In 2021, as in 2020, Paris-Nice will feature a short time trial and a summit finish in La Colmiane to determine the overall classification.

La Colmiane's first class mountain (16.3 km, 6.3%) is becoming a staple of the "Race to the Sun," which will be held for the third time in four years; Simon Yates won there in 2018 and Nairo Quintana last year.

However, neither Yates nor Quintana have won the overall title, and the yellow jersey is up for grabs throughout the typical early stages with crosswinds, the time trial on stage 3, the heavy and punchy climb on stage 4, and the traditional finale in the hills behind Nice

79

The route for the 79th edition of Paris-Nice was announced on Wednesday, with the start in the department of Les Yvelines, a suburb of Paris that will host the race for the 12th time. The race will begin on March 7 and finish in Nice on the southern coast of France on March 14.

The race opens with several opportunities for sprinters. The first stage, which starts and finishes in Saint-Cyr-Lecolle, will feature four low-grade mountains and a series of undulations, but will end with a group finish.

Meanwhile, stage 2 heads south from Oinville-sur-Montient to Amilly.

The crosswinds may or may not have already done their damage, but the first decisive match for the GC contenders will be stage 3, a 14.4km individual time trial in Gien. There are few ups and downs, but a strong kick of 6.3% awaits in the last 400m.

The course sets the tone for an exciting stage 4 that finishes with a 3500m elevation gain and a first class mountain finish in Sylvre. Riders will tackle four short Category 2 climbs in the first 85km, followed by the double climb of Mont Brouilly and the Col de Dourbise, a 7.3km climb to the finish in Sylvres. Julien Alaphilippe won the time trial in 2017 finishing at Mont Bruy (3km, 7.7%) and will be well placed for a chance here.

"We needed a stage where we could open up a gap early in the race," said race director François Lemarchand. 'The riders tend to take their marks and it's up to us to disrupt their habits.'

Stage 5 continues with 203 km of flat terrain along the Rhone River from Vienne to Borraine.

Stage 6 will again feature rugged terrain with five mountain sections over 202 km from Brignoles to Biot. However, the final climb is more than 50 km from the finish, so a breakaway or a group finish is possible; Remy di Gregorio won the final stage in the 2011 edition with a late attack on the same route.

Then comes the decisive final weekend. First, on Saturday, March 13, the Colmiane summit finish will take place on the same course as the final stage of the 2020 competition. The riders will tackle the category 1 Col de Vence in the early stages, followed by the category 2 Col de la Cigale and Côte de Saint-Antonin in the middle stages, and then a final long climb to 1,500 meters in elevation.

This climb has opened up huge gaps in the past: in 2018, Yates was 46 seconds ahead of eventual winner Marc Soler, and last year Quintana put the same gap between him and second place Tige Benoot, while Max Schachmann clung to the overall lead despite losing nearly a minute.

Although it did not happen last year because the race ended prematurely during a pandemic, the final day of Paris-Nice has produced exhilarating and competitive races in recent years, especially in 2016, 2017, and 2018, which were decided by less than five seconds. The final stage of the 2021 edition is a short 110km stage set in the mountains behind Nice.

Like the 2019 final stage, which saw Ion Izaguirre take the stage win and Egan Bernal the yellow jersey, there are six climbs, including the famous Col d'Eze (1.6 km, 8.1%). This will be the last officially categorized climb, followed by the Quatre Chemin pass and then down to the finish on the Promenade des Anglais.

The Paris-Nice peloton has 23 teams. All 19 WorldTour teams will participate, and Alpecin Phoenix, winner of the 2020 ProTeam ranking, will also receive an automatic invitation to the WorldTour race.

Organizer ASO gave wild cards to three French pro teams: Arkea Samsic with Quintana, Total Direct Energy, and B&B Hotels p/b KTM.