The 74th edition of Paris-Nice starts on March 6 with a 6.1-kilometre prologue in Conflans-Saint-Honorine. Team LottoNL-Jumbo will be ready, travelling with a strong team and Wilco Kelderman as its leader.

"I looked at the route and saw that it is a difficult race," said Kelderman.

"I also put in some time trial kilometres last week as we start with a prologue. Later in the week, we climb on the Mount Ventoux. That's exciting because I've never done it. I can still remember that attack of Robert Gesink with Cadel Evans in Paris-Nice on Ventoux. The two pulled away from the pack, and I was watching it on television then.”

Paris-Nice is the first WorldTour race after the season began in the Tour Down Under and the first major clash on French territory between the classification riders. Last year’s winner Richie Porte (BMC) and former winner Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) stand out. Along with Kelderman, Sep Vanmarcke begins ‘The Race to the Sun’ to fine tune his form towards the classics.

"We have a good team here for the start," Kelderman continued. "Sep Vanmarcke will put the finishing touches on his classic form and with Steven Kruijswijk and George Bennett, I have two important men along for the mountains in the challenging final weekend. I'm really looking forward to this race. After the Ruta del Sol, I gained a lot of confidence. I’ll go for a top 10 in the ranking.”

Paris-Nice is only the second race of the year for the Dutchman. In his first race, the Ruta del Sol, he finished fourth overall. Kelderman added that he is relaxed, though suffering from a slight cold last week.

"We expect to see a strong Wilco in Paris-Nice," said Sport Director Frans Maassen. "We want to start with a good prologue. We will line up three specialists. Jos van Emden underlined in Qatar once again that he can time trial and Victor Campenaerts has already shown it, too. And of course, Wilco also has a good time trail in his legs.”

The 74th edition of Paris-Nice has a difficult route with many climbs. "The first stage could fit Sep Vanmarcke and he can go for it. But afterwards, the parcours becomes seriously difficult. The Mount Ventoux and the uphill finish at La Madone d’Utelle on the penultimate day are special. Everyone needs to go strongly for the classification. We built the team around Wilco and we need to get him in the top, and keep him there. But one thing is certain, this Paris-Nice is very difficult."

Line-up:

George Bennett, Victor Campenaerts, Jos van Emden, Wilco Kelderman, Steven Kruijswijk, Paul Martens, Bram Tankink and Sep Vanmarcke

Sport Directors:

Addy Engels and Frans Maassen

Schedule

Prologue: Conflans-Sainte-Honorine / Conflans-Sainte-Honorine 6.1 km

Stage 1: Condé-sur-Vesgre / Vendôme 198 km

Stage 2: Contres / Commentry 213.5 km

Stage 3: Cusset / Mont Brouilly 168 km

Stage 4: Julienas / Romans-sur-Isère 195.5 km

Stage 5: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux / Salon-de-Provence 198 km