first stage of tour de france 2023

Tour de France 2023: The stage-by-stage story of the race

• Published 23 July 2023

Jonas Vingegaard (middle) won the 2023 Tour de France from Tadej Pogacar (left) and Adam Yates (right)

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard sealed his second successive Tour de France triumph after the 110th edition of the race ended in Paris on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider beat two-time winner Tadej Pogacar by seven minutes 29 seconds, as Britain's Adam Yates finished third overall.

Starting in Bilbao, the riders had to tackle eight mountain stages and an individual time trial on trips to the Pyrenees and Alps during the 3,404km (2,115-mile) race.

Here is the story of the 2023 race.

Saturday, 1 July - stage one: Bilbao - Bilbao, 182km

Adam Yates had never won a Tour de France stage before

Winner: Adam Yates

Report: Britain's Adam Yates beats identical twin Simon to win stage one

Britain's Adam Yates beat identical twin brother Simon to win stage one of the Tour de France in Bilbao, Spain and take the leader's yellow jersey. UAE Team Emirates' Adam, 30, pulled away from Jayco AlUla rider Simon in the final stages of the uphill finish to win his first Tour stage.

Sunday, 2 July - stage two: Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian, 208.9km

Lafay's win was his first at the Tour de France and the first by his team, Cofidis, since 2008

Winner: Victor Lafay

Report: Lafay wins stage two as Yates retains yellow jersey

Frenchman Victor Lafay produced a brilliantly timed attack to win the second stage of the Tour de France. Belgium's Wout van Aert had appeared perfectly placed to take the 208.9km stage, which ended in San Sebastian, but Lafay burst clear with 900m to go and Van Aert was left banging his handlebars in frustration after being unable to reel him in.

Monday, 3 July - stage three: Amorebieta-Etxano - Bayonne, 193.5km

Jasper Philipsen has now won three stages of the Tour de France in his career

Winner: Jasper Philipsen

Report: Philipsen sprints to victory on stage three

Belgium's Jasper Philipsen sprinted to victory on stage three of the Tour de France as Britain's Adam Yates retained the leader's yellow jersey. Philipsen, 25, edged out Germany's Phil Bauhaus with Australia's Caleb Ewan in third in the first bunch-sprint finish of this year's Tour.

Tuesday, 4 July - stage four: Dax - Nogaro, 181.8km

Jasper Philipsen (left) beat Caleb Ewan by half a wheel on the finish line

Report: Philipsen claims second straight stage win

Jasper Philipsen won for the second day in a row amid a chaotic finish to stage four of the Tour de France in Nogaro. The Belgian was again led out perfectly by his team-mate Mathieu van der Poel and edged out Australia's Caleb Ewan with Germany's Phil Bauhaus third. Britain's Mark Cavendish, chasing a record-breaking 35th stage win, was further back in fifth.

Wednesday, 5 July - stage five: Pau - Laruns, 162.7km

Jai Hindley is competing in the Tour for the first time after winning the Giro d'Italia in 2022

Winner: Jai Hindley

Report: Hindley wins stage five to take yellow jersey

Jai Hindley claimed stage five to take the yellow jersey as Jonas Vingegaard dented Tadej Pogacar's hopes of a third Tour triumph. Australia's Hindley was part of an early breakaway and soloed to victory after attacking with 20km left. Meanwhile, Denmark's defending champion Vingegaard rode clear of two-time winner Pogacar, pulling out more than a minute on the man regarded as his main rival in the general classification.

Thursday, 6 July - stage six: Tarbes - Cauterets, 144.9km

Tadej Pogacar has won 10 stages over his career at the Tour

Winner: Tadej Pogacar

Report:Pogacar beats Vingegaard in epic mountain battle

Tadej Pogacar delivered a stunning attack on the final climb to Cauterets-Cambasque as he soloed clear of defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to win stage six. The two-time winner moved second overall, 25 seconds behind Vingegaard, who took the leaders yellow jersey after Australia's Jai Hindley was dropped on the penultimate climb up the iconic Col du Tourmalet.

