This page contains the podium, decisive moments, tactical analysis, team verdicts, and per-rider performance reports. Read no further if you intend to watch this race unspoiled.
Jonas Vingegaard won Paris-Nice for Visma by more than four minutes — the week of his career-rebooting return to GC form. The defining day was Stage 5, where he attacked solo with 20 km to go on the Col de la Porte and dropped everyone left. Stage 4 was the spring's most chaotic — atrocious weather, mass crash, Juan Ayuso abandoned injured. Stage 7 was shortened to 47 km in snow.
OPENINGLuke Lamperti won Stage 1's bunch sprint — a strong early result for the American sprinter. The opening days settled into the standard Paris-Nice pattern: control, no major GC moves until the climbing terrain.
UNFOLDSStage 4 broke the race shape with weather. A mass crash in atrocious conditions hit the bunch; Juan Ayuso abandoned injured — the spring's first major GC casualty. Vingegaard, surviving, took stage 4 on the strong man's terms. Stage 5: solo attack from 20 km to go, won the stage, took the leader's jersey, never gave it back.
DECIDEDStage 5 was the GC. Vingegaard's 20-km solo on Col de la Porte established a margin that no later stage could realistically close. Stage 6 (Tejada), Stage 7 (Godon, shortened to 47 km in snow) and Stage 8 (Lenny Martinez stage win, Vingegaard GC consolidation on Côte du Linguador) ran as defensive operations.
FINALEVingegaard arrived in Nice with the overall by 4:23 on Martínez, marking his first comeback GC win after the 2024 Itzulia crash and 2025 Tour disappointment. The post-stage quote: 'Coming back and winning a stage — I guess it's my first in Paris-Nice outside the team time trials — it's really nice to...'.
Paris-Nice was Visma's first major statement of the year — Vingegaard back in GC form, the team riding around him with the structure that made the 2022-23 Tours look easy. Jorgenson supporting, Brennan stage hunting from the bunch, Van Aert preparing for the cobbled spring on different roads.
Ayuso's Stage 4 crash ended UAE's GC platform week. Pogačar was riding Tirreno simultaneously, leaving Ayuso the protected card; the early abandonment cancelled the race for the team.
Dani Martínez held on for second in his first Red Bull-Bora Paris-Nice. 4:23 down with Vingegaard in this form is not a tactical critique.
Visma's senior climbing lieutenant for the week, supporting Vingegaard's Stage 5 GC move and managing the defensive operations through the snow-shortened Stage 7. Skipped the cobbled Classics that came after; raced the Ardennes block instead.
Stage 4 mass crash in atrocious weather; multiple riders affected
— Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) abandoned after Stage 4 crash, injured
Stage 7 shortened to 47 km because of snow and rain
"Coming back and winning a stage — I guess it's my first in Paris-Nice outside the team time trials — it's really nice."
The week was Vingegaard's return to GC form after two seasons defined by the 2024 Itzulia crash. Stage 5 was the moment. Paris-Nice 2026 set up the Tour de France narrative for July.