Favorites stage 3 Paris-Nice 2026 | Crucial day for Vingegaard and the GC contenders

This team time trial is not the toughest or longest test against the clock the riders will ever face, but it is still one that can create important gaps. The teams must cover 23.5 kilometres and tackle 212 metres of elevation gain along the way. Starting in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, the riders head south towards the finish in Pouilly-sur-Loire on a course that is mostly straightforward and fast. After six kilometres, there is a demanding false-flat section that should already start to bite.

The first and only intermediate checkpoint comes in Saint-Laurent-l’Abbaye after 14 kilometres. After that, the riders face the final “hill” of the day, a two-step rise. The first part is 400 metres at 4.3 percent, followed by 600 metres at 4.1 percent. Nothing too dramatic, but enough to hurt if a team is already on the limit. The descent that follows is also gradual, though longer, so expect very high speeds throughout this team time trial.

Times
Start: 12:50 PM local time
Finish: approx. 5:15 PM local time

While the first two days remained dry, conditions in Pouilly-sur-Loire could be different. Temperatures are expected to be around 14 degrees Celsius, but there is also a realistic chance of light to moderate rain. Slippery roads in a team time trial are far from ideal, especially on a day when rhythm, confidence and smooth bike handling matter so much.

Most teams have brought plenty of time trial firepower to this edition of Paris-Nice, so everything points to a high-class battle. The obvious place to start is with last year’s team time trial winners, Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutch squad lines up with the kind of selection every sports director would dream of for a day like this. Jonas Vingegaard, Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail, Victor Campenaerts and Wilco Kelderman are all top-level riders in this discipline. It is no surprise, then, that Visma | Lease a Bike start as the standout favourites.

INEOS Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates XRG also belong firmly among the main contenders. The British team will look to riders such as Joshua Tarling and Samuel Watson to set a blistering pace for their leaders. The one thing INEOS must watch is that Tarling does not blow apart some of his less accomplished time trial teammates too early, because at Paris-Nice the individual rider’s time counts in this format. UAE, meanwhile, were somewhat disappointing last year in seventh place and will be keen to bounce back. With powerful engines such as Brandon McNulty, Ivo Oliveira, Rune Herregodts and Nils Politt, the Emirati team certainly has the horsepower to challenge for the top positions.

A team we also should not rule out is Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. The German squad is packed with riders who can produce a serious ride against the clock. With brothers Tim and Mick van Dijke, Callum Thornley, Nico Denz and GC men Daniel Felipe Martínez and Aleksandr Vlasov, they have every chance of fighting for the victory. They already won the first team time trial of the year in Mallorca, although, apart from Denz, that came with a different line-up.

Lidl-Trek also has plenty of strength on the start list. Team leader Juan Ayuso is already an excellent time triallist himself, while Søren Kragh Andersen, Mathias Vacek and the young Jakob Söderqvist add even more quality to the line-up. And what about Movistar? On paper, the Spanish team has also assembled a very respectable group for this kind of test, with Iván Romeo, Pablo Castrillo, Raúl García Pierna and Lorenzo Milesi.

Top favorite: Visma | Lease a Bike
Outsiders: INEOS Grenadiers and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
Long shots: UAE Team Emirates XRG, Lidl-Trek and Movistar