Paris-Nice organisers confirm: Plan B is the most logical scenario for queen stage

In 2024, Paris-Nice was supposed to finish in Auron for the first time, but snowfall forced the organisers to switch to another route. As early as Thursday, the decision was made to move Saturday’s finish to La Madone d’Utelle instead.

That stage, which also started in Nice just like this Saturday’s edition, was ultimately won by Aleksandr Vlasov, who held off Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic with a late attack.

Last year, the stage did finish in Auron as planned, but the course had to be revised along the way. The Col de la Colmiane and the Côte du Belvédère were removed, partly because of the risk of riders freezing on the descents. As a compromise, the final climb remained on the route. Michael Storer of Tudor won the shortened stage from the early breakaway, in the snow.

In 2026, it now looks highly likely that the stage to Auron will once again be subject to change. The forecast for Saturday is far from encouraging, with heavy snowfall, temperatures around freezing, wind chill dropping even lower, and winds expected to strengthen during the day.

Course designer Thierry Gouvenou confirmed to Sporza that alternative options are being discussed. “At the moment, we are in talks with the French authorities, the regional government and the municipalities to see whether we can put together a Plan B. We want to avoid ending up in a situation where we would have to cancel the race.”

“The most likely Plan B is to shorten the stage and look for a finish location at a lower altitude. That is what we are currently examining,” Gouvenou said. For now, it remains unclear what that alternative route would look like.