Created in 1933 by Albert Lejeune, Director of the Petit Journal, Paris-Nice used to be a tune-up or training race for the important spring races. No longer. The "Race to the Sun" is one of the first major objectives in the pro calender and is a highly coveted victory.

In the 2003 edition Kazakh rider Andrei Kivilev died after a fall. This caused the UCI, after many fits and starts over the years, to finally mandate the use of helmets in all races.

Sean Kelly remains the king of Paris-Nice, winning it 7 times in a row from 1982 to 1988. Paris-Nice is now owned by ASO, the owners of the Tour de France. In 1951, '52 and '53, the race was known as the Paris-Côte d'Azure. In 1959, the longest edition of the race, Paris-nice went all the way to Rome.

Year	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place	Distance	Average Speed km/hr
1933	Alfons Schepers 37hr 48min 7sec	Louis Hardiquest @ 2min 30sec	Benoit Faure @ 3min 13sec	1255 km	33.20
1934	Gaston Rebry 33hr 47min 6sec	Roger Lapebie @ 6min 24sec	Maurice Archembaud @ 8min 45sec	1178 km	34.87
1935	Rene Vietto 35hr 23min 14sec	Antoine Dignef @ 1min 17sec	Raoul Lesueur @ 3min 27sec	1308 km	36.96
1936	Maurice Archembaud 36hr 26min 41sec	Jean Fontenay @ 3min 11sec	Alfons Deloor @ 10min 26sec	1220 km	33.48
1937	Roger Lapebie 36hr 8sec	Sylvain Marcaillou @ 6min 39sec	Albert Van Schendel @ 6min 54sec	1264 km	35.11
1938	Jules Lowie 30hr 45min 20sec	Albertin Disseaux @ 54sec	Albert Van Schendel @ 1min 47sec	1130 km	36.74
1939	Maurice Archembaud 23hr 26min 48sec	Frans Bonduel @ 9min 33sec	Gerard Desmet @ s.t.	903 km	38.51
1946	Fermo Camellini 35hr 13min 7sec	Maurice De Mauer @ 1min 43sec	Frans Bonduel @ 2min 53sec	1262 km	35.83
1951	Roger Decock 34hr 27min 29sec	Lucien Teisseire @ 12sec	Kleber Piot @ 1min 30sec	1174 km	34.07
1952	Louison Bobet 36hr 35min 24sec	Donato Zampini @ 4min 18sec	Raymond Impanis @ 5min 52sec	1260 km	34.44
1953	Jean-Pierre Munch 32hr 28min 33sec	Roger Walkowiak @ 3min 18sec	Roger Bertaz @ 3min 21sec	1094 km	33.69
1954	Raymond Impanis 30hr 49min 5sec	Nello Lauredi @ 1min 2sec	Francis Anastasi @ 1min 37sec	1053.5 km	34.20
1955	Jean Bobet 29hr 58min 4sec	Pierre Molineris @ 1min 18sec	Bernard Gauthier @ s.t.	1140 km	38.04
1956	Alfred De Bruyne 30hr 23min 23sec	Pierre Barbotin @ 3min 58sec	Francois Mahe @ 4min 36sec	1104 km	36.33
1957	Jacques Anquetil 30hr 19min 26sec	Desire Keteleer @ 23sec	Jean Brankart @ 55sec	1206 km	39.77
1958	Alfred De Bruyne 34hr 22min 8sec	Pasquale Fornara @ 52sec	Germain Derijcke @ 2min 38sec	1359 km	39.54
1959	Jean Grackzyk 53hr 36min 4sec	Gerard Saint @ 15sec	Pierino Baffi @ 4min 15sec	2044.5 km	38.15
