Pro road racing is in full swing, but Paris\u2013Nice marks one of the first major stage races of the season, and the 2026 edition features some heavy hitters, including multiple Grand Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard.<\/p>\n
Heading to warmer roads<\/p>\n
The race begins on Sunday on the slightly cooler roads near Paris and will face warmer temps as the peloton reaches the Mediterranean coast in Nice.<\/p>\n
Vingegaard will pin on a race number for the first time this season, immediately placing him under the spotlight. The Visma\u2013Lease a Bike rider was supposed to start his season earlier this year, but illness and a weird crash in training involving a fan, delayed it.<\/p>\n
Stacked field<\/p>\n
He will face some strong challengers. One of the biggest contenders is Spanish talent Juan Ayuso. There\u2019s also riders like INEOS Grenadiers\u2019 new recruit, Oscar Onley, and American Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG). INEOS also has K\u00e9vin Vauquelin. Another Frenchman, Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), has shown strong form in early-season races in his country. There are two Canadians racing, NSN Cycling\u2019s Guillaume Boivin, and Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team\u2019s Nick Zukowsky. Zuke will most likely be working for team leader Eddie Dunbar\u2013but don\u2019t be surprised to see him cover some moves. He\u2019s shown good form so far this season\u2013maybe his team will let him go for it this week?<\/p>\n
Vingegaard\u2019s 2026 campaign<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s race was defined by Matteo Jorgenson\u2019s impressive ride after teammate Vingegaard crashed out mid-week. The American won\u2019t be there this year\u2014he did, however, have a good ride at Strade Bianche. Jorgenson finished 8th in a race absolutely dominated by world champ Tadej Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n
From early sprint stages to decisive mountain finishes in the south of France, Paris\u2013Nice rarely disappoints. The weather can have a huge factor too.<\/p>\n
Stage 1 is a lumpy 170.9 km from Carri\u00e8res-sous-Poissy. Stage 3 is an interesting one\u2014the TTT. The format has changed in recent years, where the squad sets up their team leader in the end, as opposed to taking a collective time. The midpoint of the 8-day race is where things get tough, with several stages featuring tough climbs before eventually getting to Nice.<\/p>\n
You can watch every stage on FloBikes.com<\/a>. Coverage begins at 10:20 a.m. EDT. Canadian Cycling Magazine will also have full daily reports. There\u2019s plenty of other races going on, including the Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina, where several Canadian women are racing, as well as the one-day Trofeo Oro in Euro, where world champ Magdeleine Valli\u00e8res-Mill is in action. The Sherbrooke, Que., rider had a great ride at Strade Bianche,<\/a> finishing fifth.<\/p>\n
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