Cartoceto > Frontignano 162km The big GC day. 

Nice > Auron 121km Due to bad weather, stage 7 has had to be redesigned, the organisers have taken out the climb and descent of La Colmiane, reducing the stage to just 121km but the riders will still take on the climb to Auron to finish off the day. After today’s chaos, the GC has been blown wide open, what a big move by Visma, Ineos, Trek and Bora. 

Ascoli Piceno > Pergola 205km I’ll start this preview by showing the picture all the teams will see when they look at VeloViewer. Red means crosswind, that’s a whole bloody stage of it. After two hard days, this promises to be another one.

Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban > Berre l’Étang 210km Another cold day for the peloton. Jorgenson is back in yellow, Vingegaard crashed and looks a doubt to continue, Almeida dropped back, and Martinez took a brilliant win. Just an average Paris-Nice stage! This one should be a bit calmer than the last few days, the last chance for the sprinters.

Norcia > Trasacco 190km What a horrible stage that was, the perfect day to watch from the armchair. Ganna tried, Van der Poel tried, but it was Andrea Vendrame taking the win. Stage 4 is one where the break could take the day, but it could also end in a relatively big, bunch sprint.

Saint-Just-en-Chevalet > La Côte-Saint-André 197km After today’s stage, the race is still alive. An exceptional climb by Almeida has moved him up to 5th on GC, 37s behind the new leader, Vingegaard. Another hard finish awaits the riders, there could well be small gaps between the main contenders.

Follonica > Colfiorito 240km People will say this is the Sanremo stage, that’s a touch on the lazy side. Yes, it’s a long day in the saddle, but this stage is actually significantly harder than Sanremo, the altitude gain is 3231m compared to 2032m, and that’s with 48 fewer kilometres. Also, being in a stage race significantly changes the dynamics, I think it looks like a great finish and one where the GC riders will have to be careful not to lose time.

Vichy > La Loge des Gardes 164km La Loge des Gardes, last time we were here it was 2023 and Vingegaard tried to put pressure on Pogačar. Tadej responded, Jonas blew, Gaudu finished 2nd and it’s nice to mention that Gino Mäder finished 3rd. Thinking about Gino always brings a smile to my face. 

Camaiore >Follonica 190km After a commanding TT display by Ganna, the race heads down the coast and it looks like a nailed-on bunch sprint. Last year, Jasper Philipsen took the win here, with Milan down in 9th, I get the feeling he’ll finish a bit better this year.

Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours > Nevers 28.7km ITT The first of the big GC days, it’s a 29km TTT which contains fewer climbing metres than last year. The organisers have stuck with the rule where each rider gets their own individual time, but the team get the time of the 1st rider across the line, rather than the 4th which is normally the rule. This allows teams to try out different tactics, burning through riders faster than usual and just leaving a couple for the finale. The final climb is 500m at 9%, and as there’s only 4km to go from the crest,...