“It feels great to finally win Paris–Nice,” Vingegaard said afterward. “It took a few attempts, but this time everything went according to plan. It’s a race where something always seemed to go wrong. Fortunately, this year all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. I’m extremely happy and proud. It’s already a great start to my season.” 

The Race to the Sun reached its final destination in Nice. On the last day, the riders faced a 130-kilometer stage in and around the coastal city. Four climbs were on the menu along the way. Vingegaard started the final stage as the leader of the general classification. The 29-year-old Dane held a lead of 3’22”. 

On the Col de la Porte, the first climb of the day, the peloton was significantly reduced. Valentin Paret-Peintre launched a solo attack, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike kept the Frenchman within reach. At the foot of the day’s final climb, the Côte du Linguador, he was caught after strong work by Bruno Armirail. Victor Campenaerts then launched Vingegaard. The race leader was joined only by Martinez on the steep ascent. 

The two continued toward Nice together. In the sprint, Vingegaard had to narrowly concede victory to the Frenchman, but the overall win was never in danger. It is the third consecutive overall victory for the yellow-and-black squad, following Matteo Jorgenson’s overall wins in 2024 and 2025. 

“Of course I would have liked to take my third stage win here, but Lenny absolutely deserved it today,” Vingegaard said. “We really enjoyed racing aggressively with the team today. A stage win would have been the icing on the cake, but I’m extremely happy that I was able to secure the overall victory. That was the main goal today.” 

Sports director Marc Reef saw a Vingegaard determined to make his mark this week. “Jonas came here to win, that was clear. He was extremely motivated and passed that motivation on to his teammates. Compared to the same period last season, he’s stronger. He had a good winter and showed it right away. It’s great to win the first stage race of the season. In the coming days, he’ll start working toward his next goals, beginning with the Volta a Catalunya.”