Luke Lamperti claimed the first WorldTour win of his career, as he took the victory in the bunch sprint on the opening stage of Paris-Nice. It was also the first win of the season for EF Education-EasyPost, as they finally got off the mark after a difficult start to the year.
The victory was far from easy for the American rider, as a challenging finishing circuit featuring the Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes meant that the breakaway was only caught with just over a kilometre to go to the finish in Carrières-sous-Poissy. However, the positioning and leadout from his teammate Marijn van den Berg meant that none of his rivals were able to come around him once he launched his sprint in the final few hundred metres.
“It’s super special”, the EF Education-EasyPost rider stated in his post-race interview. “I think it’s no secret that the team’s been struggling. We’ve had a rough start to the year, but you always know it will come. It’s still early and to get a victory here is super nice. The team rode full all day, we committed and it paid off. We’ve been knocking on the door, but to actually get the job done is super special. It’s also my first victory with the team and it’s a nice way to start.”
When asked about the difficulty of the finishing circuit, Lamperti said, “the climb was quite, but we had Max [Walker] in the break and he was super strong. We had a few cards to play if the break made it, so that was also okay for us. Then we came back and did the sprint, so in the end it was a beautiful day.”
Speaking about the final kilometre, he went on to say, “it was super hectic. We had [Kasper] Asgreen and [Alastair] Mackellar there, and then Marijn van den Berg was the last guy. We started quite early, he went from far, but luckily he was super strong and he did maybe 350m himself to deliver me into the last 200m, so in the end I just had to do the final few metres on my own.”
On the confidence this win will give him for the races ahead, he said “I know I’ve been going well. To actually get a win and get the momentum rolling, especially as a sprinter, is really important. For me, it’s the biggest win I’ve had in my career, so it will be great for the rest of the season and for the Classics.”
Victory on the opening stage also meant that the American rider pulled on the yellow jersey, as he took the overall lead of the race ahead of another sprint stage tomorrow, with the race heading south from Épône to Montargis.
“To have the jersey tomorrow will be super special. It’s my first WorldTour win, my first time wearing a WorldTour leader’s jersey, so a lot of firsts this week, but it will be nothing but nice,” said Lamperti.
How It Happened
At 171km in length, the opening stage of this year’s edition of Paris-Nice started to the northwest of Paris in the town of Achères. An out-and-back loop took the riders through the countryside of the Yvelines department before arriving onto the finishing circuit around Carrières-sous-Poissy with 33km to go, which featured the category three climb of the Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes.
It did not take long for the early breakaway to form at the beginning of the day, with Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step), Luke Durbridge (Jayco AlUla), Patrick Gamper (Jayco AlUla), Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Mathis Le Berre (TotalEnergies) and Sébastien Grignard (Lotto-Intermarché) forming a six-man group at the head of the race.
Despite the strength of the leading group, the peloton managed to keep the breakaway on a tight leash throughout the day, with their lead never allowed to go above a minute and a half. There was an array of jerseys at the front of the main bunch, as various teams looked to take control and keep their leaders safe on what is often a very hectic opening stage.
It was Pedersen who emerged victorious in a battle with his breakaway companions Le Berre and Walker for the lead in the mountains classification, as the Dane took maximum points on the Côte de Gargenville, Côte de Vaux-sur-Seine and the first ascent of the Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes to secure the polka-dot jersey at the end of the day.
Gamper then took maximum points at the intermediate sprint as they went onto the final lap of the finishing circuit with 17km to go. It was at this point that those in the leading group began to believe that they could go all the way, as their lead hovered around a minute and fifteen seconds over the peloton.
The attacks began as they went onto the final ascent of the Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes, with Le Berre getting a small gap over his breakaway companions, which was swiftly closed over the top of the climb by Pedersen, Gamper, Walker and Grignard.
Visma-Lease a Bike then came to the front of the main bunch with around 9km, which ultimately sounded the death knell for the breakaway, as their gap began to tumble as they entered the closing kilometres. Grignard was the last to be caught with 1.3km to go, with the sprinters’ teams coming to the fore to position their fast men.
A tight ninety-degree corner just inside the final kilometre saw three riders hit the deck in a crash involving Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), before Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) was then involved in another crash slightly further up the road, which caused a few riders to be held up in the peloton.
Meanwhile, Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) had used that final turn to position himself behind Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM), with his teammate Luke Lamperti on his wheel. Van den Berg then began his final leadout with around 550m to go, before perfectly delivering Lamperti into the final few hundred metres for the sprint.
Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling) attempted to challenge the American for the victory, but found himself boxed-in against the barriers, with Vito Braet (Lotto-Intermarché) coming closest to snatching the win with a move around the outside on the other side of the road.
Nobody could deny Lamperti the victory in the end though, as he punched the air and clapped his hands in celebration as he crossed the line.
There was no time lost for any of the GC contenders on the opening stage, as the three-kilometre rule was in effect and those that were involved in any of the crashes received the same time as the stage winner.
Results
Paris-Nice 2026: Stage One, Achères > Carrières-sous-Poissy (171km)
1. Luke Lamperti (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, in 3:45:17
2. Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché
3. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar
4. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
5. Biniam Girmay (Eri) NSN Cycling
6. Jensen Plowright (Aus) Alpecin-Premier Tech
7. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS Astana
8. Sakarias Koller Løland (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Axel Zingle (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
10. Robert Donaldson (GBr) Jayco AlUla, all at same time
General Classification after Stage One
1. Luke Lamperti (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, in 3:45:07
2. Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché, +4s
3. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar, +6s
4. Casper Pedersen (Den) Soudal Quick-Step, at same time
5. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis, +10s
6. Biniam Girmay (Eri) NSN Cycling
7. Jensen Plowright (Aus) Alpecin-Premier Tech
8. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS Astana
9. Sakarias Koller Løland (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
10. Axel Zingle (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike, all at same time
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