12th March – Stage 4: Vichy – La Loge des Gardes
A challenging day in the saddle awaited the peloton in Paris-Nice on Thursday, with some brutally steep climbs shaping the finale, including an almost two-kilometre ascent to the line with an average gradient of over ten per cent. It was a fast-paced race from the outset, with attacks flying as riders attempted to form the breakaway of the day. Team Picnic PostNL did well to cover the moves and try to bridge across, but only a small group of two was allowed to go clear, so the team shifted focus to the punchy uphill finale.
As the race approached the final climb, the team worked to position Warren Barguil for the uphill drag to the line, where it all came down to the legs. Warren dug deep on the steep slopes and led the team home on today’s classics-style stage.
Barguil said: “Today, our goal was to be in the breakaway. We all tried and spent a lot of energy, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get away. Once everything came back together, it was all about hanging on for as long as possible and getting as far as we could in the challenging finale, where I gave my all on the final climb.”
After a tough and fatiguing stage yesterday, combined with today’s relentless tempo, Fabio Jakobsen unfortunately had to step off the bike during the stage. He heads home to reset before his next goals.
11th March – Stage 3: Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours – Nevers
On the third day of Paris-Nice, a team time trial was on the program. The stage started at the former Formula 1 circuit of Magny-Cours, with the finish 28 kilometers later in Nevers. Just like in next year’s Tour de France, the organisation applied the timing rules introduced in 2023, where individual riders’ times are decisive. The time of the first rider across the line counts as the team’s result for the day.
Team Picnic PostNL opted for a strategy of staying together as a unit for as long as possible. In the end, it was Warren Barguil who crossed the line first, stopping the clock at 32’03”, securing 20th place in the stage classification.
After the race road captain John Degenkolb said: “It was actually a nice team time trial. For me personally, it brought back amazing memories of many years ago, when we managed to win the stage on this Magny-Cours circuit. It was a tough and fast course, with many undulating sections. We were soon down to just five riders, which made it challenging because riding in a smaller train is tougher. Everyone did their best, and in the end, I really enjoyed it.”
10th March – Stage 2: Montesson – Bellegarde
The second day of racing in Paris-Nice saw another opportunity for the sprinters. Narrow and exposed roads could have caused echelons but there was little wind forecast. Nonetheless, it was still a nervous stage and there were a few crashes throughout the day. Warren Barguil touched the deck at slow speed at one point, but he was able to remount and return to the bunch okay. Team Picnic PostNL held position really well at the head of the peloton from around 40 kilometres to go, ensuring the team remained safe and looking to set up fast finisher Fabio Jakobsen for the finale. Due to the arrow straight road for the last six kilometres it was a stressful and messy sprint, with the proverbial “washing machine effect” in full display; where Jakobsen sprinted to tenth place on the stage, before being promoted to ninth after a rider relegation ahead of him.
Speaking after the stage Jakobsen said: “All went well until around four kilometres to go when I lost John and Sean a bit. We were able to connect again and I think the team put me in a good position to sprint. It was a little bit uphill but it was an honest sprint. I felt good during the day but this is what it is for now.”
9th March – Stage 1: Le Perray-en-Yvelines – Le Perray-en-Yvelines
The “Race to the Sun” got underway on Sunday afternoon, with an intriguing stage that started and finished in Le Perray-en-Yvelines. Team Picnic PostNL began the day with the goal of setting up fast finisher Tobias Lund Andresen, as an attacking finale over the hills was expected. A break of three formed out front but a nervous peloton brought them back with more than 50 kilometres to go. Heading into each of the hills in the closing 20 kilometres the pace drastically increased and things split, but with a lot of tactical looking around, it always regrouped. Team Picnic PostNL were attentive to mark the dangerous moves, but ultimately it came down to a fast finale. On the hectic and chaotic run-in, the team just couldn’t get into position around the final corner, with Lund Andresen unable to compete for a top result come the line.
Lund Andresen expressed: “It was nice to be back to European racing again. I personally enjoyed that; with the final beginning at 70 kilometres to go, we were pushing on the pedals a lot throughout the day. As a team we made our key points all the way through, just in the end we didn’t get the opening to push into the last corner and it was game over for me in the sprint. The guys are motivated though and we have more chances here at the race.”
