After a curiously sedate stage 2 of Paris-Nice, the race looks set to ignite on Tuesday with the 26.9km time trial around Auxerre. Like last year's Paris-Nice TTT, the final times are taken individually, and so the GC men will have to think carefully about whether and when to discard their supporting cast in the closing kilometres.
New Zealander Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ), who already won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race and then so impressed on Opening Weekend, is in the yellow jersey after yesterday's stage. "This season just keeps getting better. I definitely surprised myself. It’s really high level here, and I take each stage as a new experience," Pithie said. "It’s great learning for the future." Simone Giuliani has more here.
The start times for today's team time trial are here, with the first team off at 14.40 CET and teams setting out at 4-minute intervals thereafter. Egan Bernal and Ineos set off at 15.32, Evenepoel and Soudal Quick-Step begin at 15.48 and and Primoz Roglic's Bora-Hansgrohe squad are third-last to start at 15.56. The last team to go are Groupama-FDJ at 16.04.
There will, of course, be plenty of eyes on Visma-Lease A Bike when they roll down the start ramp at 16.00. Their teammates at Tirreno-Adriatico, after all, were showcasing a rather outlandish time trial helmet on Monday afternoon.
Wonder no more. Visma are doubling down on the new helmet at Paris-Nice.
Before Israel Premier Tech get things underway, a reminder of the rules of this particular game. Unlike a traditional team time trial, where the clock stops on the fourth (or fifth) rider across the line, every rider is timed individually here. Teams will try to bring their leaders as close to the finish as possible, but said leaders will have the freedom to shed themselves of all their teammates if needed to get a quicker time. The course also includes the short Cote de Jussy just after the midpoint, and some teams might well start to split up there.
Alpecin-Deceuninck, the second team to start, are readying themselves in the start house.
The temperature in Auxerre is 9°C and the teams will have a slight south-westerly breeze (18kph) for company on the circuitous course.
Astana-Qazaqstan are out on the road, the third team to set off. It will be interesting to see what Alexey Lutsenko can do this week. The Kazakhstani champion made some impressive cameos at the Tour Colombia, which came at the end of a long block of altitude training in the country.
Lotto-Dstny are the fourth team to set off. They shouldn't make much of an impact on the stage, but it's perhaps a chance for Victor Campenaerts to run through his scales in the discipline.
Arkea-Samsic begin their effort. For Arnaud Demare et al, this is a day to be survived.
Despite the single-digit temperatures, the sun is out and the roads are mercifully dry around Auxerre.
Arnaud De Lie betrays signs of struggling as Lotto-Dstny begin the drag towards the Côte de Jussy. It could be a long last 19km for the Belgian, who was a faller at Le Samyn last week.
Alpecin-Deceuninck are the early pace-setters on the Côte de Jussy, 2 seconds quicker than the previous mark.
There are currently seven teams out on the road, with TotalEnergies joining the fray. UAE Team Emirates and Joao Almeida are among the upcoming starters, and it will be interesting to see how they fare. The team expected a hefty helping of UCI points at the UAE Tour, but they suffered a disastrous final day, while Adam Yates' concussion ruled him out of Tirreno-Adriatico. With Tadej Pogacar not in stage racing action until the Volta a Catalunya, Almeida, McNulty and Jay Vine will be expected to weigh in with high overall finishes here.
Astana reach the top of the Côte de Jussy 56 seconds quicker than Alpecin. They only have four riders left, mind, so Lutsenko might have to go solo from a long way out here...
De Lie has been dropped by Lotto-Dstny, meanwhile, but the Belgian has Cedric Beuellens for company so he should make it home safely.
De Lie's teammates aren't hanging around. Lotto-Dstny are second quickest atop the Côte de Jussy, 18 seconds behind Astana.
UAE Team Emirates have started their effort. They have considerable time trialling firepower in their line-up, and this stage is a big opportunity for Almeida, McNulty and Vine to tee up their week.
UAE Team Emirates look smooth as they negotiate the mild headwind in the opening phase of this course. Given their early start, it would be a surprise if they aren't quickest atop the Côte de Jussy and at the finish.
Before swinging over, Lutstenko provide a long, long lead-out for Harold Tejada, who stops the clock in 32:02 to give Astana-Qazaqstan the quickest time thus far at the finish.
Jayco-Alula are out on the course, as are DSM, who have already distanced Fabio Jakobsen.
