Race analysis, favourites, and predictions for Paris-Nice 2021

Starting in the metropolitan region of Paris and ending in Provence, the Paris-Nice is known as the Race of the Sun, as the weather usually improves as the days bring the peloton closer to the Mediterranean sea.

With 78 editions contested, Paris-Nice is one of the most prestigious stage races of the year, and it is usually contested by those who months later will dispute the Tour de France. The cyclists with the most victories at Paris-Nice are Sean Kelly with seven and Jacques Anquetil with five.

Route

The route of the 2021 edition is made up of 8 stages, of which 3 have a flat profile (stages 1,2 and 5), one is a time trial (stage 3), 3 have hilly profiles (stages 4, 6 and 8) and one presents a pure mountain profile (stage 7).

Favorites

Many big names will take the start, including reigning champion Maximillian Shcachmann (1000). Other contenders for the general classification are Primož Roglič (1200), Ion Izagirre (800), Aleksandr Vlasov (800), Tao Geoghegan Hart (800), Richie Porte (600), Felix Grossschartner (800), Guillaume Martin (800), David Gaudu (800) or Jay Hindley (600), among others.

For the sprints, several fast men make up the list of candidates to achieve a stage victory: Pascal Ackermann (1200), Sam Bennet (1200), Michael Matthews (1000), Jasper Philipsen (1000), Matteo Trentin (800), Giacomo Nizzolo (600), Sonny Colbrelli (400), Nacer Bouhanni (400), Danny Van Poppel (400), and Brian Coquard (400) are the fastest on paper.