Favorites stage 8 Paris-Nice 2025 | Very heavy, very Nice: Jorgenson defends leading position close to home

Almost every year, the final stage of the Race to the Sun always takes place in and around Nice, where the route goes up and down all day long. Compared to recent years, the addition of the challenging Col de la Porte (7.0 km at 7.2%) has changed things a bit before ending up with the well-known recipe of the Côte de Peille, Turbie, Col de'Eze, and the Col des Quatre-Chemins.

Moreover, bonus seconds are up for grabs at the top of the Col d'Eze. The finish is traditionally on the Promenades des Anglais in Nice. Last year, Remco Evenepoel and Matteo Jorgenson shared the glory, with the former winning the stage and the latter the overall.

Climbs
50.7 km:Col de la Porte (7.0 km a 7.2%)
79.2 km: Côte de Peille (6.5 km a 6.9%)
110.9 km: Col des Quatre-Chemins (3.6 km a 8.8%)

Times
Start: 8:10 AM EST
Finish: 11:10 AM EST

The Race to the Sun certainly lives up to its name. On Sunday, Nice is expected to have 16 degrees Celsius and sunny weather, although there will be a strong wind from the southwest in the afternoon.

In recent years, the final stage of Paris-Nice has always been a walk in the park for the big names, but things could turn out differently this year. Several good climbers are already behind and have nothing to lose, as we saw on Saturday with the behavior of previous stage winner Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Decathlon AG2R team leader Felix Gall. We can also include someone like Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla).

In terms of the GC, most of them seem satisfied with their position. Nice-based Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) is the leader. Still, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and number three Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) will also be happy with a place on the final podium. Arensman can still compete with Magnus Sheffield and Tobias Foss, who are in the top ten of the GC.

Joao Almeida, Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG), Clément Champoussin, and Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) will also be aiming high, so you'd better keep an eye on them. Just outside the top ten, we find Pablo Castrillo (Movistar), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step), and Aurelien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R).

Classic types can usually also go far in this last stage, provided they are in top form. Green jersey wearer Mads Pedersen, who 'just' finished among the GC riders on Saturday, is certainly one of them. Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step), Jhonatan Narváez (UAE), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) will probably have been selected for this stage as well.

Top favorites: Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Long shots: Thymen Arensman, Magnus Sheffield, Tobias Foss (INEOS Grenadiers), Joao Almeida, Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG), Clément Champoussin, Harold Tejada (XDS Astana), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step) and Pablo Castrillo (Movistar)