Arkea were 36 seconds down atop the Côte de Jussy, while DSM were 46 seconds down on Astana at the same point. Meanwhile, UAE have lost Nils Politt on the early crosswind section of the course.
Jayco-Alula have shed Dylan Groenewegen in the opening kilometres of their effort. The false flats and crosswind on the approach to the Côte de Jussy are taking a toll here.
Arkea-Samsic brought five riders together into the final kilometre before they splintered on the drag go the line. The promising Ewen Costiou brings them home 32 seconds down on Astana.
Ineos begin their effort with a strong team that includes Egan Bernal, Carlos Rodriguez and Josh Tarling. With Tarling on board, in particular, Bernal and Rodriguez see this as a chance to compete with Evenepoel and Roglic.
UAE are down to five on the Cote de Jussy, as Felix Grossschartner is distanced by his teammates near the top of the climb.
As expected, Almeida, Vine, McNulty et al are the quickest at the 14.1km point. They crest the top of the Cote de Jussy 14 seconds inside Astana's previous best.
At the start ramp, meanwhile, Jack Haig, Pello Bilbao and Bahrain Victorious set off with helmets to rival the contentious Visma effort.
Jayco-Alula and Luke Plapp have made a very solid start to this team time trial. They hit the time check just 2 seconds down on UAE.
EF Education-EasyPost set out in their endeavour, with Rigoberto Uran and Stefan Bissegger lead the line here. UAE still have five riders together, meanwhile, as they eat up the ground in the final 6km of their effort.
Auxerre is a football town, of course, and the start today is in the shadow of AJ Auxerre's Stade Abbé-Deschamps, where Eric Cantona spent his formative years under the tutelage of Guy Roux. Holy ground, in other words.
Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose and Lidl-Trek are the next to set out from the shadow of the stadium but, for now, most of the attention is on how UAE will deploy their various GC cards in the closing kilometres...
Into the final kilometre for UAE Team Emirates, who still have five riders together as they approach that drag to the line.
UAE Team Emirates' Almeida, Vine, McNulty and Fisher-Black come home together with the best time so far, 39 seconds quicker than Astana. Their average speed is 51.4kph.
Remco Evenepoel and Soudal-QuickStep get their team time trial under way. Evenepole is without his rainbow skinsuit today, incidentally, as this is not an individual effort.
Ineos have all seven riders together as they climb the Cote de Jussy and it will be intriguing to see how they fare against UAE Team Emirates here.
Ineos are third quickest at the 14.1km mark, 6 seconds down on UAE.
Meanwhile, Michael Matthews leads Luke Plapp across the line as Jayco-Alula claim the day's second best time at the finish so far, 15 seconds down on UAE.
Bahrain Victorious reach the top of the Cote de Jussy with the sixth best time, some 19 down on UAE> They have four riders together, including Bilbao, Haig and Santiago Buitrago.
Primoz Roglic and Bora-Hansgrohe have begun their effort, with just Visma-Lease A Bike and Groupama-FDJ still to start.
EF have made a solid start to their TTT and they crest the Jussy just 4 seconds down on UAE. Soudal-QuickStep are approaching the base of the climb, meanwhile, and they look to have shed Louis Vervaeke after the opening kilometres.
Felix Gall brings Decathlon-AG2R home with the fourth-best time to date. Meanwhile, Visma-Lease A Bike and their conehead helmets begin the team time trial.
Ineos approach the finish with five riders together, including Bernal, who leads the team home with the third best time so far, 22 seconds down on UAE Team Emirates.
Yellow jersey Laurence Pithie and Groupama-FDJ roll down the start ramp. All 22 teams have now begun their efforts.
A very aerodynamic Remco Evenepoel leads his teammates on the Cote de Jussy, and we'll get a check on their progress very shortly.
Oooof. Evenepoel has five teammates with him as he leads Soudal-QuickStep atop the Cote de Jussy with a buffer of 17 seconds over UAE Team Emirates.
At the finish line, Bilbao and Buitrago are the best of the Bahrain Victorious riders. The Space Balls helmet didn't inspire them to great heights, as they come with the 7th best time, 42 seconds behind UAE.
Owain Doull is EF's best rider, just ahead of Rigoberto Uran, and he gives his team the third best time at the finish, 20 seconds behind UAE.
