The traditional finish on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice will be moved along the coast to the Quai des Etats-Unis for the 2017 edition “in respect of the memorial period declared by local authorities” after the terror attack of last July.
The 75th edition of the spring stage race Paris-Nice will follow a traditional southeasterly course from Paris on 5th March, reaching Nice on Sunday 12th March 2017. The highlight of the race comes on the penultimate stage which takes the riders to one of the toughest summit finishes in the race's history. The 15.7km climb, which averages 7.1%, will take the race to the highest point that it has ever visited and should make for an exciting battle between the top contenders.
The final stage, starting and finishing in Nice, still allows for challengers to come forward and, in fact, the race can be won or lost right up to the end. The stage starts out slightly differently to last year, but then follows the same path, with the climbs Côte de Levens, Côte de Châteauneuf, Col de Calaison, Côte de Peille and, finally, Col d'Èze, before the run-in to Nice. Last year saw a battle to the end for the yellow jersey of Geraint Thomas, but the Team Sky rider held on to claim the overall title by four seconds.
Sunday 5th March, 1st stage : Bois-d’Arcy > Bois-d’Arcy, 148,5 km
Monday 6th March, 2nd stage : Rochefort-en-Yvelines > Amilly, 192,5 km
Tuesday 7th March, 3rd stage : Chablis > Chalon-sur-Saône, 190 km
Wednesday 8th March, 4th stage : Beaujeu >Mont-Brouilly, 14,5 km (ITT)
Thursday 9th March, 5th stage : Quincié-en-Beaujolais > Bourg-de-Péage, 199,5 km
Friday 10th March, 6th stage : Aubagne > Fayence, 192 km
Saturday 11th March, 7th stage : Nice > Col de la Couillole, 177 km
Sunday 12th March, 8th stage : Nice > Nice, 115,5 km
If this inspires you to get your bike out of storage and back on the road then remember to check out our Cycling Guide and Cycling Routes pages and start pedalling around Nice.
