Paris-Nice provides taxing early-season test

Even if Tirreno-Adriatico boasts more headline acts this year, Paris-Nice remains a marquee event for Classics riders and stage racers alike. “The Race to the Sun” takes an oftentimes rainy, windy and snowy route before reaching said sunshine, as winter turns very reluctantly to spring in central and southern France. Such conditions are an ideal test of the Classics man’s mettle, while the hilly closing stages are a stiff early-season gauge for those with Grand Tour aspirations.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.

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