Friday, 7 July - stage seven: Mont-de-Marsan - Bordeaux, 169.9km

Jasper Philipsen has won the last five sprint stages across two editions of the Tour

Report: Cavendish denied new Tour wins record by Philipsen

Mark Cavendish suffered a gear issue as Jasper Philipsen pipped him to victory in a sprint finish of stage seven. Cavendish had looked to be closing in on a record-breaking 35th stage win at the Tour until the Belgian powered past him in sight of the line. Denmark's defending champion Jonas Vingegaard retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Saturday, 8 July - stage eight: Libourne - Limoges, 200.7km

Mark Cavendish has not reached Paris in seven of his 14 Tour de France appearances

Winner: Mads Pedersen

Report: Cavendish denied record as crash puts him out of final Tour

Mark Cavendish was denied the opportunity to set a new record for stage wins after crashing out on his final Tour de France, as Denmark's Mads Pedersen won an uphill sprint finish in Limoges.

Sunday, 9 July - stage nine: Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dome, 182.4km

Michael Woods claimed his first Tour victory as the race returned to Puy de Dome for the first time in 35 years

Winner: Michael Woods

Report: Woods wins first Tour stage on Puy de Dome

Michael Woods claimed a breakaway victory on stage nine of the Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar took more time out of race leader Jonas Vingegaard. Canada's Woods made up about two minutes on American Matteo Jorgenson on the steep final section of the dormant volcano, the Puy de Dome. Pogacar's late attack saw him reduce Vingegaard's overall lead to 17 seconds.

Tuesday, 11 July - stage 10: Vulcania - Issoire, 162.7km

Bilbao celebrated his first win at the Tour de France, at the age of 33

Winner: Pello Bilbao

Report: Bilbao claims first Tour stage win

Spain's Pello Bilbao timed his sprint finish to perfection as he claimed his first stage victory in the Tour de France. Krists Neilands attacked his breakaway companions over the top of the final climb on stage 10 but was caught with 3km to go and Bilbao was fastest in the final 200m.

Wednesday, 12 July - stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand - Moulins, 179.8km

Jasper Philipsen extended his green jersey lead with his fourth stage win

Report: Philipsen sprints to fourth stage victory of Tour

Jasper Philipsen timed his sprint to perfection to claim a fourth stage win of this year's edition. The Belgian worked his way up through the bunch and then kicked off the wheel of Dylan Groenewegen, who came second in Moulins.

Thursday, 13 July - stage 12: Roanne - Belleville-en-Beaujolais, 168.8km

Ion Izagirre has won stages at all three of cycling's Grand Tours

Winner: Ion Izagirre

Report: Izagirre cruises to victory as Vingegaard retains overall lead

Ion Izagirre soloed to victory on stage 12 after launching a superb attack 31km from the finish in Belleville-en-Beaujolais. The Spanish rider was 58 seconds clear of Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Jorgenson, who were second and third. Jonas Vingegaard retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Friday, 14 July - stage 13: Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne - Grand Colombier, 137.8km

Michal Kwiatkowski's only previous stage victory at the Tour came in 2020 in Morzine

Winner: Michal Kwiatkowski

Report: Kwiatkowski wins stage 13 as Pogacar gains ground

Michal Kwiatkowski took a superb solo win on stage 13 as Tadej Pogacar gained more time on race leader Jonas Vingegaard. Poland's Kwiatkowski rode clear on the summit finish on Grand Colombier on the race's first day in the Alps. An explosive attack by two-time race winner Pogacar in the final 400 metres cut Vingegaard's overall lead to nine seconds.

Saturday, 15 July - stage 14: Annemasse - Morzine Les Portes du Soleil, 137.8km

This was Carlos Rodriguez's first Grand Tour stage win

Winner: Carlos Rodriguez

Report: Vingegaard keeps yellow as Rodriguez wins epic stage

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard retained the leader's yellow jersey after an intense stage 14. Spain's Carlos Rodriguez, been dropped on the final climb, won the stage after he mugged Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar on the final descent.

Sunday, 16 July - stage 15: Les Gets les Portes du Soleil - Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, 179km

Wout Poels finished two minutes eight seconds clear of second-placed Wout van Aert

Winner: Wout Poels

Report: Poels wins as fan taking selfie causes huge crash

Dutchman Wout Poels won his first stage at a Grand Tour as Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line together. Stage 15 saw an early crash involving about 20 riders caused by a spectator trying to take a selfie with their phone.

Tuesday, 18 July - stage 16: Passy - Combloux, 22.4km

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard had started the day only 10 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Tadej Pogacar

Winner: Jonas Vingegaard

Report: Vingegaard closes in on title after time trial win

Jonas Vingegaard tightened his grip on the yellow jersey after he blew away Tadej Pogacar in the individual time trial on stage 16. The Dane won the 22.4km route from Passy to Combloux in 32 minutes 36 seconds on a decisive day of the Tour.

