The 2015 Paris–Nice was the 73rd edition of the

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlook ...

stage race. It took place from 8 to 15 March and was the second race of the

2015 UCI World Tour The 2015 UCI World Tour was the seventh edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The series started with the opening stage of the Tour Down Under on 20 January, and concluded with Il Lombardia on ...

following the

Tour Down Under The Tour Down Under (branded as the Santos Tour Down Under under a partnership arrangement) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and features all 19 UCI World ...

. The race was a return to the traditional format of Paris−Nice after an unorthodox course in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. It started in

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, with a prologue time trial; the course then moved south through France with several stages suitable for sprinters. The decisive part of the race began on stage four with a summit finish at the

Col de la Croix de Chaubouret The Col de la Croix de Chaubouret (elevation ) is a mountain pass in France, located in the Pilat massif in the Loire. It is between Graix and Le Bessat. Details of the Climb Starting from Bourg-Argental (south), the Col de la Croix de Chaubouret ...

; stage six also had a mountainous route. The race ended after seven days with the climb of the Col d'Èze outside

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

. The 2014 champion, Carlos Betancur (), chose not to defend his title. The early lead in the race was taken by

Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing hi ...

() in the prologue; he kept the lead until stage three, when Michael Matthews took over the race lead through time bonuses. Stage four was won by

Richie Porte Richard Julian Porte (born 30 January 1985) is an Australian professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His successes include wins at 8 World Tour stage races: Paris–Nice in 2013 and 2015, the Volta a Catalunya in ...

(), while Kwiatkowski took back the race lead. On stage six, a chaotic stage in rainy conditions,

Tony Gallopin Tony Gallopin (born 24 May 1988) is a French professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Dourdan, Île-de-France, Gallopin currently resides in Angerville. After two seasons with the squad, Gall ...

() won and took over the race lead, but he was unable to defend his lead in the final-day time trial. Porte, the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

champion, won the general classification as well as two stages. Kwiatkowski finished second overall, with

Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner Alejandro Valverde had his results ex ...

() on the same time in third place. The points classification was won by Matthews, who had four top-ten finishes as well as his stage win. The mountains classification was won by Thomas De Gendt (). Kwiatkowski won the young riders classification as the best rider born after 1 January 1990. The teams classification was won by .

Teams

As Paris–Nice was a UCI World Tour event, all 17 UCI WorldTeams were invited automatically and were obliged to send a squad. Three Professional Continental teams received wildcard invitations.

Pre-race favourites

Paris–Nice overlapped with another

UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour (2009–2010: ''UCI World Ranking'') is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an ann ...

race,

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important pre ...

. In 2015, the Italian race attracted the main

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tu ...

riders, such as

Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former Road bicycle racing, professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice (2007 Tour de France, 2007, 2009 Tour de France ...

(),

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...

(),

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

() and

Nairo Quintana Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, ODB, (born 4 February 1990) is a Colombian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Nicknamed "Nairoman" and "El Cóndor de los Andes", Quintana is a specialist climber, known for his ability ...

(). Only one former Grand Tour champion,

Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to ...

(), chose to compete in Paris–Nice. The favourites for the race included the 2013 champion,

(), the 2011 champion, Tony Martin () and the 2014 world champion,

(). Other riders considered to have a chance of victory included

Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional Road bicycle racing, racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and British Cycling, Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve s ...

(), who had just won the

Volta ao Algarve The Volta ao Algarve ( Portuguese; en, Tour of the Algarve) is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Algarve, Portugal. Since 2017, it has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a s ...

Romain Bardet Romain Bardet (born 9 November 1990) is a French professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Bardet is known for his climbing and descending abilities, which make him one of the top general classification contenders in Gran ...

and

Jean-Christophe Péraud Jean-Christophe Péraud (born 22 May 1977) is a retired French cyclist who rode for and during his professional career. He was a member of the French team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Career Péraud was European cross-country champ ...

(both ),

Tejay van Garderen Tejay van Garderen (born August 12, 1988) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2021 for the , , and . Following his retirement as a cyclist, van Garderen became a directeur sportif for ...

