More than 5,500 professional and amateur triathletes from over 100 countries will compete in Nice when the Ironman 70.3 World Championship returns to the Côte d’Azur on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September.
The women will race on Saturday, followed by the men on Sunday, over a 113-kilometre course stretching from the Baie des Anges into the hills behind Nice and back to the Promenade des Anglais.
For residents travelling between Monaco, Nice and the western Alpes-Maritimes, the championship will also bring extensive road closures affecting the seafront, the lower Var valley and roads around Vence throughout the weekend.
From the Mediterranean to the Col de Vence
Each race begins with a 1.9-kilometre swim from Plage des Ponchettes in the Baie des Anges. Athletes will then leave Nice for a 90-kilometre cycling course containing approximately 1,190 metres of elevation gain. Most of the climbing comes during the first half, culminating in the ascent of the Col de Vence.
The climb begins around kilometre 26.6 and continues for 9.7 kilometres at an average gradient of 6.6%, with some sections approaching 10% and the steepest exceeding 12%.
After passing Coursegoules, competitors face an increasingly fast and technical descent towards the Var valley and Nice. The final discipline is a flat 21.1-kilometre run completed over two laps of the Promenade des Anglais, where the world champions will be crowned.
Leading triathletes head to Nice
The professional field will compete for a total prize purse of $500,000, with $75,000 awarded to each of the men’s and women’s champions.
Among the leading names announced for Nice are three-time defending women’s champion Taylor Knibb and Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, the Olympic champion and former full-distance Ironman world champion.
The men’s field also includes defending champion Jelle Geens, 2025 Ironman world champion Casper Stornes, two-time Ironman 70.3 world champion Gustav Iden and Germany’s Rico Bogen.
Nice previously hosted the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2019, when Gustav Iden and Daniela Ryf claimed the titles.
Major disruption across Nice and the hinterland
Traffic restrictions will begin before race weekend as organisers install the start, transition and finish infrastructure. The City of Nice has warned that the Promenade des Anglais and Promenade Corniglion Molinier will be affected on both Saturday and Sunday, with diversions operating while the cycling and running events are underway.
Quai des États-Unis, Avenue Max Gallo, Avenue de Verdun, Avenue du Capitaine Ferber, Port de Carras and several streets around the Old Town and port will also be closed or restricted at various times. Access arrangements for the Sulzer and Port Lympia car parks will be modified.
Beyond Nice, roads will be affected through Saint-Laurent-du-Var, La Gaude, Saint-Jeannet, Vence, Coursegoules, Le Broc, Carros and Gattières.
The Route de Saint-Jeannet between Vence and Saint-Jeannet will be completely closed along the race route on both days. Restrictions will also apply to sections of the Route de Nice, Route de Cagnes, Route de Saint-Laurent and Route de la Baronne.
The authorities are advising drivers to avoid the course, allow additional travel time and use public transport or park-and-ride facilities where possible. Roads in the hinterland will generally reopen between 5pm and 8.30am.
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Photo source: Ironman