They call Paris-Nice the Race to the Sun, but stage 4 of this year's race provided plenty of reminders of how harsh the conditions can be in France in March, too, as riders squelched and shivered their way to the finish line at Uchon on one of the toughest days of 2026 so far.
Crashes combined with atrocious weather conditions to see multiple high-profile abandons, from race leader Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) to Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Dan Hoole (Decathlon-CGA CMM) and no less than 9 other early exits. Add in the three non-starters, amongst them another crash victim from earlier on in the race, Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello-Q36.5) and 15 riders are out by the half-way point of Paris-Nice.
