Race's initial stage of Paris-Nice concluded with Tim Merlier clinching the bunch sprint victory.
Paris-Nice 2025: Tim Merlier Takes Early Lead
Tim Merlier (Bel) of Soudal Quick-Step claimed a thrilling victory in the opening stage of Paris-Nice 2025, held in Le Perray-en-Yvelines. The Belgian rider finished the 2025 Paris-Nice stage 1 in 3:32:03, well ahead of his rivals, with Arnaud Démare in second and Alberto Dainese in third.
Merlier's win on the opening stage was his fifth of the season, and it also placed him in the race leader's yellow jersey. His teammate, Julian Alaphilippe, and Matteo Jorgensen (USA) of Team Visma | Lease a Bike led the peloton over a third-category climb with 22km left, setting a fast pace for the race.
Jhonatan Narváez, the Ecuadorean champion, put up a strong challenge, winning the day's intermediate sprint, 10km from the finish. However, he finished the stage in second place, four seconds behind Merlier in the overall standings. Narváez's teammate, Juan Sebastián Molano (Arg) of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is now 108 seconds behind the race leader in the General Classification.
Arnaud Démare (Fra) of Arkéa-B&B Hotels is now 43 seconds behind Merlier in the General Classification, while Timo Kielich (Bel) of Alpecin-Deceuninck finished in 8th place and Mick van Dijke (Ned) of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe finished in 7th place in the 2025 Paris-Nice stage 1. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) of EF Educatiion-EasyPost finished in 9th place, and Max Walscheid (Ger) of Team Jayco AlUla finished in 10th place.
The race was fast and nervy, with several attempts at breakaways, but none were successful. Josh Tarling, a rider for Ineos Grenadiers, attempted a breakaway, but was caught before the 2km banner. Merlier supported the Soudal Quick-Step team throughout the race, and his victory on the opening stage sets him up well for the rest of the competition.
In the General Classification of the 2025 Paris-Nice, Tim Merlier (Bel) of Soudal Quick-Step maintains his lead, with Narváez (Ecu) of UAE Team Emirates-XRG now four seconds behind him in the overall standings. The competition continues tomorrow, as the riders tackle the challenging terrain of Paris-Nice 2025.
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