While the 70th edition of Paris-Nice just ended with a nice victory for Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Amaury Sport Organisation and the Yvelines department are already thinking of the future editions when they announce today that the Race to the sun will start from the departement on the West side of Paris until 2017.

Sunday a week ago, Gustav Larsson was the winner of the initial time trial which started in Dampierre-en-Yvelines and ended in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, with the two cities being separated on the race route by the locally famous Côte des 17 Tournants. The next day, the second stage, won by Tom Boonen in Orléans, also started from a city in the Yvelines department, Mantes-la-Jolie. After their trip back to Issy-les-Moulineaux last night from Nice, A.S.O., the organisor of the race has completed the loop by coming back to the Yvelines department to sign, this morning at the offices of the Conseil Général des Yvelines in Versailles a contract which extends the one which existed already between the department and the organisor and which concerns the organisation of the start of Paris-Nice from the Yvelines department.

The previous contract signed in 2009 and covering 2010 till 2013 has thus been extended for 5 years from now with the signature put on the new contract by Alain Schmitz, President of the Conseil Général des Yvelines and Christian Prudhomme, Director of Cycling with Amaury Sport Organisation. The Yvelines department thus makes sure it will be able to celebrate in 2017 the start of the 75th edition of Paris-Nice!
Concerning the anticipated extension of the contract, Christian Prudhomme said: The contract hasn't even expired yet and still we are already signing a new one. I think that's the ultimate proof that we go on together quite well.

The slogan Tous cyclistes en Yvelines will be even more through with a total of no less than 8 starts of Paris-Nice from the department and of course, let's not forget it, with the future start of the last stage of the Tour de France 2012 from Rambouillet.

Prudhomme added about this: The people from the Yvelines department have invented the start villages of Paris-Nice. Every year, they come up with something original to associate the bike used by anyone in his/her daily life with professional cycling. We are organisation professionals but, despite that, we are always pleasantly surprised. And moreover, there's so much different landscapes to discover in the Yvelines. Next year, we'll be in a more urban environment than the previous three years. And for the upcoming years, I already have some ideas.

After the signature of the contract, Christian Prudhomme added: The three previous starts of Paris-Nice, in Montfort l'Amaury (2010), Houdan (2011) and Dampierre-en-Yvelines (2012) have all been a big success. The Yvelines department, with its rich culture and diverse landscapes is a perfect place for cycling and I'm very happy to continue the adventure with the Conseil Général des Yvelines, on Paris-Nice, for the five upcoming years.

Alain Schmitz added: It's always a pleasure to work with ASO and a perfect opportunity for the Yvelines to show off our patrimony thanks to the media impact of Paris-Nice. It's a also pretty much a family event which perfectly reflects the image of sports we would like to promote in the Yvelines.

After the start in front of the castle of Dampierre-en-Yvelines, will we see a future start in Versailles in front of its famous castle? One thing is sure, it won't be in 2013 since Saint-Germain-en-Laye has been chosen for the start of the 71st edition of Paris-Nice next year!

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