1960	Raymond Impanis 32hr 15min 45sec	François Mahe @ 2min 26sec	Robert Cazala @ 2min 32sec	1252 km	38.81
1961	Jacques Anquetil 31hr 59min 41sec	Joseph Groussard @ 1min 59sec	Jozef Planckaert @ 2min	1228 km	38.38
1962	Jozef Planckaert 39hr 4min 45sec	Tom Simpson @ 2min 57sec	Rolf Wolfshohl @ 5min 58sec	1565.6 km	40.07
1963	Jacques Anquetil 37hr 13min 29sec	Rudi Altig @ 53sec	Rik Van Looy @ 3min 4sec	1389.2 km	37.31
1964	Jan Janssen 41hr 56min 28sec	Jean-Claude Annaert @ 1min 1sec	Jean Forestier @ 2min 58sec	1525.2 km	36.36
1965	Jacques Anquetil	Rudi Altig @ 2min 18sec	Italo Zilioli @ 2min 56sec	1299.2 km	NA
1966	Jacques Anquetil 34hr 2min 1sec	Raymond Poulidor @ 48sec	Vittorio Adorni @ 1min 47sec	1312.4 km	38.55
1967	Tom Simpson 29hr 53min 58sec	Bernard Guyot @ 2min 7sec	Rolf Wolfshohl @ 3min 41sec	1182 km	39.63
1968	Rolf Wolfshohl 34hr 42min 21sec	Ferdi Bracke @ 2min 58sec	Jean-Louis Bodin @ 5min 12sec	1453.2 km	41.87
1969	Eddy Merckx 31hr 56min 57sec	Raymond Poulidor @ 51sec	Jacques Anquetil @ 2min 17sec	1206 km	37.75
1970	Eddy Merckx 37hr 23min 27sec	Luis Ocana @ 2min 14sec	Jan Janssen @ 2min 24sec	1410.5 km	37.72
1971	Eddy Merckx 30hr 21min 38sec	Gosta Pettersson @ 58sec	Luis Ocana @ 1min 9sec	1154.9 km	38.04
1972	Raymond Poulidor 31hr 43min 57sec	Eddy Merckx @ 6sec	Luis Ocana @ 52sec	1208.9 km	38.10
1973	Raymond Poulidor 21hr 11min 45sec	Joop Zoetemelk @ 4sec	Eddy Merckx @ 12sec	855.6 km	40.37
1974	Joop Zoetemelk 33hr 16min 55sec	Alain Santy @ 29sec	Eddy Merckx @ 1min 1sec	1236.5 km	37.17
1975	Joop Zoetemelk 34hr 32min 27sec	Eddy Merckx @ 1min 33sec	Gerrie Knetemann @ 1min 44sec	1318.5 km	38.19
1976	Michel Laurent 31hr 42min 20sec	Hennie Kuiper @ 17sec	Luis Ocana @ 26sec	1205 km	38.01
1977	Freddy Maertens 31hr 38min 31sec	Gerrie Knetemann @ 33sec	Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke @ 1min 25sec	1219.4	38.52
1978	Gerrie Knetemann 30hr 7min 7sec	Bernard Hinault @ 19sec	Joop Zoetemelk @ 31sec	1154.2 km	38.32
1979	Joop Zoetemelk 28hr 36min 23sec	Sven-Ake Nilsson @ 1min 44sec	Gerrie Knetemann @ 1min 47sec	1079.5 km	37.74
1980	Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle 28hr 29min 48sec	Stephan Mutter @ 3min 2sec	Gerrie Knetemann @ 3min 36sec	1011.8 km	35.51
1981	Stephen Roche 30hr 17min 50sec	Adri Van Der Poel @ 1min 19sec	Alfons De Wolf @ 1min 55sec	1109 km	36.60
1982	Sean Kelly 32hr 3min 21sec	Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle @ 40sec	Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke @ 1min 12sec	1186 km	37.00
1983	Sean Kelly 30hr 2min 19sec	Jean-Marie Grezet @ 1min 3sec	Steven Rooks @ 1min 14sec	1159.5 km	38.62
1984	Sean Kelly 29hr 41min 50sec	Stephen Roche @ 12sec	Bernard Hinault @ 1min 46sec	1123.4 km	37.81
