Paris-Nice 2026 stage 3 team time trial start times

Paris-Nice 2026 stage 3 team time trial start times – a Tour de France dress rehearsal

A flat time trial midway through an early-season stage race may not usually be something to relish, but this afternoon's third stage of Paris-Nice is a little different. It's a team time trial for one, and it is only one of two such events held between now and 4 July – the date of the Tour de France TTT in Barcelona that will decide the first yellow jersey of the race.

That means that today's 23.5km race between Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Pouilly-sur-Loire in central France is an important dress rehearsal for Le Grand Boucle. The only other opportunity will be on the eve of the big race at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné).

The Paris-Nice stage also raises the stakes even higher by taking riders times individually rather than as a team – so if one rider is dropped, they will feel it in the GC.

Race director Yannick Talabardon told L'Equipe that his TTT "will be a good rehearsal for the teams in preparation for the Tour".

"We knew the 2026 Tour de France had one, and the idea was to have one too," he added. "Our regulations require us to place it in the first third of the race. It almost has to be our top priority: finding the right towns and roads suitable for a team time trial."

He said he would have liked his event to have been closer to that of the Tour de France, which will feature two tough climbs over a 19.7km course, whereas today's event is rolling and a bit longer, with the same elevation gain but spread over the length of the course.

Not all the riders in today's race will be the same as those who compete at the Tour, but many are likely to feature in both races. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is an obvious candidate, while Ineos Grenadiers have Oscar Onley and Carlos Rodríguez at Paris-Nice too.

The first team, PicnicPost NL, sets off at 15:10 CET – here is the full start list.