(),

Andrew Talansky Andrew Talansky (born November 23, 1988) is an American triathlete. Between 2011 and 2017, he competed for on the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest road racing category. Born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, Talansky was raised in Key Bis ...

() and

Rui Costa Rui Manuel César Costa (; born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors. ...

(). Paris–Nice was also raced by many classics riders preparing for the Spring Classics and especially

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is ...

, which followed just a few days later. Riders expected to feature on the flatter days included classics specialists such as

Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan� ...

(),

John Degenkolb John Degenkolb (born 7 January 1989) is a German professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His biggest wins to date are the 2015 Milan–San Remo and the 2015 Paris–Roubaix, two of cycling's five monuments. He i ...

(),

Arnaud Démare Arnaud Démare (born 26 August 1991) is a professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2011 he won the UCI World Under-23 Road Race Championships, and in 2016 he won the Milan–San Remo. He is one of five riders t ...

() and

Philippe Gilbert Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the thr ...

() and sprinters like Nacer Bouhanni () and

André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2021. Since his retirement, Greipel now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Born in Rostock, Eas ...

().

Route

The previous edition had been an unusual race with no time trials or summit finishes, but the 2015 edition of the race was a return to the traditional form: the race began with a prologue

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' " stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...

near Paris; this was followed by a series of road stages south through France, including one summit finish; the race ended with a mountain time trial on the Col d'Èze. The race, known as the "race to the Sun", was seen as a mini-

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

, where riders needed to be both competent time-trialists and capable of climbing mountains. The key stages were expected to be the summit finish on the

on stage 4 and the concluding time trial on the Col d'Èze.

Stages

Prologue

;8 March 2015 —

Maurepas Maurepas may refer to: * Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas, French statesman Count of Maurepas (Yvelines) * Fort Maurepas, also known as Old Biloxi, a settlement in Louisiana (New France) * Maurepas, Louisiana, an unincorporated commu ...

to Maurepas, ,

(ITT)

The race began with a prologue individual time trial in the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.department. The prologue was flat, with three major turns. The riders included four of the top five of previous year's world time trial championships in

(), Tony Martin (), Tom Dumoulin () and

Rohan Dennis Rohan Dennis (born 28 May 1990) is an Australian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Dennis was born, raised, and resides in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. He won back to back UCI UCI most commonly ref ...

(). The first rider to set off in the race was Daniel McLay (). Dylan van Baarle () was the leader for a significant period, with a time of 8' 04". The lead was briefly held by

Giacomo Nizzolo Giacomo Nizzolo (born 30 January 1989) is an Italian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Leopard Trek (2011–18) Nizzolo took his first win at UCI World Tour level in August 2012, on stage 5 of the Eneco Tour. He laun ...

() and

Tiago Machado Tiago José Pinto Machado (born 18 October 1985) is a Portuguese professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Continental team . Career Machado was born in Vila Nova de Famalicão. NetApp–Endura (2014) After spending two seasons with ...

(). Their times were beaten by Dennis, who recorded a time of 7' 40". Dennis held the lead for an hour and a half, until he was beaten by

by less than a second. Kwiatkowski's time was enough to beat all the other riders. He therefore took the yellow jersey of the overall leader, as well as the green jersey of the points leader and the white jersey of the best young rider. The absence of categorised climbs meant that no polka-dot jersey was awarded.

Stage 1

;9 March 2015 — Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse to Contres, 2015 Tour de France team presentation, Alexander Kristoff

The first road stage of the race took the riders over an almost entirely flat course south from Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse to Contres. There was one climb in the day's racing – the Côte de Bel Air – after . The first breakaway of the day came from

Jonathan Hivert Jonathan Hivert (born 23 March 1985) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career In 2013, Chambray-lès-Tours-born Hivert won the general classification of the 2.1 event Étoile de Bessèges. He wa ...

(). He attacked alone and took both maximum mountain points and the victory at the first intermediate sprint. Despite at one point having a lead of nearly four minutes, he sat up and was caught by the peloton. Michael Matthews (), in eighth place after the prologue, took second place in the intermediate sprint to win two bonus seconds, moving him to ten seconds behind

, while

() took a second for finishing third. The next significant move was made by Hivert's teammate,

Anthony Delaplace Anthony Delaplace (born 11 September 1989) is a professional French road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career Delaplace was a junior champion for France in 2007. He made his Grand Tour debut in the 2011 Tour de France, where h ...

