Time trials will book-end this year’s Paris-Nice after organisers confirmed the route for what could be Sir Bradley Wiggins’ last stage race for Team Sky.

If selected, Wiggins – who won the race as part of his 2012 Tour de France build-up – Wiggins will get to don the rainbow skinsuit of world time trial champion in Maurepas when the race rolls out on Sunday March 8.

And with a second time trial, the traditional end of ‘The Race to the Sun’ on the Col d’Eze concluding the race, the eight-stage race returns to a much more traditional feel than last year.

Carlos Betancur (Ag2r-La Mondiale) won last year, after a race packed with enthralling, undulating stages which also saw Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) briefly pull on the yellow jersey.

And more of those tricky stages are included this time out, with routes to Contres, Saint-Amand-Montrond and Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule likely to see headwinds batter the peloton.

A new summit finish, the Col de la Croix de Chaubouret, which peaks at 1201m, is likely to prove decisive on stage five, meanwhile.

In the hills above Saint-Etienne, the final 10km climb boasts an average gradient of 6.7 per cent and concludes the longest stage of this year’s race, a 204km epic.

Wiggins, who makes his season debut at the Tour of Qatar next week, is expected to start the race as he hones his preparations for Paris-Roubaix alongside Thomas.

The return of the WorldTour will see the 17 teams joined by French wildcard teams Cofidis, Team Europcar and Bretagne-Seche Environnement.

The race could also see Wiggins battle for time trial supremacy against another former overall winner, Tony Martin (Etixx-QuickStep), the man he succeeded as world time trial champion.

Paris-Nice 2015: route

Sunday March 8: prologue – Maurepas to Maurepas, 6.7km ITT
Monday March 9: stage one – Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse to Contres, 192km
Tuesday March 10: stage two – ZooParc of Beauval Saint-Aignan to Saint-Amand-Montrond, 172km
Wednesday March 11: stage three – Saint-Amand-Montrond to Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, 179km
Thursday March 12: stage four – Varennes-sur-Allier to Croix de Chaubouret, 204km
Friday March 13: stage five – Saint-Étienne to Rasteau, 192km
Saturday March 14: stage six – Vence to Nice, 181.5km
Sunday March 15: stage seven – Nice to Col d’Eze, 9.6km ITT