The Paris-Nice organizers have made a subtle change to the rules for the team time trial, with the 32.7km test on Tuesday in Dampierre-en-Barly to be timed by the first finisher, not the fourth as in the past.

The intended effect is to avoid a situation in which a team dominates the top 10 overall, as Jumbo Visma did in 2022 when Wout Van Aert, Primosz Roglic, and Christophe Laporte dominated the top 10 after the individual time trial.

Not having to put together at least four riders means that each team will have a leader and a clear strategy for going into the stage with a clear idea of how to maximize their efforts.

The format has received mixed reviews from the riders, but UAE Team Emirates coach Joxen Fernandez Mazin told Cycling News that the team spent a lot of time planning for this stage, with Taddei Pogachar in Paris 〜˜They are working hard to put him in a position to win Nice.

That includes choosing a team around one leader, Pogachar, to balance aerodynamics and power output and provide a consistent effort.

"We have to minimize his effort in the first part of the time trial and allow him to maximize it in the last part. The others, on the other hand, must race in such a way that they can exert themselves in the early part of the TTT.

While UAE Team Emirates adjusts its strategy, Rohan Dennis told CyclingPro.net that the Jumbo Visma team is staying the course.

"We'll just do what we always do. We have a good team, but we can't rest on our laurels. We are not that good a team on paper and we are not set up to win."

Meanwhile, Grupama-FDJ time trial engine Stefan Küng said he was not a fan of the new format, "We start the race as a team and finish the race as a team."

"You imagine something special, like the grid start for the Pyrenean stages a few years ago.

Kühn also suggested that the team take the typical team time trial strategy: "To go as fast as possible in the team time trial, we just try to stay together as long as possible.

For most of the race, the teams look the same, but in the last 2 km the teams may fall apart.

"It's a flat downhill to the bridge and then a 1% uphill for the last 300 meters.

The race will start just before 3 p.m. Central European Time, with Lotto Doustony first down the ramp.

Pogachar, who leads the Paris-Nice overall standings with a 12-second time bonus from the intermediate sprints of stages 1 and 2, is only 2 seconds behind Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) UAE Team Emirates will start at 3:36 PM Central European Time The UAE Team Emirates will start from the center of the start list at 3:36 p.m. Central European Time.

Jumbo Wisma, along with leader Jonas Vingegaard, is 14 seconds behind Pedersen and 12 seconds behind Pogachar, putting them in the same position as the other favourites, who will start at 3:48 p.m.

Trek Segafredo is in last place, trailing EF Education Easy Post.