Luke Lamperti Wins Stage 1 of Paris-Nice in Sprint Finish

American rider Luke Lamperti of EF Education-EasyPost secured his first WorldTour victory, winning the opening stage of Paris-Nice in a bunch sprint finish in Carrières-sous-Poissy on Sunday, March 8, 2026.¹ This marks the first win of the season for the EF Education-EasyPost team.²

Race Recap

The 171.2km stage featured nearly 2,000 meters of elevation gain and two ascents of a challenging climb on the finishing circuit.¹ A breakaway group, consisting of Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step), Luke Durbridge (Jayco AlUla), Patrick Gamper (Jayco AlUla), Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Mathis Le Berre (TotalEnergies), and Sébastien Grignard (Lotto-Intermarché), was caught with just over a kilometer remaining.³

Lamperti, expertly led out by teammate Marijn van den Berg, overtook Vito Braet (Lotto-Intermarché) and Orluis Aular (Movistar) to claim the victory.¹ Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM) initially challenged but faded, while Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team) was hampered by the barriers.¹

Lamperti’s Reaction

“It’s super special,” Lamperti said after the race. “I think it’s no secret that the team’s been struggling. We’ve had a rough start to the year, but you always know it will come. It’s still early and to get a victory here is super nice.”⁴ He likewise highlighted the team’s commitment and the crucial leadout operate by Van den Berg.⁴

Lamperti added, “To have the jersey tomorrow will be super special. It’s my first WorldTour win, my first time wearing a WorldTour leader’s jersey, so a lot of firsts this week, but it will be nothing but nice.”⁴

Stage Results

Here are the top ten finishers of Stage 1:

1. Luke Lamperti (USA) EF Education-EasyPost
2. Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché
3. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar
4. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
5. Biniam Girmay (Eri) NSN Cycling
6. Jensen Plowright (Aus) Alpecin-Premier Tech
7. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS Astana
8. Sakarias Koller Løland (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Axel Zingle (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
10. Robert Donaldson (GBr) Jayco AlUla

General Classification

After Stage 1, the General Classification standings are as follows:

1. Luke Lamperti (USA) EF Education-EasyPost
2. Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché, +4s
3. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar, +6s
4. Casper Pedersen (Den) Soudal Quick-Step, at same time
5. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis, +10s