, who broke away with

Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler (; born 22 June 1979) is a French former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2017, for the team and its previous iterations. One of the most prominent French riders of his generation, Voeckler has b ...

(). The two remained in the breakaway for most of the rest of the stage, which was raced at a very slow pace. Delaplace and Voeckler had a lead of over six minutes, but the peloton gradually chased them down. With remaining, they had about a minute's lead and Voeckler forced an acceleration. Their lead extended to over 1' 40" with remaining, and they won the final intermediate sprint.

() took the bonus second for third place. The breakaway still had over 40 seconds' lead with remaining, but were caught by the sprinters' teams from the finish line. Degenkolb was the first rider to start the sprint in a disorganised finale to the stage, but he was not able to maintain his speed and finished outside the top ten. The stage was won by

() ahead of Nacer Bouhanni () and

Bryan Coquard Bryan Coquard (born 25 April 1992) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He was a silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Omnium. Career Youth and amateur career Coquard began cycling in 1999 at the age of sev ...

(). Kwiatkowski therefore maintained his lead in the general, points and youth classifications, while Hivert took the polka dot jersey of the mountains classification. from the end of the stage,

Tom Boonen Tom Boonen (; born 15 October 1980) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the and teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed i ...

clashed wheels while riding at the back of the peloton. He fell on his shoulder and, after receiving medical attention, abandoned the race with a suspected broken collarbone. That evening, it was announced that, though his collarbone was not broken, he had suffered a dislocation in his shoulder and would miss the Spring Classics season, including his principal targets at

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional road bicycle racing, bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling m ...

and the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and orga ...

Stage 2

;10 March 2015 —

ZooParc de Beauval The ZooParc de Beauval (), more commonly called Beauval Zoo or, more simply, Beauval, is a French zoological park located in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire. It features more than 35,000 animals on 40 hectares, which is one of the larges ...

( Saint-Aignan) to

Saint-Amand-Montrond Saint-Amand-Montrond () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France and the historical province of Bourbonnais. Saint-Amand-Montrond literally translates to Saint Amand round hill, despite not being on a roun ...

Leuven - Grote Prijs Jef Scherens, 14 september 2014 (B138)

The second road stage was a route from the

to the town of

. The first part of the route was a route southeast. The riders then entered a finishing circuit; they first rode the final of the circuit, before doing a complete lap. The route was again mostly flat, with just one categorised climb. This was the Côte de la Tour and came as part of the finishing circuit. The first breakaway of the day was formed by

Arnaud Gérard Arnaud Gérard (born 6 October 1984 in Dinan, Côtes-d'Armor) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the and teams. The cousin of former professional cyclist Cédric Hervé, Gér ...

(), who escaped alone and earned a lead of over eight minutes, with the peloton riding slowly behind. Gerard won both intermediate sprints. On the first,

() took second place to win two bonus seconds.

(), who had come third and won a one-second bonus in the first sprint, took second place in the second sprint ahead of Michael Matthews (). The chase was led by and and Gerard had less than a minute's lead at the Côte de la Tour. Philippe Gilbert (),

() and Laurens De Vreese () attacked over the climb, with Hivert winning a point for the mountains classification and maintaining his lead in the competition. The race came back together with approximately left to race. The following period of racing was relatively calm, without attacks and with controlling the pace. With remaining, however, Tony Martin () attacked and was joined by

(),

Lars Boom Lars Anthonius Johannes Boom (born 30 December 1985) is a professional cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing cyclist from the Netherlands. He has also competed professionally in road racing, between 2004 and 2019. Born in Vlijmen, Netherland ...

() and

Matti Breschel Matti Breschel (born 31 August 1984) is a Danish retired professional road racing cyclist, who competed between 2005 and 2019 for the , , and teams. Career Junior career Born in Ballerup, Breschel got his breakthrough with small Danish Team P ...