Carlos Rodriguez gives Eurosport a snap assessment of Ineos' tactical approach. "We arrived with too many guys to the end and it was a bit messy on the climb," says the Spaniards, who nonetheless insists he was happy with the display. Bora-Hansgrohe, by contrast, are shedding riders on the Cote de Jussy - but the time that counts, of course, will be that of Primoz Roglic.
Roglic, Matteo Sobrero and Aleksandr Vlasov are the only Bora riders left atop the Cote de Jussy. They are only 4 seconds down on Soudal-QuickStep, but will they pay for the lack of numbers in the finale?
Evenepoel, by contrast, still has five teammates for company as Soudal-QuickStep barrel towards the closing phase of this time trial. We can surely expect Evenepoel to fly solo on that leg-searing drag to the line, mind.
Heavy rain is beginning to fall at the finish, and that could complicate things for the late finishers. Sjkelmose and Lidl-Trek, meanwhile, have endured a wretched afternoon, losing more than a minute by the finish.
Evenepoel and Soudal-QuickStep are on wet roads near the finish, but there's no indication yet that the change in conditions has stalled their pace. Bora haven't reached the rain-slicked roads just yet as Roglic, Sobrero and Vlasov enter the last 10km.
Into the final kilometre for Soudal-QuickStep, who have three riders with Evenepoel as they approach the finish. Ilan Van Wilder leads out Evenepoel but they look to have slowed over the second part of the course...
Evenepoel comes home with the fourth best time, 22 seconds down on UAE Team Emirates. They slowed very considerably relative to UAE in the second half of the course. The rain must have been a factor, but did it account for the entire difference?
Visma, meanwhile, hit the top of the Cote de Jussy 20 seconds down on Soudal-QuickStep's intermediate time.
That Soudal-QuickStep time puts a different slant on Ineos' afternoon, and it also augurs very well for UAE Team Emirates' trio of Almeida, McNulty and Vine, but let's see what Roglic and Vlasov can conjure up in the closing kilometres...
The best times at the finish are:
Those slippery roads and that brief flurry of rain certainly didn't help Soudal-QuickStep down the stretch and it will be intriguing to see if Bora-Hansgrohe are similarly affected.
Roglic, Vlasov and Sobrero are into the final 4km and navigating rain-soaked roads that won't help their prospects of overhauling UAE by the finish, though the sun has at least poked through the clouds again.
Visma and Groupama-FDJ were 20 and 22 seconds down on Evenepoel, respectively, at the top of the Cote de Jussy. It looks as though Roglic and Bora are the only team who can deny UAE the honours here.
The wet roads have clearly impeded Bora in the run-in - and so, too, perhaps has the fact that they've only had three riders since the Cote de Jussy. Roglic accelerates on the drag to the finish, but he's going to ship quite a lot of time here in the end.
Roglic stops the clock with the 10th best time. Bora's 32:17 puts him 54 seconds behind UAE and over half a minute behind Evenepoel.
Matteo Jorgenson, Wilco Kelderman and Koen Bouwman are the last men standing for Visma-Lease A Bike, but they have to settle for 6th place, 38 seconds down on UAE Team Emirates, who will take stage victory and the yellow jersey. Groupama-FDJ and Laurence Pithie have yet to finish, but they aren't going to do enough to defend his overall lead.
UAE Team Emirates have won stage 3 of Paris-Nice. Pithie and David Gaudu come home in 14th place for Groupama-FDJ, 1:01 down on UAE Team Emirates.
Finn Fisher-Black was first across the line for UAE Team Emirates, but Brandon McNulty was better placed GC before the stage, so the American should be the new yellow jersey.
Result
Brandon McNulty has been confirmed as the new yellow jersey.
General classification
New yellow jersey Brandon McNulty: "It’s a bit surprising I didn’t expect to be in it when we finished, I figured it would be Finn. But they said it was me so I’ll take it in. It was really tough, the first half was quite heavy feeling, and not fast, but then the way back was super fast. We used our riders well and we still have five left for the fast section back with the tailwind. I think the leadership is a bit open but João is obviously our main guy. I’ll see how it goes for me. I was sick after UAE so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow."
Remco Evenepoel has blamed the rain – and his former teammate Tim Declercq – for Soudal-QuickStep’s travails on the second part of the course.
A full report, results and pictures from today's stage are available here.
Thanks for joining our live coverage of Paris-Nice today. We'll be back with more on Wednesday as the races takes on the climb of Mont Brouilly.
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