1. Etappe: Le Perray-en-Yvelines – Le Perray-en-Yvelines – 156 Km
1 Merlier Tim Soudal Quick-Step 60 03:32:03
2 Démare Arnaud ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 40 + 00
3 Dainese Alberto Tudor Pro Cycling Team 30 + 00
4 Molano Sebastian UAE Team Emirates-XRG 25 + 00
5 Zingle Axel Team Visma | Lease a Bike 20 + 00
6 Fedorov Yevgeniy XDS Astana Team 15 + 00
7 van Dijke Mick Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe 10 + 00
8 Kielich Timo Alpecin-Deceuninck 8 + 00
9 Albanese Vincenzo EF Education-EasyPost -25 + 00
10 Walscheid Max Team Jayco-AlUla 2 + 00
11 Aniolkowski Stanislaw Cofidis + 00
12 Pedersen Mads Lidl-Trek + 00
13 Jeannière Emilien Team TotalEnergies + 00
14 Lund Andresen Tobias Team Picnic PostNL + 00
15 Wright Fred Bahrain Victorious + 00
16 Kristoff Alexander Uno-X Mobility + 00
MERLIER, THE EXPERT
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) was head and shoulders above the rest of the sprinters to win stage 1 of Paris-Nice 2025 and be the first leader of the 83rd edition of “the Race to the Sun”, just like he did in 2023. The European champion survived the traps of the day, marked by a punchy finale, and perfectly navigated the last kilometre to fly past everyone and take his fifth success of the season. Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Alberto Dainese (Tudor) complete the podium of the day. As for Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), the defending champion in the overall standings, he started the race just like he did last year, claiming time bonuses in the finale.
The 83rd edition of “the Race to the Sun” kicks-off in the department of Yvelines with a first stage open to different scenarios, featuring two loops around Le Perray-en-Yvelines adding up to 156.1km of racing. First, the riders head into the Versailles plain, before exploring the Chevreuse valley. Then they get back to the first loop as they battle for the first leader’s jersey of Paris-Nice 2025.
The tricky terrain inspires three early attackers. Alexandre Delettre (Cofidis) and Samuel Ferrnandez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) immediately set off and Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty) joins them at km 4. Behind them, Mads Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek and Tim Merlier’s Soudal Quick-Step quickly get in action to control the gap.
Alaphilippe and Jorgenson move
Delettre makes the most of the first two ascents to claim 6 KOM points but the attackers’s advantage never gets higher than 2’35’’ (km 20) and drops down to 1’05’’ as they cross the line fort he first time (km 54.6). Fernandez attacks with 62 km to go to breathe some new life into the breakaway. Delettre joins him while Van der Hoorn drops back to the bunch. The lead duo are eventually caught just inside the last 50 kilometres.
Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) shakes the peloton on the steepest section of the Côte de Villiers-Saint-Frédéric (21.6km to go). Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) follows him and goes first at the summit. The bunch rapidly get back together afterwards.
A flurry of attacks
The climb of Les Mesnuls, with an intermediate sprint awarding time bonuses just inside the last 10 km, is the perfect launchpad for more attacks. Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) goes first at the summit, ahead of Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadier’s).
A flurry of attacks ensues and three riders eventually get away inside the last 7 kilometres: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor). They’re caught with less than 3 kilometres to go.
Jayco AlUla and Alpecin-Deceuninck try to set their sprinters for the win… But Bert Van Lerberghe and Tim Merlier perfectly surf wheels until the Belgian star ounces inside the last 300 metres.
