Paris-Sneeze: The tale of a Race to the Sun struck by illness

More than half of peloton abandoned the race over the course of eight days

Paris-Nice
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It starts with coughing and sneezing, is followed by stomach problems, and ends up forcing you out of the race. That's not Covid, but the bug which swept through Paris-Nice, decimating the field, leaving just 59 riders to cross the finish line on Sunday.

To put that in perspective, the 2020 Covid-affected edition saw 17 teams take part after seven WorldTour squads pulled out at the beginning of the pandemic, and two more left left mid-race, but still 61 riders finished.

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.

Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.