Not so long ago, Paris-Nice was the first race of the year on every rider’s calendar. Those focused on the upcoming spring Classics used it as a final block of training, others, like Grand Tour hopefuls, used it as a marker to judge their progress and level of fitness. Many who did well in Paris-Nice like 7x winner Sean Kelly often did well in the spring Classics. But Paris-Nice was not only the first race of the season, it was also the Race to the Sun (La Course au Soleil) – an escape from the cold and rainy north to the sunny south. Like an equinox ritual, it marked the transition from winter to spring.
For the majority of pros before the 1990s, Spain, Portugal, and southern France were not training spots, but winter vacation destinations, places where one went to have a good time. No one thought much of training there. High altitude training camps in warm climates were unknown and those that did venture south – there were always a few – were not taken seriously. At the time it was believed that one needed to train solely on the roads and in the weather where the spring Classics were played out. And training in the north was the best preparation for the wind, rain, and cobbles that the spring Classics would throw at you. There were, of course, financial reasons. Money was at stake and many riders were busy on the Six Day circuit, racing cyclo-cross, or like the Planckaert brothers, working on the family farm.
Paris-Nice has been around since 1933 and still holds great prestige, but times have changed and the moniker, Race to the Sun, may no longer carry the same weight as it did years ago. With teams able to hold winter training camps in almost any location, and early season races taking place in Australia, the Middle East, and Africa, riders now show up at Paris-Nice fitter than ever and with more than enough sunshine to spare.
But there was a time, not so long ago, when riders raced south towards the Mediterranean in great anticipation of leaving behind winter, of peeling away hats, gloves, and long sleeves, of feeling the warmth of the first rays of spring.
2023 Paris-Nice
