Paris-Nice 2025 Stage 3 recap - Visma-Lease a Bike dominate team time trial as Matteo Jorgenson claims yellow jersey

Team Visma-Lease a Bike moved their overall leaders up to positions one and two in the general classification with what Jonas Vingegaard described as a "close to perfect" performance.

The 28km stage was conducted in a new format which saw times allocated to individual riders, and that of the team taken on the first rider from each squad across the finish.

For Visma, that was Matteo Jorgenson and Vingegaard. The bonus seconds taken at the intermediate sprint on Monday meant the American Jorgenson, who won the same race on the last day in 2024, becomes the new race leader.

The 15-second margin of victory was twice what they had in hand over second place Jayco–AlUla at the intermediate split. The Australian team, second down the ramp and onto the Magny-Cours motor racing circuit, had set the fastest time half an hour previously with their leader Ben O'Connor having time in the hot seat and the provisional yellow jersey.

Other teams to keep their GC hopes alive include Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek, both of whom put in strong rides for leaders Aleksandr Vlasov and Florian Lipowitz, and Mattias Skjelmose respectively.

The Visma pair now occupy the top two spots in the overall, and a commanding position going into the race's first hilly stage, summit finish, and second half of the week.

1. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma Lease a Bike) 8'13'52"
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) +6"
3. Michael Matthews (Jayco Alula) +21"
4. Ben O'Connor (Jayco Alula) +21"
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) +31"
6. Florian Lipowitz Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) +31"
7. Mauro Schmid (Jayco Alula) +31"
8. Ben Zwiehoff (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) +34"
9. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) +36"
10. Magnus Sheffield +38"

It was the perfect day us us. Having such a strong team is incredible. We wanted to go for the win today, and everyone was super strong and did a good job. All the riders but all the staff as well. I feel stronger and stronger every day. We're one and two on GC now, so it would be nice if we could keep it that way for the rest of the week.

JORGENSEN: IT FEELS GOOD TO HAVE IT BEHIND US NOW
Just proud of the boys. I think we did the plan as well as we could. I'm happy with the commitment from everyone. I don't take it for granted. It feels good to have it behind us now. I hope to retain the title, and we have the right team to defend the jersey for a few stages.

1. Visma Lease a Bike 30'26"
2. Jayco Alula +15"
3. Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe +25"
4. Lidl-Trek +30"
5. Ineos Grenadiers +33"
6. EF Education Easypost +34"
7. Decathlon AG2R +39"
8. UAE Team Emirates +42"
9. Movistar +49"
10. Soudal Quickstep +51"

As De Wilder and Schachmann come home, a respectable 51 seconds down, the Dutch team know they've won it and will take custody of the yellow jersey to boot.

1'02 off Visma, perfectly satisfactory mid-table result for them. Just Quickstep left to finish now.

He can enjoy a relaxed final few kilometres in yellow, as Schachmann and Van Wilder ride to the finish together to see what they can do.

SOUDAL-QUICKSTEP 29 SECONDS DOWN AT THE SPLIT
That's yellow to Jorgensen, you'd say. The Belgian team are a bit all over the place, ragged, wheels being dropped all over the place, with Merlier's role seemingly reverting to GC shepherd for Max Schachmann and Van Wilder.

That's a lot of time for Buitrago and Martinez to ship but, as King Kelly points out, if this was an individual TT would they have lost less, the same, or more? It's a good question. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks.

You have to say these Visma boys are sounding very confident, which might be a bit unsettling for their rivals.

While Caja Rural are 2'25 slower than Visma at the finish. The 1-2-3 remains Visma, Jayco, Red Bull. The top ten teams are separated by 55 seconds.

Soudal-Quickstep are indeed turning a very big gear. And that should tell you we have all the team out of the start house, now. It will be quite a task for Merlier to hang on to the lead, but the Belgians have won a few TTs in their time. And riding in yellow tends to help riders conjure a few extra watts, so you never know.

They've been practicing their TTT? That's cheating, surely? Asked by television's Daniel Friebe who is stronger, him or Jonas, the American says that's for us to decide. Or the road.

Third place provisionally, with Vlasov and Lipowitz coming in together 25 seconds down.

No surprise that it's Jorgensen and Vingegaard. That was a very well measured ride as they knock 15 seconds off the time set by Jayco. Cards to play then, but last year's winner is in pole position.

Matching Jayco, and just 8 seconds down on Visma.

'They haven't got the power,' says Sean Kelly, matter-of-factly. 'Maybe they stopped for a picnic?" he adds, a little more wryly.

Which isn't bad, but means Joao Almeida has shipped 27 seconds to Ben O'Connor.

The only team to go quicker than Jayco, with a full complement of riders still powering the line. They lead by eight seconds at the split.