The 70th long-distance cycle trip from Paris to Nice took place from March 4 to 11, 2012. The stage race is part of the UCI WorldTour and is within this the second race after the Tour Down Under . The total distance of the race was 1,115.5 kilometers. In contrast to previous events, the race this year did not end with a circuit in and around Nice , but with a mountain time trial on the Col d'Èze .
After the 8th and final stage, Bradley Wiggins , who also won the points classification, from Team Sky ProCycling was at the top of the overall classification.
The course of the race was officially presented to the public on February 3, 2012, but had become known a few days beforehand.
As every year, the route from Paris-Nice ran again in 2012 from north to south to the city of Nice on the Côte d'Azur . In contrast to the previous year , when a regular road stage marked the beginning of the long-distance journey, the “Race to the Sun” began again in 2012 with an individual time trial that took place around 20 kilometers southwest of Paris . This was followed by a flat section to Orléans . After that, several mountain classifications were on the program every day, the fifth stage ended with a mountain finish in the first category. On the penultimate section, the riders reach their destination Nice, where the next day the decision about victory was made in a mountain time trial on the Col d'Èze, which was on the agenda for the first time since 2001.
Bradley Wiggins is the first British winner of Paris – Nice since Tom Simpson in 1967. He took over the overall leader's jersey on the second stage to Orléans, when the field split in a strong headwind and a 21-man group with a 2½ minute lead reached the goal. The former Paris – Nice winners Tony Martin and Andreas Klöden were also in the peloton . Wiggins was able to defend it until the end and, thanks to his victory in the final mountain time trial, he also took over the green jersey for the best in points from Alejandro Valverde , who had been in third place overall in this classification . Lieuwe Westra completed the podium in second. The best young professional was Tejay van Garderen , the mountain classification was won by Frederik Veuchelen .
France
Overall rating
Scoring
Mountain scoring
Frederik Veuchelen ( VCD )
Young talent evaluation
Tejay van Garderen ( BMC )
Gustav Larsson
