{"id":459246,"date":"2026-03-05T17:28:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/459246\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T17:28:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:28:08","slug":"10-riders-to-watch-at-paris-nice-%f0%9f%87%ab%f0%9f%87%b7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/459246\/","title":{"rendered":"10 riders to watch at Paris-Nice \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Jonas Vingegaard will be aiming for a statement performance in Paris-Nice. \ud83d\udcf8 A.S.O\/Morgan Bove.<\/p>\n

Hi Subscribers,<\/p>\n

While attention is on Strade Bianche ahead of Saturday\u2019s racing, the weekend also sees the return of WorldTour stage racing action, with the men\u2019s peloton descending on France for Paris-Nice.<\/p>\n

The field is stacked with Jonas Vingegaard finally starting his season after several setbacks in February, and highly rated opposition coming in the form of Juan Ayuso, Jo\u00e3o Almeida and Oscar Onley. <\/p>\n

Follow me on: Twitter<\/a> \ud83d\udfe2 \u2014 Instagram<\/a> \ud83d\udd34 \u2014 Bluesky<\/a> \ud83d\udd35<\/p>\n

We also have several riders under pressure to perform after slow starts, as well as breakaway stars and sprinters also vying for results.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be at the final four days of the race too, and after weekend analysis from Strade Bianche, I\u2019ll be turning my full attention towards the French race. To kick-start our coverage, here are 10 riders to keep an eye on during the race. We\u2019ll also have an exclusive feature on Juan Ayuso in the next couple of days.<\/p>\n

Daniel \ud83e\udef6<\/p>\n

Paris-Nice objective: Build up a solid platform and win the GC<\/p>\n

Come Saturday evening, the likely narrative will be as follows. Tadej Poga\u010dar will have dominated the opposition at Strade Bianche, and the characteristic headlines will set the stage for an undisputed Tour de France victory later in the year. After taking a record-setting fourth win on Tuscan dirt roads, who could even think about stopping him?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jonas Vingegaard will be heading to a bland hotel outside Paris ahead of his season debut on Sunday. If that sounds a little bleak for those wanting to see a thrilling Tour this summer, remember that Vingegaard hasn\u2019t even ridden competitively in 2026 and is already under immense pressure.<\/p>\n

His best climbing domestique for the Giro decided to quit the sport rather than earn around 2 million Euros a year to help. His long-term coach has left, he\u2019s missed the UAE Tour, been sick, and crashed, with the incident thoroughly picked apart by the media. All of this sits against the backdrop of how unsettled everything seemed for the Dane last summer. Granted, a Vuelta win was a welcome tonic, but it\u2019s March now, and Vingegaard\u2019s Giro d\u2019Italia bid is just two months away.<\/p>\n

In some quarters, Vingegaard\u2019s signal to race the Giro has been interpreted as raising the white flag come the Tour, but there\u2019s another strand of thought to his aims on racing the double – and that\u2019s that he\u2019s put himself even under greater scrutiny had he instead decided to simply run it back and target the Tour. <\/p>\n

He must beat Jo\u00e3o Almeida and his other rivals to the maglia rosa; anything less than a GC victory would be considered a disaster, especially if it comes at the hands of Poga\u010dar\u2019s second or third in command. While May is more significant than March, this remains a major race for the Dane.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, at the start in Ach\u00e8res, he will face questions about his off-season and the less-than-ideal course his campaign has taken so far, but once the race begins, the Dane, at the very least, needs to get through the eight days of racing. There are no easy stages in Paris-Nice; even the sprint stages are fraught with danger and obstacles. However, if he emerges from the week unscathed, whether on the podium or even victorious, some of the doubts and questions surrounding Vingegaard\u2019s form and morale will at least have been addressed. For now.<\/p>\n