# 2014 Paris–Nice

The 2014 Paris–Nice was the 72nd running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the Race to the Sun, and the first European World Tour event of the season. It started on 9 March in Mantes-la-Jolie and ended on 16 March in Nice and consisted of eight stages. It was the second race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season. The race took on an unusual profile in 2014 in that it did not feature a time trial of any description and did not have any stages with a summit finish. The intention was to make the race more open and encourage attacking racing rather than a defensive race ruled by time trial experts or the climbing specialists.
The race was won by Colombia's Carlos Betancur of Ag2r–La Mondiale, who took the lead after winning the race's queen stage – the sixth stage to Fayence, his second successive stage victory – and held the lead until the finish in Nice, to become the first Colombian rider to win the race. Betancur won the general classification by 14 seconds over runner-up Rui Costa of the Lampre–Merida squad, while FDJ.fr's Arthur Vichot completed the podium – 6 seconds behind Costa and 20 seconds down on Betancur – after he was victorious on the final stage, picking up enough bonus seconds to move up the classification.
In the race's other classifications, Giant–Shimano's John Degenkolb was the winner of the green jersey for the points classification, amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes, and Pim Ligthart was the winner of the mountains classification for the Lotto–Belisol team. Betancur also won the white jersey for the young rider classification, as he was the highest placed rider born in 1989 or later, while the Movistar Team won the team classification.

## Teams

As Paris–Nice was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Three other squads were given wildcard places, and as such, formed the event's 21-team peloton.
The 21 teams that competed in the race were:
| Ag2r–La Mondiale Astana Belkin Pro Cycling BMC Racing Team Bretagne–Séché Environnement Cannondale Cofidis Team Europcar FDJ.fr Garmin–Sharp | Giant–Shimano IAM Cycling Team Katusha Lampre–Merida Lotto–Belisol Movistar Team Omega Pharma–Quick-Step Orica–GreenEDGE Team Sky Tinkoff–Saxo Trek Factory Racing |

## Route

List of stages :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 9 March | Mantes-la-Jolie to Mantes-la-Jolie | 162.5 km (101 mi) | Flat stage | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) |
| 2 | 10 March | Rambouillet to Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche | 205 km (127 mi) | Flat stage | Moreno Hofland (NED) |
| 3 | 11 March | Toucy to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours | 180 km (112 mi) | Hilly stage | John Degenkolb (GER) |
| 4 | 12 March | Nevers to Belleville | 201.5 km (125 mi) | Flat stage | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) |
| 5 | 13 March | Crêches-sur-Saône to Rive-de-Gier | 153 km (95 mi) | Hilly stage | Carlos Betancur (COL) |
| 6 | 14 March | Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon to Fayence | 221.5 km (138 mi) | Hilly stage | Carlos Betancur (COL) |
| 7 | 15 March | Mougins to Biot Sophia Antipolis | 195.5 km (121 mi) | Mountain stage | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) |
| 8 | 16 March | Nice to Nice | 128 km (80 mi) | Hilly stage | Arthur Vichot (FRA) |

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 9 March 2014 — Mantes-la-Jolie to Mantes-la-Jolie, 162.5 km (101.0 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) | FDJ.fr | 3h 53' 11" |
| 2 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | s.t. |
| 3 | Gianni Meersman (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 4 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | s.t. |
| 5 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Sharp | s.t. |
| 6 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | s.t. |
| 7 | Luca Wackermann (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | s.t. |
| 8 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | s.t. |
| 9 | Fabio Sabatini (ITA) | Cannondale | s.t. |
| 10 | Francesco Gavazzi (ITA) | Astana | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) | FDJ.fr | 3h 53' 01" |
| 2 | Gianni Meersman (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 1" |
| 3 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | + 4" |
| 4 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 8" |
| 5 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | + 9" |
| 6 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | IAM Cycling | + 9" |
| 7 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 10" |
| 8 | Tyler Farrar (USA) | Garmin–Sharp | + 10" |
| 9 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 10" |
| 10 | Luca Wackermann (ITA) | Lampre–Merida | + 10" |

