Paris-Nice 2025 Stage 1 recap - Tim Merlier takes opener from bunch sprint

TIM MERLIER KEEPS HIS COOL AMID CHAOS TO WIN OPENING STAGE BUNCH FINISH

Despite a lively final phase, the opening stage of Paris-Nice 2025 finished with the expected bunch sprint won by Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step.)

The early break was never likely to be a stage contesting one. Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty), Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) and Samuel Fernandez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) fought it out for KoM (King of the Mountains) points on the two first-half climbs, but were never allowed much more than two minutes advantage. 

That they were brought back just inside 50km to go perhaps contributed to the eventful final period. 

A series of late pseudo-finish lines, including a final categorised climb and an intermediate sprint with bonus seconds, may also have invited action from out of the bunch. Lumpy terrain on the road back to Le Perray-en-Yvelines tempted a few teams out to play, including Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) who went after the remaining points; Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling) put in a concerted effort to stay away but were brought back before the flamme rouge.

Immaculate delivery and an impeccable lead-out set up Tim Merlier to finish the task he had been set. He picked his spot and went for it, to take the win by three bike lengths from Arnaud Demare (Arkea B&B Hotels).

As well as the first yellow jersey of the race, Merlier has strengthened his claim for the title of fastest sprinter in the bunch. "That’s for others to say," he said afterwards.

"It's always nice to start a stage race with a win," said Merlier. "A victory in Paris-Nice, we're happy with it. I think from 70km to go, Visma started to make the bunch really nervous.

"There were some attacks on the climbs - Julian [Alaphilippe] I think attacked there - the second one was for bonification. So yeah, the bunch was really nervous, then we organised it again, stayed in front, the others closed the gap.

"I was brought in in a good spot in the last kilometre and given the perfect lead-out."

"I'm a bit disappointed because I thought I was right up there in the corner," said Demare. "I'm not sure if it was Cees Bol or someone else who closed me in. I felt quite solid but it was a difficult finale. We can get a little bit better."

1. Tim Merlier 3'32'03
2. Arnaud Demare "
3. Ayco Bastiaens "
4. Juan Sebastian Molano "
5. Alex Zingle "
6. Yevgeniy Fedorov "
7. Mick van Dijke "
8. Timo Kielich "
9. Victor Albanese "
10. Max Walscheid "

Pederson wasn't in it in the end.

He rode that one so coolly. He picked where on the road he want to be, on the left where everyone else was going right or down the middle, and made a beeline for it. Nobody could live with his speed or saw him coming. The European Champion won that by two or three bike lengths in the end.

Everyone wants to be up there but no-one wants to have their nose directly in the wind.

Worth a try. And I think we're all set for a sprint.

And Campenaerts fighting the fire for Visma Lease a Bike. Is he as committed as Tarling and Trentin?

They want a sprint for Arnaud Demare. But the gap is going up not coming down, helped by the twists and turns through small villages on the run-in for him.

First one rider, now Josh Tarling, who has Matteo Trentin on his wheel and Skjelmose trying to get across to them. This looks like something. The Lidl-Trek man is not likely to help them but maybe his team wouldn't complain if they can get away.

Jorgensen snatches the four, as Narvaez would like to press on, but there are plenty of teams who want a sprint. Still, it doesn't look to be completely under control.

Just behind the front row, looking after Santiago Buitrago you'd think. The road narrows slightly, and begins to rise, and the fight for those bonus points has begun early. It's Buitrago who is most eager, but Jorgensen is interested too, as is Powless, Alaphilippe and Brandon McNulty. A little bit of looking at each other has a neutralizing effect, though.

And with 6, 4 and 2 bonus seconds available to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, you can understand why they're looking a bit twitchy at the front. Lidl-Trek and Groupama-FDJ add their muscle to the head of this race, which is on a long, straight stretch of road.

The chaos that Alaphilippe perhaps had hoped to initiate has indeed come about. Stefan Kung is on marking duty and pegs this one back. Will that be the last bit of fun? Hopefully not, but things have calmed down at the front, although we've got a completely new set of teams now leading the way. Alexander Kristoff has a few team-mates waiting up for him to ensure he's back in the bunch and available to contest the sprint. He might have been around a while but he's not too long in the tooth to pick up a reasonable result.

There was real intent behind that after all, as right on the steepest part of the climb the swashbuckling Frenchman springs out of the saddle. Jorgensen was pretty quick to it, first following then coming over the top to take the three points. You wondered if that might spur them on to eliminate a few sprinters from stage contention, but they back off the effort and I think everyone either did or will be able to get back.

As the peloton hit the climb, Tudor hits the front, looking like he's preparing a lead-out for the Frenchman, but he just slots back into the line, rather than making a move.

A bit of road furniture, and a passage through a small town, as the capacity to literally reshape the race. Not a lot might be going on but you can sense the tension bubbling beneath the surface. You can't define your season here, but you can wreck it with a lapse in concentration.

There's only so much space at the thick end of the peloton and everyone wants to be in it. Unusually these days Alpecin don't have a big name, obvious potential race-winner among their number. The rider in their seven with #1 on his back is Dutchman Tibor Del Grosso. He's only 21, though, just promoted from their development squad, and his biggest win thus far was a stage of Oberösterreich Rundfahrt last year.