Paris-Nice race organizer A.S.O. had designed the stage 7 route of Paris-Nice 2025 as a 109.3-kilometer route in mountainous terrain from Nice to Auron. The riders in the peloton would be riding uphill for most of the stage and the stage would culminate with the Category One climb to Auron (7.3 kilometers; 6.9%).

The stage 7 route had originally been 147.8-kilometers and included additional categorized climbs mid-stage, but the race organizers had decided to remove the Cote de Belvedere and the Col de La Colmiane due to adverse weather conditions in the Alpes-Maritimes region. Not even a glass of Belvedere vodka would be able to keep the riders warm in the freezing and snowy weather conditions at the top of Cote de Belvedere.

Riders gathered behind the start line in sunny Nice for the start of stage 7 and the riders travelled north towards the cold and challenging mountains.

Matteo Jorgenson was wearing the yellow jersey as general classification leader for Team Visma-Lease a Bike. Florian Lipowitz was in second place for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe before today’s stage, while Mattias Skjelmose was third for Lidl-Trek. Thymen Arensman was fourth and Joao Almeida fifth.

Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates), Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Aime de Gendt (Cofidis), Max Walscheid (Jayco-Alula), Robin Froidevaux (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Cees Bol, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Hugo Page (Intermarche-Wanty), and not least Arnaud Demare (Arkea B & B Hotels) were non-starters. Some due to illness, some because they wanted to avoid the intense climbing efforts as sprinters.

Several riders were eager to join the long breakaway of the day and attacks were launched immediately after the riders were released. Some teams had yet to experience any success in the race, while some individual riders had lost valuable time in the general classification and were looking to improve their rankings or even compensate with a stage victory. Meanwhile, Team Visma-Lease a Bike were controlling the pace at the front of the main peloton group.

A fifteen-man breakaway group eventually formed. The group featured Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Joshua Tarling (Ineos-Grenadiers), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R), Kelland O’Brien (Jayco-Alula), Mauro Schmid (Jayco-Alula), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Ivan Romeo (Movistar), Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Clement Izquierdo (Cofidis), and Alexandre Delettre and Jordan Jegat from Team Total Energies. The group had an advantage of more than one minute after twenty-five kilometers of racing.

Fifty kilometers after the start line, the breakaway had an advantage of 02:25 minutes, but sixty challenging climbing kilometers remained.

It had started raining and Stefan Küng had crashed. His cycling bibs were torn, and he was working hard to rejoin the breakaway.

Mattias Skjelmose crashed from the front of the peloton when he hit an unmarked center island on the slippery roads. The courageous Danish rider from Lidl-Trek was third in the general classification before today’s stage. He was now suffering on the tarmac and hit his head and his hip when he hit the ground. He would not get back on his bike today. What a loss for Paris-Nice.

The breakaway group had increased its lead to more than three minutes when forty kilometers remained. UAE Team Emirates riders were now leading the chase effort in the main peloton with riders from Team Visma-Lease a Bike standing by.

The roads were now dry as it had stopped raining. Riders were returning to their team cars to hand over their rain jackets and long-sleeved jerseys.

Things were status-quo when the riders were twenty-five kilometers from the finish line in Auron. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sent riders to the front of the peloton to increase the pace and grind seconds off the advantage of the frontmen.

The main peloton, spearheaded by riders from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Bahrain Victorious and Ineos-Grenadiers, was two minutes behind the fifteen-man breakaway when ten kilometers remained. It appeared one of the breakaway optimists would claim the stage win in stage 7 of Paris-Nice 2025.

It had started raining again and riders in the breakaway were launching attacks when five kilometers remained of the Auron climb to the finish line. 

Schmid, Tarling, Romeo, Storer, Powless, Steinhauser, and Jegat now remained in front.

United States’ Neilson Powless got dropped, which was a significant surprise as he was considered one of the favorites to take the stage win after joining the successful breakaway.

Storer and Schmid had left the other breakaway participants behind when 3.3-kilometers remained. Steinhauser was chasing ten seconds behind.

Michael Storer left Schmid behind 2.7-kilometers from the top of the clim and the decisive finish line. This would be a very important stage victory for Tudor Pro Cycling Team and its Tour de France wild card ambitions.

Lenny Martinez attacked from the main peloton, which was now 01:30 minutes behind frontman Storer. Felix Gall joined for Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale.

It was now snowing. The weather conditions did not stop Michael Storer and his great courage. The Australian rider won stage 7 for Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Mauro Schmid finished second for Jayco-Alula, while Georg Steinhauser took third for EF Education-EasyPost.

“Such a good day for me and for us,” stage winner Storer told Roadcycling.com after the finish.” Two-time World Champion Julian Alaphilippe helped me immensely in the breakaway today. We were meant to ride for Julian today, and he can really feel the race. He was the most important guy for the team today,” Storer added. 

“Nice little bonus for me to climb to fifth in the general classification, but the stage win is really incredible,” Storer concluded smilingly, but freezing in the cold weather conditions.

The general classification favorites finished together today and were apparently saving their energy for tomorrow’s final mountain stage to Nice. Mattias Skjelmose was forced to abandon the race following a serious crash and lost his third place in the general classification. We wish the Dane a speedy recovery.

Matteo Jorgenson remains general classification leader for Team Visma-Lease a Bike ahead of Sunday’s final stage. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is second, 37 seconds behind the American race leader, while Thymen Arensman (Ineos-Grenadiers) is third, following Skjelmose’s race exit.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from Paris-Nice 2025.