Paris – Nice race starts on Sunday

The international cycling season gets underway this weekend with the “Race to the Sun”

THE Paris – Nice, also known as la Course au Soleil (Race to the Sun), gets under way on Sunday.

The 1,250km race takes the riders through eight stages, down France via Vichy and ending up on the Côte d’Azur on March 15.

It has been run since 1933 and is one of the opening events in the international cycling season.

Fans of the sport take a keen interest in cyclist’s performance in it, as an indicator of what might be to come in the rest of the year.

It was won last year by Italian Davide Rebellin.

For a detailed map of the course visit the event website.

Photo:Afp/Pascal Pavani