(). Breschel suffered a puncture and dropped out of the move, but Martin, Thomas and Boom continued their breakaway attempt. Several riders, including

(), made unsuccessful attempts to bridge across to the leading group. The chase in the main peloton was led by and the leading group was caught with remaining. The first team to move forward in the sprint was , with following soon afterwards.

Greg Henderson Gregory Henderson (born 10 September 1976) is a New Zealand former professional track and road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2017. His career includes winning the scratch race at the 2004 world championships and, in r ...

, however, was the penultimate man in the train; his lead-out brought André Greipel to a perfect position to open his sprint.

() came close, but Greipel was able to win the stage. Degenkolb took third place and, with bonus seconds taken into account, was just two seconds behind

Stage 3

;11 March 2015 —

to Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, Michael Matthews 2013

The third stage started where stage two had ended,

, and took the riders over a route to the finish line in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule. The route started with a route, initially heading south-east before turning north in the final part of the stage. The riders then entered another finishing circuit. They first rode the final of the circuit, then did an entire lap. There was a short climb and two corners in the final kilometre of the stage. The first break of the day was formed by

() and

Florian Vachon Florian Vachon (born 2 January 1985) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020, for the , and / teams. Major results ;2005 : 2nd Championat d'Auvergne ;2006 : 2nd Circuit des 2 ponts Montlu ...

() after .

() and

Antoine Duchesne Antoine Duchesne (born September 12, 1991) is a Canadian former cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2013 to 2022. In May 2015, Duchesne helped his teammate Bryan Coquard to victory on the first stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, especia ...

() attempted to bridge across to the leading pair; Wiggins was first to drop back, while Duchesne was never able to get closer than two minutes to the pair ahead.

Bob Jungels Bob Jungels (born 22 September 1992) is a Luxembourgish road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Rollingen, Mersch, Luxembourg, Jungels competed in the Tour de France for the first time in 2015 Tour de France, 2015, as pa ...

() took third place in the first intermediate sprint. At the first mountains sprint, Gilbert crossed the line first to win four points and take the lead of the mountains classification. Following repeated attacks from the peloton behind, Gilbert and Vachon were joined after by

(). Gilbert then won the two other third-category climbs, earning a nine-point lead in the classification. With remaining, Gilbert, Vachon and Voeckler still had a five-minute lead, with the sprinters' teams joining

's team in chasing the breakaway down. With left to race, the lead was cut to 43 seconds, and Gilbert dropped out of the break with remaining. Vachon was next to drop out of the leading group; Voeckler was then joined by

Paolo Tiralongo Paolo Tiralongo (born 8 July 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2017 for the , , and teams. Career In 2009, while riding for , Tiralongo registered his best final result on a G ...

(). Voeckler himself then fell back, while Tiralongo was joined by riders

Jan Bakelants Jan Bakelants (born 14 February 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career His major wins include the 2008 Tour de l'Avenir and stage 2 of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming the yellow jer ...

and

. This group of three riders held a gap of approximately 16 seconds, but were chased down by the peloton. The sprint was led by in support of Michael Matthews, for whom the short hill before the finish line was ideal. tried and failed to come past them in the final kilometre. With to go, still had four riders at the head of the peloton. Matthews was able to hold on for the win, despite a late challenge from Davide Cimolai () and

(). Thanks to the bonus seconds he won on the line, Matthews took over the overall lead in the race, as well as the leadership of the points and young rider classifications.

Stage 4

;12 March 2015 — Varennes-sur-Allier to

, The fourth stage of the race was the longest of the race: a route from Varennes-sur-Allier to the

, the only summit finish in the race. The route was hilly throughout, with two second-category and five third-category climbs before the final ascent. The Col de la Croix de Chaubouret was the highest point in the race at , making this the queen stage of the 2015 Paris–Nice. It was a climb averaging 6.7%, with some sections at 9%. The early break was formed by

(), Thomas De Gendt () and

Chris Anker Sørensen , birth_date = , birth_place = Hammel, Denmark , death_date = , death_place = Zeebrugge, Belgium , height = 1.85 m , weight = 64 kg , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = , ridertype = Climbing specialist ...

