The normal opener to the west of Paris.
The Route: 156km and on acquainted roads in the direction of the Chevreuse valley, the recurring begin of the race and likewise crossing the Olympic street race route from final summer time.
The climb of Villiers-Saint-Frédéric is spiky, going up into city the very first thing is how the street narrows however the promised 15% doesn’t appear to seem but it surely’s solely when leaving the city that the course flicks off into a good smaller street and there’s an 18% warning signal. The steep half is brief, a number of pedal strokes. It’s chased by a climb out of Les Mesnuls which is far rider however begins with rattling part of pavé.
The Côte des 17 Tournants, “climb of the 17 bends”, sounds spectacular but it surely’s featured a number of instances earlier than and we’ve seen it’s not Alpe d’Huez’s Parisian cousin. Any bends are mere kinks within the street moderately than hairpins but it surely’s 1km at 6% and the digital end line for any early breakaway whose riders hope to take the mountains jersey.
What does change course quite a bit is the course but it surely’s not so windy at this time. It’s again over Villiers-Saint-Frédéric and Les Mesnuls once more for the sharp climb and the cobbles and intermediate dash with the 3-2-1 seconds time bonus.
The End: a flat end on the town. There’s a pointy left with 700m to go however this gained’t be a shock because the race will take this twice earlier than through the stage.
The Contenders
Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) is the quickest sprinter within the race and comes with some lead-out assist. In addition to rivals, his problem is getting over the climbs at this time however they’re brief and he gained right here on an analogous course in 2023 (pictured).
If it was hillier Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) would really like it extra however this may very well be his finest brief, particularly if his group and others can attempt to exploit the course. Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) continues to be profitable however his final World Tour win got here within the 2020 Tour de France.
A dash end is the probably state of affairs due to the course but in addition as a result of many groups have a sprinter. UAE convey J-S Molano, Purple Bull have Danny Van Poppel and so forth throughout many groups so we will count on a busy end.
Who’s Picnic-PostNL’s sprinter? Deploying two in the identical group doesn’t work, particularly in a stage race as at this time there solely 60 UCI factors for the winner all the way down to 2 for tenth place however we’ll see how Fabio Jakobsen is and Tobias Lund is a contender too.
Like Kristoff, Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Inns) is chasing 100 profession wins however one quirk for his wins is how few of them have occurred within the early season, even when he’s gained the Paris-Good opener earlier than. Third within the Samyn behind Van der Poel and Magnier, Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) is an extended shot.
Merlier
Pedersen
Jakobsen, Lund, Dainese, Van Poppel, Kristoff
Climate: cloudy and 17°C, a 15km/h breeze from the South-East isn’t sufficient to separate the bunch however means a lightweight tailwind for the sprint to the end.
TV: the end is forecast for 3.25pm CET / Euro time.
Protection begins on FranceTV at 1.35pm, so about two hours of stay. It’s additionally on Eurosport or no matter it’s known as the place you reside, typically on the identical channel you watch the Tour de France, eg Peacock within the US, SBS in Australia, J-Sports activities in Japan however seems like solely delayed highlights on ITV in Britain.
Postcard from Le Perray
Why Le Perray? It’s to round 6,000 folks and on the street and railway line south-west of Paris that goes all the best way to Spain, once-upon-a-time a form of French Route 66. It’s simply down the street from Rambouillet, extra well-known for its looking palace and a biking reference to the beginning of the Paris-Brest-Paris randonnée.
Paris-Good has a take care of the Yvelines division west of Paris to host the opening stage yearly; and the beginning of the ultimate stage of the Tour de France too. The race is progressively working its approach by the checklist of cities and to reply the query, properly Le Perray’s mayor is Geoffroy Bax de Keating who simply occurs to be vice-president of the Yvelines division which in all probability explains loads.
It’s one other entry into the speculation of “mayors make the wheels go spherical” the place native authorities is professional biking’s half-hidden large consumer. We’d tune in to see the riders and groups in motion however none of this occurs with out humdrum native authorities: it repairs the roads, hosts the beginning, closes the course, instructs police and extra, together with printing posters for native retailers to publicise the race, sweeping the roads, planting yellow-themed flower arrangements and extra that hardly register on TV however go to in individual and you may sense the exercise. None of that is horny, it’s not a revelation to level it out both however it’s simply basic.
The submit Paris-Good Stage 1 Preview first appeared on The Interior Ring.