2. Etappe: Montesson – Bellegarde – 184 Km
1 Merlier Tim Soudal Quick-Step 60 04:11:29
2 Jeannière Emilien Team TotalEnergies 40 + 00
3 Pedersen Mads Lidl-Trek 30 + 00
4 Kristoff Alexander Uno-X Mobility 25 + 00
5 Kielich Timo Alpecin-Deceuninck 20 + 00
6 Zingle Axel Team Visma | Lease a Bike 15 + 00
7 Démare Arnaud ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 10 + 00
8 Govekar Matevz Bahrain Victorious 8 + 00
9 Jakobsen Fabio Team Picnic PostNL 5 + 00
10 Bol Cees XDS Astana Team 2 + 00
11 Del Grosso Tibor Alpecin-Deceuninck + 00
12 Fedorov Yevgeniy XDS Astana Team + 00
13 Leitão Iúri Caja Rural-Seguros RGA + 00
14 Molano Sebastian UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 00
15 Aniolkowski Stanislaw Cofidis + 00
Gesamt:
1 Merlier Tim Soudal Quick-Step 07:43:12
2 Démare Arnaud ARKEA-B&B HOTELS + 14
3 13 Jeannière Emilien Team TotalEnergies + 14
4 1 Jorgenson Matteo Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 14
5 2 Narvaez Jhonatan UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 14
6 126 Abrahamsen Jonas Uno-X Mobility + 14
7 8 Pedersen Mads Lidl-Trek + 16
8 2 van Dijke Mick Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe + 16
9 5 Dainese Alberto Tudor Pro Cycling Team + 16
10 4 Sheffield Magnus INEOS Grenadiers + 18
11 3 Zingle Axel Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 20
12 1 Kielich Timo Alpecin-Deceuninck + 20
13 4 Fedorov Yevgeniy XDS Astana Team + 20
14 7 Molano Sebastian UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 20
15 4 Kristoff Alexander Uno-X Mobility + 20
16 2 Aniolkowski Stanislaw Cofidis + 20
17 4 Walscheid Max Team Jayco-AlUla + 20
18 6 Govekar Matevz Bahrain Victorious + 20
19 3 Bol Cees XDS Astana Team + 20
20 5 Leitão Iúri Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
Stage 2 of Paris-Nice 2025 led to a much different sprint than stage 1 but the same winner powered to victory: Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), who takes his sixth win of the year and retains the yellow and white jersey as the overall leader of the Race to the Sun. The Belgian star is the first rider to win the first two stages since Dylan Groenewegen in 2019… And it was already in Bellegarde! This time, Merlier got the better of two Frenchmen, Émilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) and Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty). On Tuesday, stage 3 is set to shake the overall standings with a team time trial in Nevers, the first major rendezvous of Paris-Nice 2025 for the GC contenders.
After Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) came down with an illness overnight, 153 riders start stage 2 of Paris from Montesson, just outside of the French capital, to make their way towards Bellegarde. The slight rain doesn’t deter early attackers.
In the wake of his breakaway towards Le Perray-en-Yvelines, Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) is back on the move to defend his polkadot jersey. Samuel Fernandez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) is with him again, after he won the combativity award on day 1. This time, they’re joined by Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), a hero of the Tour de France 2024 with his many breakaway attempts.
The gap rapidly rises to 3’10’’ (km 14) before Soudal Quick-Step take the reins of the bunch on the day after Tim Merlier’s opening success.
Merlier and Pedersen unite
Delettre makes the most of the cat-3 climbs up Côte de Mesnuls (km 34.1) and Côte de la Villeneuve (km 54.1) to bring his KOM tally up to 12 points.
Mads Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek collaborate with Soudal Quick-Step and the gap drops down to 2 minutes as the peloton summit the second and last categorised ascent of the day.
With the peloton coming hot on their heels, Abrahamsen puts the hammer down 51 km away from the line. Delettre and Fernandez are caught but the Norwegian pushes his lead back up to a minute.
Merlier suvives an animated finale
The pace picks up again in the bunch but their progress is hampered by a mass crash with 46 km to go. Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) are among the riders involved but they quickly get back up. On the other hand, Florian Sénéchal (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) has to abandon.
Abrahamsen still leads the way into the final 20.3km lap around Bellegarde. Behind him, Tim Van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) sprint for the time bonuses. Behind them, a crash splits the bunch again. Luke Durbridge (Jayco AlUla) and Gorka Sorarrain (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) abandon.
Stragglers get back and Abrahamsen is eventually caught with 2.5km to go. Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal Quick-Step) and Merlier navigate just like they did on day 1 and the Belgian sprinter eventually pounces with 200 metres to go… Nobody can match his speed at the moment.