Favorites stage 8 Paris-Nice 2026 | Jonas Vingegaard faces motivated local in Nice finale

The organisers had built something of a traditional final-stage route in Nice for the Race to the Sun. Over the past two years, the Col des Quatre Chemins proved a fantastic judge in this brutally hard finale, but this time the steep climb has been left out of the route. The famous Col d’Èze is missing too, but that does not mean we are in for a dull stage.

On the 129.2-kilometre route from and back to Nice, there will still be around 2,400 metres of climbing. The road rises gradually from the start, and after 50 kilometres the riders reach the highest point of the day at the Col de la Porte, a first-category climb of 6.9 kilometres at 7 percent. After the summit comes a long descent back toward sea level, but the climbing resumes quickly from La Pointe.

The Côte de Châteauneuf-Villevieille is another first-category climb, and after a short descent the road goes uphill again toward Aspremont. That one is uncategorised this time, but it should still sting badly in the legs. From there it is a little under 40 kilometres to the finish, but the climbing is not over yet.

The key point of the stage comes 19 kilometres from the line. The Côte du Linguador is 3.3 kilometres long and, at 8.2 percent, steep enough to make real differences. The sharpest ramps kick up to 14 percent, so this is where the strongest climbers can go on the attack. Even then, the finish is still a fair way off. An intermediate sprint on a drag of 1.4 kilometres at 4.5 percent could still matter, but after that it is mostly a flat, grinding run to the redesigned finish in Nice.

Times
Start: 1:25 PM local time
Finish: approx. 4:35 PM local time

After the chaos of stage 7, conditions on Sunday should be much better. A shower is still possible, especially in the morning, but the afternoon is expected to be mostly dry. The wind, however, could still play a role: a northeasterly at force 5 is forecast to blow hard around Nice. Could that create crosswind tension in the final stage?

There is plenty of climbing around Nice, so naturally all eyes turn to one man. [Jonas Vingegaard] has clearly been the best climber in this race over the past few days, and a third stage win would be another fitting finishing touch. The French have still not managed a stage victory this week, even though they have had several chances. One of the main names to watch is Nice local [Kévin Vauquelin] of INEOS Grenadiers, who would love nothing more than to ride himself onto the podium on home roads.

Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) is also one of the best climbers in this Paris-Nice, while Mathys Rondel (Tudor) remains high in the standings as well. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) has already lost 19 minutes overall and may therefore be given more freedom; he was also second on stage 5. Outside the French contingent, Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) will be determined to defend his second place overall and perhaps underline it with another strong ride.

But perhaps his Colombian compatriot is climbing even better. Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) won stage 6 and may well race with renewed confidence now. There are more Spanish-speaking contenders with ambitions too: Marc Soler will want to salvage something for UAE Team Emirates-XRG after a disappointing week, while Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) is a rider who has won a final stage into Nice before.

Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) looked extremely strong in the awful weather on stage 4 and will defend both his third place overall and the white jersey with everything he has. He can count on help from teammate Alex Baudin. If Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) can survive the climbs, he may well be the man to beat in a sprint. And could Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike) perhaps get the freedom to go for his own chance?

Top favorite: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Kévin Vauquelin (INEOS Grenadiers), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Long shots: Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education - EasyPost), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Mathys Rondel (Tudor), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) and Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)