Tim Merlier is certainly the most in-form sprinter at the start of this season and demonstrated this again in the first stage of Paris-Nice, a 156 km route with start and finish in Le Perray-en-Yvelines. The European champion, riding for Soudal Quick Step, confidently preceded Arnaud Demare and Alberto Dainese, with Albanese finishing ninth.

For Merlier, this is his fifth victory in the early 2025 season: only the Algerian Yacine Hamza - with 8 wins - has done better than him.

THE RACE. The day's breakaway was formed by Alexandre Delettre (Team TotalEnergies, who will wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow), Samuel Fernandez (Caja Rural RGA) and Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarchè Wanty), but on the nervous stage, the peloton never gave them space and caught them well before the finish line.
Notable was the crash at 48 km from the conclusion involving Tarling, Sheffield and Watson from Ineos and Gibbons from Lidl Trek, all of whom restarted, and another crash involving Champoussin and Charmnig from Xds Astana at 9.6 km from the finish.

In the finale, Buitrago tried first at 10 km from the finish, then Trentin, Skjelmose and Tarling, all caught within 2 km of the arrival.

RESULTS