### Stage 2
#### 10 March 2014 — Rambouillet to Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche, 205 km (127.4 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Moreno Hofland (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | 4h 53' 46" |
| 2 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | s.t. |
| 3 | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) | FDJ.fr | s.t. |
| 4 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 5 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| 6 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | s.t. |
| 7 | Armindo Fonseca (FRA) | Bretagne–Séché Environnement | s.t. |
| 8 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Belisol | s.t. |
| 9 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Orica–GreenEDGE | s.t. |
| 10 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) | FDJ.fr | 8h 46' 43" |
| 2 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | + 2" |
| 3 | Moreno Hofland (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | + 4" |
| 4 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | + 13" |
| 5 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 14" |
| 6 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 14" |
| 7 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 14" |
| 8 | Nikolay Trusov (RUS) | Tinkoff–Saxo | + 14" |
| 9 | Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 14" |
| 10 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 14" |

### Stage 3
#### 11 March 2014 — Toucy to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, 180 km (111.8 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | 4h 27' 26" |
| 2 | Matthew Goss (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | s.t. |
| 3 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | s.t. |
| 4 | Borut Božič (SLO) | Astana | s.t. |
| 5 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 6 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 7 | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) | FDJ.fr | s.t. |
| 8 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| 9 | Gert Steegmans (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 10 | Moreno Hofland (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | 13h 14' 01" |
| 2 | Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 8" |
| 3 | Moreno Hofland (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | + 12" |
| 4 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 18" |
| 5 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | + 21" |
| 6 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 22" |
| 7 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | + 22" |
| 8 | Nikolay Trusov (RUS) | Tinkoff–Saxo | + 22" |
| 9 | Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 22" |
| 10 | Marco Marcato (ITA) | Cannondale | + 22" |

### Stage 4
#### 12 March 2014 — Nevers to Belleville, 201.5 km (125.2 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) | Garmin–Sharp | 5h 00' 09" |
| 2 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | s.t. |
| 3 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | + 5" |
| 4 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 5" |
| 5 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 5" |
| 6 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 5" |
| 7 | Peter Velits (SVK) | BMC Racing Team | + 5" |
| 8 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 5" |
| 9 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 5" |
| 10 | Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 5" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | 18h 14' 25" |
| 2 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | + 3" |
| 3 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) | Garmin–Sharp | + 4" |
| 4 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 8" |
| 5 | Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 12" |
| 6 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | + 15" |
| 7 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 17" |
| 8 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 19" |
| 9 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 19" |
| 10 | Arnold Jeannesson (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 19" |

### Stage 5
#### 13 March 2014 — Crêches-sur-Saône to Rive-de-Gier, 153 km (95.1 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 3h 38' 15" |
| 2 | Bob Jungels (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | s.t. |
| 3 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | s.t. |
| 4 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 2" |
| 5 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 2" |
| 6 | Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (RSA) | Giant–Shimano | + 2" |
| 7 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Belisol | + 2" |
| 8 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 2" |
| 9 | Borut Božič (SLO) | Astana | + 2" |
| 10 | Marco Marcato (ITA) | Cannondale | + 2" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | 21h 52' 42" |
| 2 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Giant–Shimano | + 3" |
| 3 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) | Garmin–Sharp | + 4" |
| 4 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 5" |
| 5 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 8" |
| 6 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | + 13" |
| 7 | Jan Bakelants (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 13" |
| 8 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | + 15" |
| 9 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 19" |
| 10 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 19" |

### Stage 6
#### 14 March 2014 — Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon to Fayence, 221.5 km (137.6 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 5h 12' 11" |
| 2 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | s.t. |
| 3 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 3" |
| 4 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | + 3" |
| 5 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 3" |
| 6 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 7" |
| 7 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | + 7" |
| 8 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Belisol | + 7" |
| 9 | Stefan Denifl (AUT) | IAM Cycling | + 7" |
| 10 | Gorka Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 11" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 27h 04' 48" |
| 2 | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | Team Sky | + 8" |
| 3 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | + 18" |
| 4 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 22" |
| 5 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 24" |
| 6 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | + 25" |
| 7 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 27" |
| 8 | Jan Bakelants (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 29" |
| 9 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 31" |
| 10 | Stefan Denifl (AUT) | IAM Cycling | + 31" |

