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Paris–Nice, "the race to the sun", is a professional cycling stage race held each March. It was first held in 1933, and was won by Alfons Schepers of Belgium. Despite its name the race has not always started in Paris, with towns in the outskirts (or south of Paris) often preferred. The final stage generally finishes on either the Promenade des Anglais in Nice or the Col d'Eze, a pass on the Haute Corniche road near the city. Since 2009 it has been one of 28 races on the UCI World Calendar, counting towards the UCI World Ranking. Paris–Nice is currently organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which also organizes other races, such as the Tour de France and Paris–Roubaix. The ownership of Paris–Nice has changed hands several times. For many years it was run by the French cycling journalist Jean Leulliot, and after his death by his family. It was then taken over by Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon before passing on to ASO. The most successful rider in Paris–Nice has been Sean Kelly of Ireland, who won seven consecutive races from 1982 to 1988. During the 2003 race, Kazakhstan's Andrei Kivilev died as the result of a head injury sustained in an accident. His death prompted the UCI to mandate the use of helmets in all competition, except for the last part of a race with an uphill finish. The rule was later changed to require helmets at all times. The most recent champion was Richie Porte. ==History== In 1933 Albert Lejeune first conceived a bicycle race to promote his two newspapers, ''Le Petit Journal'' and ''Le Petit Nice'' (the former based in Paris and the latter in Nice), with a stage race between these two cities. It was held in March, at the end of winter and immediately following the winter track-cycling season (which then largely comprised six-day races); the six-stage road race was thus publicised as a "six-day on the road". At this time of year most high mountain roads were still impassable, so the route avoided the Alps and primarily followed the lower Rhone valley, with the only significant climbs on the outskirts of Nice. The race was run seven times between 1933 to 1939. The newspapers ''Lyon Républicain'' and ''Marseille-Matin'' also worked in partnership with Lejeune's titles to sponsor the race. In 1939, ''Ce Soir'' and ''Le Petit Nice'' were joined by ''L'Auto''; the following year, the race was cancelled for the duration of World War II. ''Ce Soir'' again organized the first post-war race in 1946; although its journalists (Georges Pagnoud and Francis Terbeen) were happy with the race, the newspaper dropped its sponsorship. In 1951 the race was revived as "Paris-Côte d'Azur" by ''Route et Piste'' magazine at the behest of Jean Medecin, mayor of Nice, who desired to promote the Côte d'Azur. The Paris–Nice name was restored in 1954. During this period its status grew from a preparation and training race to an event in its own right. In 1957 Jean Leulliot, race director since 1951, left his role as editor-in-chief of ''Route et Piste'' and became the organiser of Paris–Nice through the company Monde Six. In 1959 the race was run as Paris–Nice-Rome, with three classifications: one from Paris to Nice, a second from Nice to Rome and a third overall. The length of the race——was criticised, and the formula was not repeated. The 1966 edition was the scene for a rivalry between Raymond Poulidor and Jacques Anquetil which divided France. In 1969, the race finish was first moved to the top of the Col d'Eze. Jean Leulliot died in 1982, and his daughter Josette succeeded him as head of Monde Six. Sean Kelly of Ireland won in 1988 for the seventh time in seven years; as of 2012, he holds the record for wins. In 2000, former cyclist Laurent Fignon took over the organisation of the race from the Leulliot family. In 2002, he sold Paris–Nice to ASO (the company organising the Tour de France). In 2003, the race was marred by the death of Kazakh rider Andrei Kivilev after a crash in the second stage (to Saint-Étienne). Kivilev was not wearing a helmet, and died that night. The following day the peloton agreed to neutralize the third stage, which they rode at a processional pace. Racing resumed in the fourth stage to Mont Faron, which saw a solo victory by Kivilev's compatriot Alexander Vinokourov (who crossed the line holding a picture of his late friend). Before its start, the 2008 edition of the race was marked by a dispute between race organiser ASO and the UCI. On March 7, two days before the start, Pat McQuaid (UCI president) announced that the teams starting the race would be suspended by the UCI. That day, the teams' association (AIGCP) voted by a majority (15 votes in favour, with 8 abstentions) to participate in the race. Meanwhile, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (to which the UCI ProTour teams referred the case) declared itself unable to judge the legality of any penalties that might be taken against riders or teams. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Paris–Nice」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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