Race Intelligence · Nice, France
Two loops in the Mediterranean. A long road through the mountains. Then the Promenade, with a marathon still to run.
Nice, looking west along the Bay of Angels.
Your day in Nice
I’m Tom, the coach behind Sense Endurance Coaching. Tell me where you are now and I’ll show you what a strong day in Nice could look like.
The course behind your race
The mountains take time. What matters is what they leave you for the coast.
The Mediterranean · 3.8 km
A two-loop Mediterranean swim with no Australian exit means no built-in reset. Settle into a controlled rhythm from the first strokes and hold it across both loops.
Settle by 400 m. Sight consistently across both loops.
Out of Nice · first 26 km
The opening kilometres include the climb of Les Pugets towards Saint-Jeannet. Les Pugets is uneven, averaging 3.3% but with three pitches at 10-15% in its first four kilometres. Keep the effort controlled before the longer climb.
Cap power on Les Pugets' steep pitches. Fuel before the Col de l'Écre begins.
Col de l’Écre · 18 km of climbing
From km 41, the route begins an 18 km ascent via the Gorges du Loup. This is the course's defining test. Hold your planned power the entire way, not just at the start.
Ride to power, not to the athletes around you. Keep drinking through the sustained climb.
Caille and Thorenc
At km 77 the course heads onto the Caille and Thorenc plateaus, genuinely new terrain even for athletes familiar with prior editions. Stay controlled here before the descent to Gréolières.
Stay on the fuelling schedule at the km 80 personal aid station. Manage effort on any remaining rolling terrain.
Through Gréolières
The downhill to Gréolières through the Clues de Gréolières offers real recovery after the climbing. Stay alert on the technical sections rather than treating it purely as a rest.
Brake early into technical sections. Use the descent to recover, not to coast blindly.
Back to the coast · 180.2 km in total
The final kilometres bring you back towards Nice and the coast. Finish planned nutrition and let cadence rise before the transition.
Finish the planned bottle. Let cadence rise before T2.
Promenade des Anglais · 42.2 km
The run heads towards Nice Airport and back, four times. Use the aid stations from the first loop, around every 1.8 km. Waiting until you feel hot means you’re already catching up.
The run along the Promenade des Anglais, out towards Nice Airport and back, is often hot in the Mediterranean sun. Use every one of the aid stations, placed every 1.8 km, from the first loop.
Passing the same stretch a second time gives a clear read on how the heat and a mountainous bike are combining. Adjust for both, not pace alone.
The third loop is where mountainous climbing and coastal heat combine to test the legs most. Manage effort rather than chasing a pace that's slipping.
The fourth loop
The final loop finishes on the Promenade des Anglais next to the beach. Check your breathing and posture before increasing pace; keep using the aid stations even if the finish feels close.
Decide the finish honestly. Save something for the beachfront finish.
Check the sea conditions, wind in the mountains and forecast heat on the Promenade. Revisit your pacing and cooling plans against that forecast.
A race-day forecast is not meaningful yet; check back closer to the event.
Historical baseline, 2019–2025 · Open-Meteo historical archive · Updated 2026-09-15.Historical comparison only. This is not a forecast for 2027.
Make your finish prediction and I can send this plan to you in race week.
Prepare for Nice
A finish range gives you something to work towards. The preparation is specific to this race: Training has to make the climbing sustainable, the fuelling familiar and the run possible after both.
I’m Tom. With Sense Endurance Coaching, I’ll build that preparation around your life, follow how you respond and adjust the work as you get closer to Nice.
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