of Chevreuse, aggressive attacks came from Pogacar and Powless. The two were unable to break clear, but the climb saw a major split in the peloton amid the chaos, with a lead group in the split expanding out to a 20-second advantage.

The peloton reeled back the lead group within three kilometres, but a counter-attack came from Powless, who managed to carve a solo 20-second lead.

Despite a brave effort, Powless was caught with 7km remaining, on the ascent of Côte des Dix-Sept Tournants, just as Pogacar made his decisive attack over the summit – taking a six-second time bonus in the process – before riding clear with Vingegaard and Pierre Latour into the final 5km.

The three gave up the chase after a few minutes, allowing the peloton to move into formation at the 3km mark, prepared for a bunch sprint into the finish.

Results :