(). They earned a lead of more than eight minutes, with De Gendt winning the first seven mountain sprints of the day. This won him enough points to put him in the lead of the mountains classification. Duchesne was dropped on the first second-category climb of the day, the Côte de La Gimond, which came after . Work in the main peloton from had reduced the deficit significantly and, on the Côte de La Gimond, drove hard to split the peloton in two.

Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finis ...

() was among the riders temporarily distanced, though his teammates were able to bring him back into the main group. As they crossed the Col de La Gachet with remaining, De Gendt and Sørensen had a lead of two minutes; this was reduced to less than a minute later at the summit of the penultimate climb of the day, the Côte de la Croix Blanche.

() and Majka both suffered mechanical problems around the summit of this climb. continued to chase the breakaway down and they were caught with remaining. At the base of the Col de la Croix de Chaubouret, and the came to the head of the peloton. Sky's Lars Petter Nordhaug led the peloton through the first of the climb, dropping Michael Matthews () along the way.

Warren Barguil Warren Barguil (; born 28 October 1991) is a French cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is best known for winning two mountain stages and the mountains classification of the 2017 Tour de France. Career Early career Born in Hennebont, Britta ...

() crashed at the base of the climb; though he eventually finished the stage, he was unable to return to the main group. After Nordhaug pulled off, his teammate Nicolas Roche took over. His turn at the head of the group caused several riders to be distanced, including Talansky, Majka and

Wilco Kelderman Wilco Kelderman (born 25 March 1991) is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Professional career Born in Amersfoort, Kelderman finished in seventh position in the general classification of the 2014 Giro d'Itali ...

(). With remaining, Roche pulled off and

() attacked the small group of leaders. He gained a small lead and was joined by

Jakob Fuglsang Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (born 22 March 1985) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Before turning professional for , he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale–Vredestein, winning the Under ...

() and

().

() and Rubén Fernández () attempted to bridge across, but Fernández, while looking at the group behind, cycled straight into van Garderen and crashed.

() covered this move. He was again able to follow as

attacked. When Kwiatkowski had caught Thomas' group inside the final kilometre, Porte himself attacked. Thomas, his teammate, was the only rider able to follow him and they finished first and second on the stage. Kwiatkowski finished third, eight seconds behind. With the time bonuses won on the stage, Kwiatkowski was able to re-take the race lead; he was one second ahead of Porte with Thomas a further two seconds back.

Stage 5

;13 March 2015 —

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the ...

to Rasteau, Podium - Cimolaï vainqueur Rasteau

The fifth stage of the race was a route that started in

, travelled south and ended in Rasteau. The course began with a first-category climb, the Col de la Republique, but the remainder of the stage was generally flat. Three categorised climbs were located in the second half of the stage (two third category and one second), with the final climb from the stage finish. The final were uphill. The break was formed on the first-category climb that began the day's racing. Thomas De Gendt (), who had taken the lead of the mountains classification on stage four, attacked again. He was joined by

(), Romain Sicard (), Egor Silin () and Paweł Poljański (). De Gendt won the mountain sprint on this climb and on all the other climbs of the day. The group was never allowed more than a four-minute lead, since Talansky was only 2' 51" behind

, the general classification leader. The chase was led by Kwiatkowski's team, who were joined by with remaining. With remaining and the gap at 1' 30", 's

moved to the front of the peloton. After Wiggins had reduced the gap, the took up the pace-setting. Sicard and Poljański dropped out of the leading group on the final climb and, with less than remaining and a lead of 25 seconds, an attack from De Gendt distanced Talansky too. were now leading the chase behind but, with left, the leading pair still had a 30-second lead. With remaining, a final attack from De Gendt dropped Silin. De Gendt attempted to hold on for a solo victory, but he was unable to avoid the sprinters' teams. As he was caught,

() opened his sprint. Davide Cimolai (), however, was able to come past him in the final metres to take his second win of the year. Coquard finished second, with Michael Matthews () winning further points for the green jersey by finishing third. The top 10 of the general classification remained unchanged after the stage.

Stage 6

;14 March 2015 —

Vence Vence (; oc, Vença) is a commune set in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, north of Nice and Antibes. Ecclesiastical history The first known Bishop of Vence is Sev ...