Wednesday, 19 July - stage 17: Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc - Courchevel,165.7km

Vingegaard kissed his hand in celebration as he crossed the finish line at Courchevel

Winner: Felix Gall

Report: Jonas Vingegaard on brink of retaining title after stretching lead

Jonas Vingegaard is on the brink of retaining his Tour de France title after opening up a lead of more than seven minutes on a gruelling stage 17. The Dane powered up the final climb of the queen stage of the Tour but saw his main rival, Tadej Pogacar, crumble.

Thursday, 20 July - stage 18: Moutiers - Bourg-en-Bresse,184.9km

Kasper Asgreen had the strongest legs among the breakaway group to take victory as the peloton closed in behind

Winner: Kasper Asgreen

Report: Kasper Asgreen holds on to win stage 18 from epic breakaway

Kasper Asgreen claimed his first Tour de France stage victory as he held on to win stage 18 from an epic four-man breakaway to deny the sprinters in the dramatic closing stages in Bourg-en-Bresse. Fellow Dane Jonas Vingegaard maintained his comfortable overall lead with just three stages left.

Friday, 21 July - stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne - Poligny, 172.8km

Matej Mohoric (r) pipped Kasper Asgren (l) in a thrilling finale to claim the third Tour stage win of his career

Winner: Matej Mohoiric

Report: Mohoric wins stage 19 of Tour de France

Matej Mohoric won stage 19 in a thrilling photo finish ahead of Kasper Asgreen in Poligny. The pair sprinted for the line at the end of a frantic day of racing, with the Slovenian denying Asgreen back-to-back stage wins by the width of a rim.

Saturday, 22 July - stage 20: Belfort - Le Markstein Fellering 133.5km

Tadej Pogacar clawed back six bonus seconds on Jonas Vingegaard but the yellow jersey rider has a comfortable lead heading into Sunday's processional stage to Paris

Report: Tadej Pogacar salvages pride by winning stage 20

Tadej Pogacar salvaged some pride by taking stage 20 of this year's Tour de France as Jonas Vingegaard all but sealed the defence of his title. Pogacar has been unable to challenge Vinegaard's supremacy in the past week, but sprinted past the Dane to win on the final day of competitive racing.

Sunday, 23 July - stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Paris Champs-Elysees, 115.1km

Meeus was riding in his first Tour de France

Winner: Jordi Meeus

Report: Jonas Vingegaard retains title as Jordi Meeus claims surprise win in Paris

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard sealed his second successive Tour de France triumph as Jordi Meeus sprinted to a surprise win on the final stage. Meeus, 25, edged out Jasper Philipsen in a photo finish in Paris to deny his fellow Belgian a repeat of last year's win on the iconic Champs Elysees.

Related Topics

Related internet links.

British Cycling

International Cycling Union

• off.road.cc
• Dealclincher
• Fantasy Cycling

Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

• Sportive and endurance bikes
• Gravel and adventure bikes
• Urban and hybrid bikes
• Touring bikes
• Cyclocross bikes
• Electric bikes
• Folding bikes
• Fixed & singlespeed bikes
• Children's bikes
• Time trial bikes
• Accessories - misc
• Computer mounts
• Bike bags & cases
• Bottle cages
• Child seats
• Lights - front
• Lights - rear
• Lights - sets
• Pumps & CO2 inflators
• Puncture kits
• Reflectives
• Smart watches
• Stands and racks
• Arm & leg warmers
• Base layers
• Gloves - full finger
• Gloves - mitts
• Jerseys - casual
• Jerseys - long sleeve
• Jerseys - short sleeve
• Shorts & 3/4s
• Tights & longs
• Bar tape & grips
• Bottom brackets
• Brake & gear cables
• Brake & STI levers
• Brake pads & spares
• Cassettes & freewheels
• Chainsets & chainrings
• Derailleurs - front
• Derailleurs - rear
• Gear levers & shifters
• Handlebars & extensions
• Inner tubes
• Quick releases & skewers
• Energy & recovery bars
• Energy & recovery drinks
• Energy & recovery gels
• Heart rate monitors
• Hydration products
• Hydration systems
• Indoor trainers
• Power measurement
• Skincare & embrocation
• Training - misc
• Cleaning products
• Lubrication
• Tools - multitools
• Tools - Portable
• Tools - workshop
• Books, Maps & DVDs
• Camping and outdoor equipment
• Gifts & misc

Tour de France 2023: From Bilbao to Paris, our stage-by-stage guide to cycling’s biggest race

First Published Jun 10, 2023

Opening paras changed to reflect recent events since first publishing date.

