It was in the Salon des Aigles of the Yvelines departmental council, installed on Tuesday December 17, in the gray Versailles, that the official presentation of the 83rd edition of the Race to the Sun took place.
The Paris-Nice, known by this name, will take place in 2025, from Sundays March 9 to 16, from Yvelines to Nice. “Besides, we should say Yvelines-Nice. But hey, I haven’t registered the brand yet,” smiles, behind his microphone, Pierre Bédier, president of the departmental council of 78.
From Yvelines to Allier, via Loiret and Bouches-du-Rhône, the little Tour de France will stop in Nièvre on Tuesday March 11, during a team time trial.
A 28.4 km route, which will start from the Magny-Cours circuit and end on rue Henri-Barbusse, in the ducal city. François Lemarchand, sports manager in the Cycling competitions department of Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), and director of Paris-Nice, recalls:
“Eleven years after its last visit, Paris-Nice returns to the Nièvre department and to the Magny-Cours circuit, where so many Formula 1 champions have distinguished themselves. During the last two editions, this formula of time trial had met with great success. So, never two without three. »
Vingegaard, Démare, Pedersen and Lenny Martinez, “the future prodigy climber”
Deputy sports manager at ASO, Yannick Talabardon, former cyclist, explains: “Once the five red lights have gone out, like in Formula 1, the riders will set off for a lap of the circuit. The teams will then head towards Nevers, towards the Côte de la Pisserotte, the main difficulty of the day with its 5.4% kilometer. »
An arrival in the ducal city, 17 years after the last, on March 10, 2008, where the Belgian Gert Steegmans won during the 1st stage. And for this eight-day “Hitchcock-style” event, according to Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, the announced line-up is solid. “There will, of course, be Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), the winner of the 2024 edition, but he will not be the leader. Because Jonas Vingegaard, who has never won Paris-Nice, will also be at the start (winner of the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, Editor’s note). I imagine he wants the 2025 season to be one of reconquest. »
Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) and Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), third in the 2022 edition, will also be there. “As for the sprinters, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B & B Hotels) will be among the peloton,” continues Christian Prudhomme. “For the general classification, on the French side, we will have Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ) and Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious). The future prodigy climber of French cycling will be there, at home. »
Every step will count
For the director of the Grande Boucle, the third stage “will count, but ultimately, they will all count. Magny-Cours is a famous circuit, and Nièvre, a land of cycling.” A land of cycling and winners of Paris-Nice, like Jean-François Bernard, son of Julien Bernard, winner of the Race to the Sun in 1992.
This presentation was expected and was heard by a strong delegation from Niverne, present in the front row of the Salon des Aigles. Denis Thuriot, mayor (Renaissance) of Nevers, can finally savor this open secret.
We knew we would be detained for months. We have an ambition around cycling. This stage in Nièvre may be a premonition of another major event. I have been harassing Christian Prudhomme on the Tour de France for a long time. We know that Paris-Nice can be a precursor to the Tour de France, and we maintain our candidacy.
A telegenic event in Magny-Cours
As part of this third stage, in March, the City of Nevers took a joint approach with the departmental council and the Magny-Cours circuit.
If he learned the news “today (Tuesday December 17)”, as he explains, full of irony, Serge Saulnier, president of the board of directors of the Magny-Cours circuit, already knows what this Nivernaise round will look like on the circuit. “When ASO came to see me this summer, to offer me a departure or arrival, I looked with them at the feasibility of this possibility, around an interesting concept in terms of a telegenic aspect. Let this step be compatible with the circuit. The public will be there of course, and for free. We will ensure that the teams are installed in the stands. People will be able to come and see them, as we do for Superbike and as we did in Formula 1. The public will be able to be as close as possible to the race. The speed is not the same as on a motorcycle. »
“We had our place in this Paris-Nice,” believes Lionel Lécher, vice-president of the departmental council in charge of relations with the associative world and sports. “Our department breathes cycling. Until March 11, our role will be to introduce Nièvre to as many people as possible, while involving as many cyclists as possible. »
A team time trial and a cost for the Nivernais communities. “We have provisioned 50,000 euros, because we are voting on the budget on Thursday (December 19). This budget is conditioned by the Region. It’s a global envelope,” specifies the elected official.
“It will be a party”
On the Department side, Lionel Lécher underlines:
“There are two financial aspects. That of 28,000 euros for the start at the Magny-Cours circuit, and the development aspect, because there are constraints and specific requests. There will be participation to develop the roads. For the moment, the Department has only planned 28,000 euros, via departure. The overall amount is around 70,000 euros for the communities of Nièvre, but the payers will be the departmental council and the City of Nevers. »
The mayor of which has planned activities for the big day. “This is part of the commitments. It’s a set. There are a lot of things to work on. It is an international event. It will be a party,” smiles Denis Thuriot.
The steps
Step 1. Sunday March 9. 156.5km. Departure: Le Perray-en-Yvelines (78). Arrival: Le Perray-en-Yvelines (78).
Step 2. Monday March 10. 183.9 km. Departure: Montesson (78). Arrival: Bellegarde (45).
Step 3. Tuesday March 11. 28.4 km. Departure: Magny-Cours circuit (58). Arrival: Nevers (58).
Step 4. Wednesday March 12. 163.4 km. Departure: Vichy (03). Arrival: The Guards Lodge (03).
Step 5. Thursday March 13. 196.5 km. Departure: Saint-Just-en-Chevalet (42). Arrival: La Côte-Saint-André (38).
Step 6. Friday March 14. 209.8 km. Departure: Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban (07). Arrival: Berre l’Étang (13).
Step 7. Saturday March 15. 147.8 km. Departure: Nice (06). Arrival: Auron (06).
Step 8. Sunday March 16. 119.9 km. Departure: Nice (06). Arrival: Nice (06).
Paris-Nice 2025 in figures
16.100
16,100 meters of total elevation gain, including 3,650 meters during the 7th stage.
1.206
1,206, i.e. the total distance, in kilometers, of the 2025 edition of Paris-Nice; 209.8 km during the 8th stage.
28
28 passes and climbs are on the program for this 83rd edition.
22
The number of teams that will take part in the race to the sun. Twenty-two teams of seven riders.
13
Thirteen stopover cities are planned for this Paris-Nice, including five new ones.
12
Or the number of departments that will be crossed by the peloton during the eight stages.