The final road stage of the race was a route starting in

and ending on the

Promenade des Anglais The ''Promenade des Anglais'' (; Niçard: ''Camin dei Anglés''; meaning "English Walkway") is a promenade along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, France. It extends from the airport on the west to the Quai des États-Unis ("United States Qua ...

. The route was mountainous throughout: it included three first-category climbs and three second-category climbs. The summit of the final climb, the Côte de

Peille Peille (; oc, Pelha; it, Peglio Marittimo) is a commune perched on a rock between Monaco and Menton in the Alpes Maritimes department in southeastern France. It overlooks the River Peillon. Higher still than the village are the ruins of ...

, came with remaining, as the riders descended into Nice down the Col d'Èze. The end of the descent came with approximately remaining, with a flat run to the finishing line. A large breakaway escaped in the early part of the stage. This included 31 riders, representing a variety of teams but not or .

Tim Wellens Tim Wellens (born 10 May 1991) is a Belgian professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is the son of former racing cyclist Leo Wellens and the nephew of cyclists Paul and Johan Wellens. Career Born in Sint-Truiden, ...

() was the best placed rider on general classification, 1' 25" behind

; he was the virtual leader of the race through much of the day. Wellens' teammate Thomas De Gendt was also in the breakaway: he won the first two climbs of the day to increase his lead in the mountains classification. The first major attacks came with about remaining: Kwiatkowski attacked with three teammates ( Tony Martin,

Julian Alaphilippe Julian Alaphilippe (born 11 June 1992) is a French professional road cyclist, former cyclo-cross racer and two-fold UCI World Road Champion, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is the brother of racing cyclist Bryan Alaphilippe. Career Ea ...

and

Michał Gołaś Michał Gołaś (born 29 April 1984) is a Polish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2021 for five different professional teams. Specialising as a domestique, Gołaś took two victories during his pro ...

), briefly gaining a lead of half a minute. were able to catch them. After the next climb, the Col Saint-Roch, the same four riders attacked, with

() following. They again gained a half-minute lead, while Sky had just one

domestique In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of their team and leader, rather than trying to win the race. In French, ''domestique'' translates as "servant".However, in French, the term used is ''équipier''. In Ita ...

left to help

and

. were unable to continue their pressure, however, on the Côte de Peille, Gallopin attacked after sensing that Kwiatkowski was vulnerable. Near the top of the climb, Porte and Thomas caught Kwiatkowski's group, then attacked them and left them behind. They were joined by several riders, including

() and

(). At the summit of the final climb, therefore, Gallopin had a lead over the Porte and Thomas group, with Kwiatkowski struggling in another group behind. On the descent, however, Porte and Thomas both crashed in separate incidents; they were recaptured by Kwiatkowski's group. After the final stage, Porte attributed these crashes to over-inflated tyres.) Gallopin won the final intermediate sprint and the bonus seconds, ahead of the chasing group that was led by

() and Fuglsang. Gallopin, however, was able to extend his lead throughout the long descent. He won the stage solo, more than 30 seconds ahead of the first chasing group. Porte and Thomas were over a minute behind, with Kwiatkowski losing an additional two seconds on the finish line. Gallopin, who had been 38" behind Kwiatkowski, took the race lead. He was now 36" ahead of Porte, with Kwiatkowski, Thomas, Fuglsang and Costa within six seconds of him. Gallopin said after the stage that, while he hoped to defend his yellow jersey in the final stage time trial on the Col d'Èze, it would be difficult to stay ahead of Porte.

Stage 7

;15 March 2015 — Nice to Col d'Èze, Paris-Nice 2015 (A7)

The 2015 Paris–Nice concluded with a mountain time trial on the Col d'Èze. The course began in

and had an average gradient of 4.7%. The steepest part of the climb came in the early stages: the second kilometre had an average gradient of 8.5%. The intermediate timing point came at the Col des Quatre Chemins, from the finish. The final towards the summit of the Col d'Èze were contested on a false flat. This time trial was the traditional final stage of Paris–Nice, though it was absent from the 2014 edition. The last time the course was used, in the last stage of the 2013 Paris–Nice, the stage was won by

(), securing his overall race victory. As was customary in time trial stages, the riders set off in reverse order from where they were ranked in the general classification at the end of the previous stage. The race was held in rainy and windy conditions. R Porte PN2015

The first major news of the day was that

(), who had won the stage in the

2012 Paris–Nice The 2012 Paris–Nice was the 70th running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the ''Race to the Sun''. It started on 4 March in Dampierre-en-Yvelines and ended on 11 March in Nice and consisted of eight stages, including two ti ...

and who was the reigning world time trial champion, would not start the stage. He had been in 103rd place overnight, more than 56 minutes behind race leader

. The first rider to set off was Stijn Vandenbergh (), who recorded a time of 23' 37".