It’s nearly time for Bilbao to host the start of the 2023 Tour de France on 1 July, marking the second time that Spain’s Basque Region has staged the Grand Départ of the race after it began in San Sebastian in 1992. From the word go there will be some tough racing in prospect as Jonas Vingegaard – who was in imperious form at the Dauphiné – seeks to retain his title. Here’s our stage-by-stage guide to what promises to be three weeks of gripping racing.

Taking in all of France’s mountain ranges, the race kicks off with what is widely seen as the toughest opening week in its history in terms of climbing, with the Grand Départ followed by a pair of flat stages after the race heads into France, then two stages in the High Pyrenees and a summit finish at the Puy de Dôme in the Massif Central ahead of what will be a very welcome first rest day.

The second week sees a pair of hilly stages flank the third one of the race tagged as flat before three days in the mountains from Friday to Sunday, two of those stages ending in a summit finish, the first on the Grand Colombier.

There are three days in the Alps at the start of the final week, the first of those the only individual time trial of the race, and a short one at that, ahead of two transitional stages taking us via the Jura mountains to the penultimate day` and a first-time stage finish at Le Markstein in the Vosges, followed by the traditional final day in Paris.

Along the way, there will be crashes, injuries and illnesses as well as dramatic moments that may shape the eventual destination of the yellow jersey, and which will live long in the memory. Here is the fly through video of the route, together with an overview map of the Grand Départ, followed by all of the 21 stages in detail.

Stage 1 Saturday 1 July Bilbao – Bilbao (182km, hilly)

The 110th edition of the Tour de France gets under way on the race’s 120th birthday with what looks like a cracker of a stage starting and finishing in the largest city in the Basque Country, Bilbao, but also passing twice through its historical capital, Guernika, and with 3,300 metres of climbing today it’s a tough opener to a race in which nerves are typically fraught in the opening days.

Today’s stage, which like tomorrow will be played out in front of huge crowds, is bound to see Basque riders try and get into the early break, and with five categorised climbs and several others that do not count towards the mountains classification, it’s a day for the puncheurs, with the last ascent, the Pike, crested just 9.6km from the finish in back in Bilbao.

Stage 2 Sunday 2 July Vitoria-Gastiez – Saint Sebastien (209km, hilly)

A few weeks after the Giro d’Italia boasted a stage into Bergamo that was in effect a mini-Tour of Lombardy, and a year since the Grand Boucle thundered over the Paris-Roubaix cobbles, Spain’s biggest one-day race gets similar treatment with today’s final featuring the Jaizkibel climb, so often decisive in the Clásica de San Sebastián, typically held the week after the Tour de France ends.

That race, plus the annual Tour of the Basque country, means that the roads featuring in the opening two days will be familiar to many of the riders, and that late 6.4 per cent climb, which has its summit 16.5km from the line, will almost certainly be the springboard for attacks from stage-hunters – you can bet that several local riders will have ringed this one in red as soon as it was announced.

Stage 3 Monday 3 July Amorebieta-Etxano – Bayonne (185km, flat)

Today’s stage sees the race depart Spain, but we are still in the Basque Country on the French side of the border with a finish in the region’s capital, Bayonne. Much of the stage hugs the coast – the last sight of the sea in this year’s race – and if the wind is up, the GC teams will be jostling for position at the front of the bunch in case echelons form, meaning any break may be kept on a tight leash.

There are four categorised climbs on today’s parcours, but the last of those comes just after the halfway point as the race heads towards Saint Sebastien and beyond that, the border towns of Irun and Hendaye. Consequently, this looks very much like the first chance for the sprinters to open their account in this year’s race, with a fast finish in prospect in Bayonne.

Stage 4 Tuesday 4 July Dax – Nogaro (182km, flat)

This sprinter-friendly stage has just one categorised climb, the Category 4 Côte de Dému, which tops out at just 218 metres above sea level with 27.4km remaining to the finish at France’s first purpose-built motor racing venue, the Circuit Paul Armagnac, with the intermediate sprint at 83.8km taking place outside the Notre Dame des Cyclistes church in Labastide-d’Armagnac.

