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The UCI World Tour moves to Paris-Nice, for the cycling challenge known as the Race to the Sun, kicking off this weekend in Dampierre-en-Yvelines.
The 70th edition of the race will be the first major race in Europe this season and is a good indicator to determine who is going to be hard to beat overall.
Paris-Nice is sometimes described as a mini Tour de France, with the eventual Tour winner often showing his condition and ability during this race. It involves two time trials and four stages in the Massif Central and the Alps.
Starting in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, near Paris, with a prologue, the race will leave the north of France for the south and Nice.
The first two stages are scheduled around Orleanais and Limousin, where the major teams will seek to unleash a massive sprint finish. The undulating and flat roads require vigilance against rouleurs and punchers for the leaders.
In the middle of the week, the organisers prepared two tough days in Rodez and Mende. Two are at high altitude with the Côte de Saint Pierre in Rodez and the Montée Jalabert in Mende.
After two stages where the favourites should attack, the riders will join the traditional and famous Promenade des Anglais.
Saturday’s stage involves a hard day with the difficult Col de Vence. It features a 9.7km stretch with an average gradient of 6.6 percent situated on more than 50km of the finish (in Nice).
For this 70th anniversary, the legendary hill time trial through Nice and the Col d’Eze was reintroduced for the first time since 2001.
Title holder Tony Martin will be the favourite for the overall win but he will be challenged by the French pair of Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland (Europcar).
Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) and Andreas Kloden (Radio Shack – Nissan) also present challenges.
Outsiders Richie Porte (Sky Procycling), Jerome Coppel (Saur Sojasun), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) or Damiano Cunego (Lampre ISD) must attack in the middle of the week to gain time for a hard weekend, where the last time trial presents a difficult challenge for the pure climbers.
The Schleck brothers (Radio Shack – Nissan) changed their schedule in preparation for the upcoming Tour de France, and will not play leading roles. They will be content to test their capacity in the early part of the season.
Australia’s new GreenEDGE team will count on Simon Gerrans, the recent Tour Down Under winner.
The 32 year-old should be supported by Wesley Sulzberger, Michael Albasini and Cameron Meyer.
Allan Davis and Leigh Howard will fight against Tom Boonen and Thor Hushovd in the sprints.
Paris – Nice 2012 stages
4 March: first stage Dampierre-en-Yvelines (Yvelines) – Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (Yvelines), 9,4 km (contre-la-montre individuel)
5 March: second stage Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines) – Orléans, 185 km
6 March: third stage Vierzon (Cher) – Lac de Vassivière (Haute-Vienne), 194 km
7 March: fourth stage Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) – Rodez (Aveyron), 183 km
8 March: fifth stage Onet-le-Château (Aveyron) – Mende (Lozère), 178 km
9 March: sixth stage Suze-la-Rousse (Drôme) – Sisteron (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), 176,5 km
10 March: seventh stage Sisteron – Nice, 220 km
11 March: eighth stage Nice – col d’Eze, 9,6 km (Individual time trial)
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