() completed the course in 22' 11" and led the race for a while.

Sérgio Paulinho Sérgio Miguel Moreira Paulinho, ComIH (born 26 March 1980) is a Portuguese road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He was a domestique in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 Tour de France and won the silver medal for Portuga ...

() briefly took over the lead, before he was overtaken by Thomas De Gendt (), whose time was 21' 19".

Rein Taaramäe Rein Taaramäe (born April 24, 1987) is an Estonian road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Cofidis (2008–14) Taaramäe turned professional in 2008 for after riding for the team as a stagiaire in late 2007 and winnin ...

() recorded a better time, but was immediately beaten by the next rider,

(). Talansky's time was 21' 00"; he led until former world time trial champion Tony Martin () became the first rider to complete the course in under 21 minutes. Martin was the leader of the stage until the final few riders completed the course.

() was the first of the general classification contenders to beat Martin; his time was 20' 36". This was enough to beat many of the other contenders for the overall classification:

(),

() and

() all finished behind Špilak. Porte, in second place overnight, was the only rider able to beat Špilak's time: Porte was 11 seconds ahead at the intermediate time check and finished the stage 13 seconds ahead. The final rider to set off was Gallopin (). Gallopin was 36 seconds ahead of Porte overnight and expressed hope that he would be able to defend his lead and take overall victory. Immediately after he set off, however, he was nervous and uncomfortable on his bike. Gallopin, like most of the riders, was riding a conventional road bike with aero bars attached. At the intermediate time check, he was already 58 seconds behind Porte; he lost another 41 seconds in the second part of the stage. His time of 22' 02" meant he finished 29th on the stage and lost the yellow jersey. He dropped to sixth place overall. Porte therefore won both the stage and the overall victory in the race, his first general classification victory since he won Paris–Nice in 2013. Kwiatkowski's fifth place on the stage was enough to ensure both second place overall (30 seconds behind Porte) and victory in the young rider classification. Špilak finished on the same overall time as Kwiatkowski in third place, with Costa also on the same time in fourth.

Classification leadership table

Poduim - Michael Matthews maillot vert Rasteau cropped

In the 2015 Paris–Nice, four jerseys were awarded. The

general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi- stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumula ...

was calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. Time bonuses were awarded to the first three finishers on road stages (stages 1–6): the stage winner won a ten-second bonus, with six and four seconds for the second and third riders respectively. Bonus seconds were also awarded to the first three riders at intermediate sprints (three seconds for the winner of the sprint, two seconds for the rider in second and one second for the rider in third. The leader of the general classification received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the 2015 Paris–Nice, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race. The second classification was the points classification. Riders were awarded points for finishing in the top ten in a stage. Unlike in the

points classification in the Tour de France The points classification () is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, which started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is c ...

, the winners of all stages were awarded the same number of points. Points were also won in intermediate sprints; three points for crossing the sprint line first, two points for second place, and one for third. The leader of the points classification was awarded a green jersey. There was also a

mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest p ...

, for which points were awarded for reaching the top of a climb before other riders. Each climb was categorised as either first, second, or third-category, with more points available for the more difficult, higher-categorised climbs. For first-category climbs, the top seven riders earned points; on second-category climbs, five riders won points; on third-category climbs, only the top three riders earned points. The leadership of the mountains classification was marked by a white jersey with red polka-dots. The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey. Only riders born after 1 January 1990 were eligible; the young rider best placed in the general classification was the leader of the young rider classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists in a team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest cumulative time.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:2015 Paris-Nice Paris–Nice Paris-Nice Paris-Nice March 2015 sports events in France