The start in Dax honours one of the peloton’s all-time great fast men, André Derrigade, who was born in nearby Narrosse. Now aged 94, he won 22 stages of the Tour de France, a record for sprint stages that stood until it was eclipsed by Mark Cavendish, who took his 23rd victory at the race on the Champs-Elysées in 2012 and is now seeking a 35th win that would put him ahead of Eddy Merckx.

Stage 5 Wednesday 5 July Pau – Laruns (165km, mountain)

Halfway through the opening week, and we’re already in the Pyrenees for the first mountain test of this year’s race, one that starts in Pau which welcomes the race for the 74th time – more than anywhere else, other than Paris or Bordeaux.

After a flattish opening 70km or so, the riders tackle the hors-categorie Col de Soudet, which has an average gradient of 7.2 per cent over 15.2km, though attacks, if any, are likely to wait until the Col de Marie Blanque, crested 18.5km out from Laruns, which hosts a stage for the fourth time – the last two winners there being Primož Roglič in 2018, and Tadej Pogačar three years ago.

Stage 6 Thursday 6 July Tarbes – Cauterets-Cambasque (145km, mountain)

The second of two days in the Pyrenees sees the first summit finish of the race at Cauterets-Cambasque, though first there is the small matter of two of this area’s most fabled climbs to tackle, the Col d’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet, the summit of the latter coming with 47km left followed by a long, sweeping descent of 30km or so ahead of the final ascent.

While the race has visited Cauterets four times, only once has the finish line been on the Plateau du Cambasque, where it is today – that was back in 1989, the stage won by a young Miguel Indurain, the first Tour de France stage win for the eventual five-time champion. Today’s final climb, 16km long with an average gradient of 5.4 per cent, could well end with a change in the yellow jersey.

Stage 7 Friday 7 July Mont-de-Marsan – Bordeaux (170km, flat)          

The flattest stage of this year’s race heads north away from the Pyrenees to Bordeaux, which hosts the race for the 81st time – though this is the first time a stage has finished here since 2010, when Mark Cavendish took his fourth victory at that year’s race just two days before adding his fifth as the race ended in Paris.

There’s less than 1,000 metres of climbing today, and the sole categorised climb, the Category 4 Côte de Béguey, stands just 82 metres above sea level. In recent years, we’ve often seen the peloton misjudge catching the break, making for some thrilling will-they-or-won’t-they finishes – though a 2km straight ahead of the line on the vast Place des Quinconces minimises the chances of that today.

Stage 8 Saturday 8 July Libourne – Limoges (201km, hilly)

There’s another bunch finish in prospect today, but the characteristics of the stage are very different to the two that have preceded it as the race heads to Limoges, centre of France’s porcelain industry, which last hosted a stage finish in 2016, the German sprinter Marcel Kittel edging out Frenchman Bryan Coquard for what would prove to be his only win in that year’s race.

The final of today’s stage is much tougher than that one seven years ago, however, with two Category 4 climbs to be tackled inside the closing 18 kilometres, and a 5 per cent uphill drag to the line in the closing 700 metres. If it’s a sprint, it is likely to be a very select one featuring the stronger finishers, but it could also be a day for the break to stay clear or even a late solo attack to prevail.

Stage 9 Sunday 9 July Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat – Puy de Dôme (184km, mountain)

The first week of the race ends with a visit to the Massif Centrale, starting in the adopted hometown of three-time runner-up Raymond Poulidor, who never wore the yellow jersey, his grandson Mathieu van der Poel becoming the first member of the family to do so after winning the second stage of the 2021 edition in Brittany.

Poulidor’s stage-winning battle with eventual overall champion Jacques Anquetil in 1964 is just one of the past visits that has sealed the Puy de Dôme’s place in Tour history, but today is the first summit finish there for 35 years. The climb covers 13.3km at an average gradient of 7.7 per cent – but the real test comes in the final 4.5km, which averages a leg-sapping 12 per cent. There could be some big winners and losers on GC today.

Rest Day Monday 10 July Clermont-Ferrand

Stage 10 Tuesday 11 July Vulcania – Issoire (167km, hilly)

Racing resumes after the rest day with one of two stages this week that pretty much have ‘win from the break’ written all over them, so we’d expect a frantic start as riders try and get off the front of the peloton after leaving the volcano-themed Vulcania amusement park, an intermediate sprint just under 60km in meaning the break could also feature some with designs on the green points jersey.

There are 3,100 metres of climbing today and five categorised climbs the last of those crested with 28.6km still to go and a mainly downhill run to what will be only the second-ever stage finish in Issoire, the last coming 40 years ago. Attacks from the break look likely on that final climb, the Côte de la Chapelle Marcousella, with a select group fighting it out for the win, or even a solo triumph.

