Luke Lamperti wins the sprint in the first stage of the Paris-Nice 2026 and is the first leader, Ayuso moves ahead of Vingegaard in the overall standings

The Paris-Nice 2026 began with a fast and tight finish in Carrières-sous-Poissy, where American Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost) won the sprint after 171 kilometers of racing. The young sprinter finished off his team's work in the final meters and took the victory ahead of Belgian Vito Braet and Venezuelan Orluis Aular, also donning the first leader's jersey of the "Race to the Sun".

Lamperti strikes first in the Paris-Nice 2026 and wears the leader's jersey. In the general classification, Juan Ayuso performs well and Vingegaard loses time

The race quickly heated up with a breakaway of six riders formed by Sébastien Grignard, Casper Pedersen, Luke Durbridge, Max Walker, Mathis Le Berre, and Patrick Gamper. The leading group never managed to open a significant gap, as several teams interested in a sprint finish maintained control of the peloton for much of the day. In the decisive stretch of the day, the four scoring climbs appeared, including the double ascent of the Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes, which stretched the group but did not definitively break the peloton.

With the final circuit underway, the last survivors of the breakaway were neutralized in the decisive kilometers. From that moment on, the battle for positioning the sprinters' trains began on the wide avenues leading to the finish. EF Education-EasyPost organized the approach with precision, and Marijn van den Berg left Lamperti in an ideal position to launch his acceleration in the final meters.

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The young American sprinter finished off his team's work clearly, adding the seventh professional victory of his career and the most valuable in a WorldTour event. Behind, Belgian Vito Braet made a powerful comeback from behind that allowed him to get very close to victory. The podium of the day was completed by Venezuelan Orluis Aular, while the main group crossed the finish line without significant differences for the general classification contenders.

With this result, Lamperti also dons the first yellow leader's jersey of the edition. The second stage, heading to Montargis, features a practically flat profile that could offer a new opportunity for sprinters.

As for the favorites in the general classification, the first stage barely caused significant differences among the main candidates. Riders like Juan Ayuso managed to finish in the main group and crossed the finish line with the same time as the winner, fulfilling the usual objective of these initial stages: to avoid splits and arrive without losses. Jonas Vingegaard, on the other hand, was included in a second group that lost 47 seconds, a difference still manageable but which forces him to make up ground in the upcoming stages. The Spanish rider Carlos Rodríguez, one of the contenders for the final podium, lost 1 minute and 53 seconds after being involved in a crash during the day. It is also worth noting that João Almeida, another name expected to fight for the general classification, did not start in this Paris-Nice due to illness, so the battle for the final victory begins without one of its strongest candidates.

Stage 1 Results – Paris-Nice 2026

1. Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost) – 3:45:17
2. Vito Braet (Lotto Intermarché) – +00
3. Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) – +00
4. Milan Fretin (Cofidis) – +00
5. Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team) – +00
6. Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Premier Tech) – +00
7. Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana) – +00
8. Sakarias Løland (Uno-X Mobility) – +00
9. Axel Zingle (Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00
10. Robert Donaldson (Jayco-AlUla) – +00