After two stages finishing in bunch sprints in the 2024 edition of Paris-Nice, the general classification battle gets underway on Tuesday's stage 3 in Auxerre for the first team time trial of the season.
The stage is 26.9km long and while it begins with a flat run-out along the Yonne River, the course has two small climbs, both of which tip up to between 5 and 6% grades.
The first climb comes after five kilometres and is the gentler of the two, climbing about 200 metres in elevation over two kilometres. The second, the Côte de Jussy, starts after a false flat and is 2.6km long, with a steeper 5.8% grade in the first half and a much gentler approach to the top.
Riders will lose all the elevation they gained on the climb on the fast second half of the race. The teams will want to save a little bit for the slightly uphill final kilometre.
In 2023, it was Jumbo-Visma, that led the way for Jonas Vingegaard, winning the stage with 23 seconds on UAE Team Emirates of the eventual overall winner Tadej Pogačar.
This year, the contenders have shifted around their programmes, with Vingegaard opting to race Tirreno-Adriatico and Pogačar starting his season with a ridiculous 80km solo attack in Strade Bianche.
Visma-Lease a Bike have Olav Kooij in a position to take the race lead from Groupama-FDJ's Laurence Pithie as the top three riders including Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) are tied on time in the standings.
If Kooij can't make it over the climbs, his teammate Matteo Jorgenson is right behind in the GC, four seconds behind.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) is just behind at six seconds, while Lidl-Trek have Mattias Skjelmose at eight seconds tied with Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).
Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) is among the other contenders all on the same time at 10 seconds from the top three.
Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, the teams will undoubtedly be putting all of the latest time trial tech on display, including Visma and their very weird new offering from Giro.
Follow stage 3 of Paris-Nice live with Cyclingnews.
