2015 Paris–Nice
The 2015 Paris–Nice was the 73rd edition of the Paris–Nice stage race. It took place from 8 to 15 March and was the second race of the 2015 UCI World Tour following the Tour Down Under. The race was a return to the traditional format of Paris−Nice after an unorthodox course in 2014. It started in Yvelines, west of Paris, with a prologue time trial; the course then moved south through France with several stages suitable for sprinters. The decisive part of the race began on stage four with a summit finish at the Col de la Croix de Chaubouret; stage six also had a mountainous route. The race ended after seven days with the climb of the Col d'Èze outside Nice.
| 2015 UCI World Tour, race 2 of 28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Route of the 2015 Paris–Nice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 8–15 March 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 1,141 km (709.0 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 29h 10' 41" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2014 champion, Carlos Betancur (AG2R La Mondiale), chose not to defend his title. The early lead in the race was taken by Michał Kwiatkowski (Etixx–Quick-Step) in the prologue; he kept the lead until stage three, when Michael Matthews took over the race lead through time bonuses. Stage four was won by Richie Porte (Team Sky), while Kwiatkowski took back the race lead. On stage six, a chaotic stage in rainy conditions, Tony Gallopin (Lotto–Soudal) won and took over the race lead, but he was unable to defend his lead in the final-day time trial. Porte, the 2013 champion, won the general classification as well as two stages. Kwiatkowski finished second overall, with Simon Špilak (Team Katusha) on the same time in third place.
The points classification was won by Matthews, who had four top-ten finishes as well as his stage win. The mountains classification was won by Thomas De Gendt (Lotto–Soudal). Kwiatkowski won the young riders classification as the best rider born after 1 January 1990. The teams classification was won by Team Sky.