### Stage 7
#### 15 March 2014 — Mougins to Biot–Sophia Antipolis, 195.5 km (121.5 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) | Garmin–Sharp | 5h 00' 05" |
| 2 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | s.t. |
| 3 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 4 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | s.t. |
| 5 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | s.t. |
| 6 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Belisol | s.t. |
| 7 | Stefan Denifl (AUT) | IAM Cycling | s.t. |
| 8 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 9 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | s.t. |
| 10 | Peter Velits (SVK) | BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 32h 04' 49" |
| 2 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | + 14" |
| 3 | Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | + 26" |
| 4 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 27" |
| 5 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | + 29" |
| 6 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 31" |
| 7 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 35" |
| 8 | Stefan Denifl (AUT) | IAM Cycling | + 35" |
| 9 | Peter Velits (SVK) | BMC Racing Team | + 39" |
| 10 | Simon Špilak (SLO) | Team Katusha | + 39" |

### Stage 8
#### 16 March 2014 — Nice to Nice, 128 km (79.5 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | 3h 06' 56" |
| 2 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | s.t. |
| 3 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | s.t. |
| 4 | Damiano Caruso (ITA) | Cannondale | s.t. |
| 5 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Belkin Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 6 | Fränk Schleck (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | s.t. |
| 7 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) | Garmin–Sharp | s.t. |
| 8 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 9 | George Bennett (NZL) | Cannondale | s.t. |
| 10 | Eduardo Sepúlveda (ARG) | Bretagne–Séché Environnement | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Carlos Betancur (COL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 35h 11' 45" |
| 2 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | + 14" |
| 3 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | FDJ.fr | + 20" |
| 4 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 21" |
| 5 | Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) | Astana | + 29" |
| 6 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 31" |
| 7 | Stefan Denifl (AUT) | IAM Cycling | + 35" |
| 8 | Simon Špilak (SLO) | Team Katusha | + 36" |
| 9 | Peter Velits (SVK) | BMC Racing Team | + 39" |
| 10 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Belisol | + 41" |

## Classification leadership table

| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountains classification | Young rider classification | Teams classification |
| 1 | Nacer Bouhanni | Nacer Bouhanni | Nacer Bouhanni | Christophe Laborie | Nacer Bouhanni | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step |
| 2 | Moreno Hofland | Nacer Bouhanni | Nacer Bouhanni | Christophe Laborie | Nacer Bouhanni | Team Katusha |
| 3 | John Degenkolb | John Degenkolb | John Degenkolb | Christophe Laborie | John Degenkolb | Team Katusha |
| 4 | Tom-Jelte Slagter | Geraint Thomas | John Degenkolb | Valerio Agnoli | John Degenkolb | Ag2r–La Mondiale |
| 5 | Carlos Betancur | Geraint Thomas | John Degenkolb | Sylvain Chavanel | John Degenkolb | Ag2r–La Mondiale |
| 6 | Carlos Betancur | Carlos Betancur | John Degenkolb | Sylvain Chavanel | Carlos Betancur | Movistar Team |
| 7 | Tom-Jelte Slagter | Carlos Betancur | John Degenkolb | Pim Ligthart | Carlos Betancur | Movistar Team |
| 8 | Arthur Vichot | Carlos Betancur | John Degenkolb | Pim Ligthart | Carlos Betancur | Movistar Team |
| Final | Final | Carlos Betancur | John Degenkolb | Pim Ligthart | Carlos Betancur | Movistar Team |

### Notes

* In stage 2, Gianni Meersman, who was second in the points classification, wore the green jersey, because Nacer Bouhanni (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage. Similarly, John Degenkolb, who was second in the young rider classification, wore the white jersey, as Bouhanni also led that classification.
* In stage 3, John Degenkolb, who was second in the points classification, wore the green jersey, because Nacer Bouhanni (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage. Similarly, Moreno Hofland, who was third in the young rider classification, wore the white jersey, due to Bouhanni and Degenkolb (who was also second in the young rider classification) wearing other jerseys.