Paris-Nice 2026 route - Stage-by-stage guide

The previous three editions of Paris-Nice have opened with a mass bunch sprint, but this year’s edition looks like it could buck the trend.

The 170.9km stage looks set to favour the puncheurs with two ascents of the steep Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes within the final 30km that could put the fast men in difficulty and entice the puncheurs to attack. 

Beginning in Achères, the first 100km of the stage takes the peloton across rolling terrain before reaching the first of four category three climbs in the stage, the Côte de Gargenville (2.5km at 4.8%). From here, the riders will shortly reach the Côte de Vaux-sur-Seine (1.4km at 7%), which isn’t as long as the first ascent but is steeper.

The crunch point of the stage will emerge when the riders pass through the finish line in Carrières-sous-Poissy for the first time with around 33.5km remaining. What awaits the riders is two laps, which feature the Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes (1.1km at 8.3%). 

The steep gradients should put the pure sprinters into severe difficulty, particularly if there are riders bold enough to attack. The crest of the final ascent comes 11km from the finish line, with a short plateau at the top before descending to the flat finish. A multitude of riders could win in this type of finish, be it an attacker or a versatile, fast finisher.

Stage 2 is far better suited to the sprinters, who will be looking to take their opportunity, as brutally, it’s probably the only one they will get.

Beginning in Épône, the 187km route features three categorised climbs, but all feature in the first 120km of the stage, and should serve as a battle point for the breakaway riders fighting for the polka dot jersey.

One factor that could impact the sprinters on this stage, as is often the case at Paris-Nice, is the potential of crosswinds. 

The finale passes through the Gâtinais province, where exposed sections will keep the riders wary and fighting for position that will increase the tension ahead of the finish in Montargis. Arvid de Kleijn sprinted to his first WorldTour victory in Montargis on stage 2 of the 2024 edition.

For the fourth consecutive edition, the team time trial is set to play an important part in the battle for the yellow jersey.

This year the significance of this stage has increased tenfold compared to last year due to the opening stage of the 2026 Tour de France taking place in the shape of a TTT in Barcelona. 

In total, the route is 23.5 kilometres in length, taking place in the Nièvre region between Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Pouilly-sur-Loire across rolling terrain.

The teams will get a solid indication of how they are performing at the intermediate time check at Saint-Laurent-L’Abbaye 14km in, before the road rises to Saint-Andelain. From here, the riders will descend their way towards Pouilly, where the road rises slightly towards the finish line. 

GC times will be taken individually based on each rider's crossing time. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how teams balance the dynamic of trying to win the stage, but also ensure that their GC leaders finish with the best time possible.

The race organisers have described this 195km stage as flat with an uphill finale. The majority of the stage from the start in Bourges fits the flat description well. 

However, the final 40km gets very interesting with much of the finale reminiscent of stage 7 of the 2021 Tour de France, where Matej Mohorič soloed to victory from the breakaway.

Following the intermediate sprint in Autun with 40.3km remaining, the peloton will quickly begin the ascent of the category two Côte de la Croix des Cerisiers (6.2km at 4.3%). The climb could put riders in trouble with the maximum gradients of 12%, but most will have their eyes set on what's still to come. 

That final test comes in the shape of the category one Signal d'Uchon climb. The climb is the longest of the stage at 8km in length, with an average gradient of 4.5%. However, the 4.5% gradient doesn't tell the full story, as the climb is inconsistent in its nature, with plenty of steep and shallow sections fused in, with the steepest ramps reaching 16%. 

It's a climb not to be taken lightly, as weaknesses can be found, and gaps can be made that can have an important say in the GC battle.

The longest stage of the race at 206.3km, stage 5 continues the punchy theme that looks to define this year's route. 

Beginning in Cormoranche-sur-Saône, this hilly stage will be a slow-burner with a couple of categorised climbs, Côte de Lentilly (2.3km at 4.7%), and Côte de Trèves (2.3km at 6%) in the first 150km. 

However, it's following the intermediate sprint in Sarras with 43.1km remaining, where the climbing starts to ramp up with a series of steep ascents. 

First up is the Côte de Sécheras (3.9km at 7%), which is crested with 33.5km remaining, before the most difficult test. The Côte de Saint-Jean-de-Muzols (2.2km at 11%), is the shortest of the three climbs, but is the only ascent to receive a category one status. With an average gradient of 11% and maximum pitches of 16%, the GC group could have lost some members by the summit, with 20km remaining to the finish.

The action will continue with the Côte de Saint-Barthélémy-le-Plain (3.2km at 7.6%), which is crested inside the final 10km. The finish in Colombier-le-Vieux also rises to the line, a tough end to a very attritional stage of this edition of Paris-Nice.

Another punchy stage is on the menu for stage 6, with a 179.3km stage featuring four categorised climbs. 

Beginning in Barbentane, the first categorised climb comes after 25km, the category three, Côte de Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (2.5km at 5%). The next 60km are arguably the flattest of the stage as the peloton passes Aureille, Mallemort and Robion before the route starts to become particularly hilly.

The climbing resumes with the Côte de Bonnieux (2.6km at 4.6%) with around 75km remaining. Next up is the more difficult category two Col de l’Aire Deï Masco (7.1km at 4.4%) which is summited with around 35km remaining. 

Even the intermediate sprint at Saint-Martin-de-Castillon with 16km remaining is on an uphill drag. 

The final climb, Côte de Saignon (4km at 5%) comes inside the final 10km of the stage, and looks to be a clear launchpad for attacks with the summit coming 4.5km from the finish line in Apt.

Tiesj Benoot won solo when Apt last hosted the finish of a Paris-Nice stage back in 2020, en route to finishing 2nd overall, and the finish in 2026 looks set to be another important one for the GC contenders to not fall behind.

From the summit, the road plummets, with a descent into Apt, where the most skilful descenders can look to take advantage for the stage win and perhaps gain some seconds in the GC. 

For the second consecutive edition, the penultimate stage hosts a summit finish in Auron. Michael Storer was victorious twelve months ago on the slopes up to the Ski Station, illustrating the types of riders who are expected to come to the fore. That said, Mads Pedersen did lead the GC group home in 10th place behind the breakaway after a remarkable climbing performance.

The climbing gets underway right from the off, with the Côte de Carros and Côte de Bouyon coming in quick succession inside the first 25km. However, this duo of climbs shouldn’t bear any consequence on the GC battle, as the majority of the next 80km aren’t climbing-focused.

Although the official climb starts with 7.3km to go, the road rises gradually much earlier. The official stats of the climb, according to the race organisers, are 7.3km at 7.2%.

This is a stage where significant gaps can be made, and the battle for the yellow jersey will ramp up to the maximum level of tension on this penultimate stage.

Due to municipal elections, the final stage has been adapted from last year. The route still heads around the climbs of Nice, but with the removal of the Col d’Eze.

The 129.2km stage will be centred around three categorised climbs. Firstly, the Col de la Porte (7km at 7.2%), which is the longest test, is crested with around 80km remaining. A long descent follows before the Côte de Châteauneuf-Villevieille (6.6km at 6.6%) continues to whittle down the selection of contenders for both the stage win and GC with 46km remaining.

The final categorised climb of the 2026 edition is the Côte du Linguador (3.3km at 8.8%), and the climb could be decisive with maximum gradients reaching 14%. With the summit coming less than 20km from the finish, the race is far from finished, and the opportunity for attacks could still come on the run-in to the promenade in Nice, where the winner of the 2026 'Race to the Sun' will be crowned.