1985	Sean Kelly 31hr 10min 19sec	Stephen Roche @ 23sec	Frederic Vichot @ 54sec	1185.9 km	38.05
1986	Sean Kelly 33hr 12min 21sec	Urs Zimmermann @ 1min 50sec	Greg LeMond @ 2min 27sec	1217.4 km	36.65
1987	Sean Kelly 31hr 18min 46sec	Jean-François Bernard @ 1min 7sec	Laurent Fignon @ 1min 10sec	1169.5 km	37.35
1988	Sean Kelly 27hr 27min 1sec	Ronan Pensec @ 18sec	Julian Gorospe @ 36sec	1035.6 km	37.64
1989	Miguel Indurain 28hr 9min 5sec	Stephen Roche @ 13sec	Marc Madiot @ 1min 33sec	1119.3 km	39.75
1990	Miguel Indurain 29hr 27min 30sec	Stephen Roche @ 8sec	Luc Leblanc @ 42sec	1116.4 km	37.88
1991	Tony Rominger 24hr 9min 19sec	Laurent Jalabert @ 1min 55sec	Martial Gayant @ 2min 27sec	959.5 km	39.74
1992	Jean-François Bernard 25hr 27min 57sec	Tony Rominger @ 34sec	Miguel Indurain @ 1min 17sec	1048.2 km	41.15
1993	Alex Zulle 29hr 7min 45sec	Laurent Bezault @ 41sec	Pascal Lance @ 1min 7sec	1117.5 km	38.38
1994	Tony Rominger 37hr 16min 5sec	Jesus Montoya @ 36sec	Viatcheslav Ekimov @ 1min 30sec	1410.3 km	37.83
1995	Laurent Jalabert 30hr 32min 32sec	Vladislav Bobrik @ 1min 40sec	Alex Zulle @ 1min 57sec	1174.2 km	38.44
1996	Laurent Jalabert 34hr 28min 14sec	Lance Armstrong @ 43sec	Chris Boardman @ 47sec	1325.7 km	38.47
1997	Laurent Jalabert 28hr 56min 6sec	Laurent Dufaux @ 1min	Santiago Blanco @ 1min 25sec	1137.3 km	39.29
1998	Frank Vandenbroucke 31hr 45min 3sec	Laurent Jalabert @ 40sec	Marcelino Garcia @ 48sec	1295 km	40.79
1999	Michael Boogerd 36hr 4min 13sec	Markus Zberg @ 57sec	Santiago Blanco @ 1min 38sec	1366.3 km	37.87
2000	Andreas Klöden 28hr 19min 50sec	Laurent Brochard @ 7sec	Francisco Mancebo @ 44sec	1151.1 km	40.63
2001	Dario Frigo 30hr 32min 29sec	Raimondas Rumsas @ 26sec	Peter Van Petegem @ 52sec	1211.7 km	39.68
2002	Alexandre Vinokourov 30hr 39min 27sec	Sandy Casar @ 55sec	Laurent Jalabert @ 57sec	1193.7 km	38.95
2003	Alexandre Vinokourov 23hr 30min 4sec	Mikel Zarrabeitia @ 43sec	Davide Rebellin @ 54sec	901.8 km	38.38
2004	Jorg Jaksche 28hr 1sec	Davide Rebellin @ 15sec	Bobby Julich  @ 43sec	1126.7 km	40.25
2005	Bobby Julich 22hr 32min 13sec	Alejandro Valverde @ 10sec	Constantino Zaballa @ 19sec	950.5 km	42.47
2006	Floyd Landis 31hr 54min 41sec	Patxi Xabier Vila @ 9sec	Antonio Colom @1min 5sec	1274.8 km	39.946
2007	Alberto Contador 29hr 55min 22sec	Davide Rebellin @ 26sec	Luis Leon Sanchez @ 42sec	1260.2 km	42.107
2008	Davide Rebellin 29hr 2min 48se	Rinaldo Nocentini @ 3sec	Yaroslav Popovych @ 48sec	1230 km	42.34
2009	Luis Leon Sanchez 30hr 53min 51sec	Frank Schleck @ 1min	Sylvain Chavanel @ 1min 9sec	1252.8 km	40.55
2010

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