Magnus Sheffield delivered a stunning performance on the final stage of Paris-Nice, attacking early from the GC group and holding off Matteo Jorgenson. Despite Jorgenson’s late chase, Sheffield was unstoppable, securing his most impressive career win.
It was the final stage of Paris-Nice, featuring several early climbs, which the GC group tackled at a strong pace, Col de la Porte (17 minutes at 5.95 ᵉW/Kg) and Côte de Peille (16 minutes at 6.25 ᵉW/Kg). The stage was demanding, with INEOS working to protect Thymen Arensman’s podium place. Matteo Jorgenson, despite lacking significant team support, did not have much to worry about, as Florian Lipowitz attacked and split the GC group with 43 km to go on Côte de Peille but failed to drop his main rivals.
Later, Felix Gall, Aleksandr Vlasov, and Magnus Sheffield broke away from the group, chasing a potential GC victory and catching Mads Pedersen, who had been the most active rider and leading the race. Pedersen finished third on Côte de Peille and first on Col d’Èze, securing the sprint classification win. Jorgenson launched a successful attack from the GC group on the short Col d’Èze (1.6 km, 9.1%), riding towards his second consecutive Paris-Nice title while hunting down the breakaway.
He managed to catch Pedersen, Gall, and Vlasov but could not reach Sheffield, who was in flying form. The 22-year-old American climbed Col des Quatre Chemins (3.82 km, 8.4%) in 10:13 minutes with 6.86 ᵉW/Kg, increasing his lead over Jorgenson, who was chasing behind at 6.73 ᵉW/Kg for 10:21 minutes.
Sheffield was untouchable on the pedalling descent, riding to the most impressive win of his career and his first victory since 2022. Jorgenson secured his second consecutive Paris-Nice title, the first rider to do so since Max Schachmann in 2021, after Primož Roglič crashed on the final stage that year and lost the race lead. Florian Lipowitz claimed his second World Tour GC podium after the Tour de Romandie, while Thymen Arensman finished third.
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