Stage 11 Wednesday 12 July Clermont-Ferrand – Moulins (180km, flat)

After four days in the Auvergne, the race heads north-west from Michelin’s home city then east towards Moulins, hosting its first stage finish. Shortly before halfway it goes through Montluçon, home of two-time world champion and former Tour de France yellow jersey Julian Alaphilippe, who is bound to receive a warm welcome from family and friends as the race passes by.

With no significant climbs, on paper it’s a day for the sprinters with a flat, 900-metre run to the finish, but the complexion of the race could change if there is a strong wind blowing from the south-east which would be at the back of the riders for the first 115km before turning into a crosswind, raising the prospect of echelons forming and the frantic racing that invariably ensues.

Stage 12 Thursday 13 July Roanne – Belleville-en-Beaujolais (169km, flat)

Officially, this is a flat stage, but it’s not one that looks likely to end in a bunch sprint, with some tough climbs to be tackled, three of those coming in the final 60km or so, the lats of them the Col de la Croix Rosier which averages 7.6 per cent over its 5.3km, making it a day that looks suited for the break.

A hilly start to the afternoon’s racing means that we’re likely once again to see a big battle to get into the break, and no doubt some of the specialist escape artists will have marked today out as one on which they can go for a stage win, the overall contenders likely to keep their powder dry ahead of some tough days in the Jura mountains followed by the Alps.

Stage 13 Friday 14 July Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne – Grand Colombier (138km, mountain)

With Bastille Day falling on a Friday, the roadsides will be lined with revellers kicking off their long weekend in party mode and hoping to see a home win on the Fête Nationale for the first time since Warren Barguil triumphed in Foix in 2017 – and certainly, there will be no shortage of French riders trying to get into the break during a long, flat opening to the stage which ends in the Jura mountains.

The intermediate sprint comes during a long but uncategorised climb, followed by a descent before the road flattens out ahead of the final ascent, which begins with 17.4km left and averages 7.1 per cent. The Tour first tackled the Grand Colombier in 2012, with the first summit finish in 2020 when Tadej Pogačar prevailed – although today’s tough ascent will be from a different direction.

Stage 14 Saturday 15 July Annemasse – Morzine les Portes du Soleil (152km, mountain)

A weekend in the Alps kicks off with a fairly short but very tough stage in the mountains south of Lake Geneva, the Swiss city that gives the lake its name sitting just across the border from today’s start, with the five categorised climbs in total providing 4,100 metres of vertical ascent during the afternoon.

Those climbs get progressively harder as the stage unfolds, with some steep ramps on the Col de la Ramaz potentially seeing a thinning-out of the GC group ahead of the Hors-Categorie Col du Joux Plane, covering 11.6km at 8.5 per cent. That’s crested with just 12km to go, with a tricky, very fast descent into Morzine likely to prove attractive to some of the peloton’s more fearless descenders.

Stage 15 Sunday 16 July Les Gets les Portes du Soleil – Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc Le Bettex (179km, mountains)

Today’s parcours is a near-loop through the mountains of Haute-Savoie, with racing starting after an unusually long neutralised section that gives the riders 15 minutes to get their legs warmed up. With a rest day tomorrow several, including those with their sights set on the mountains competition, will be tucked in behind the race director’s car, itching to attack the moment the flag drops.

The GC action will come on the day’s final two climbs, which in effect are one long climb with the briefest of descents between them. The first of those, the Côte des Amerands, is only designated Category 2 but averages 10.9 per cent and hits a maximum of 17 per cent, providing a potential launch pad for attacks ahead of the final ascent to Le Bettex, where Romain Bardet won in 2016.

Rest Day Monday 17 July Saint-Gervais – Mont Blanc

Stage 16 Tuesday 18 July Passy – Combloux (22km, individual time trial)

There’s a sharp contrast with the Giro d’Italia this year, which featured 73.2km of riding against the clock split between three stages, including that penultimate day’s thriller in which Primož Roglič snatched the maglia rosa from Geraint Thomas to set up his overall victory. Tour organisers ASO have instead gone for a minimalist approach, with today’s short time trial the only such stage of the race.

On that memorable day in Italy, riders switched from time trial to road bikes ahead of the last climb, but here, the benefits of changing bikes is less cut and dried. There’s a short, punchy climb early on, but most of the stage is on flattish, rolling roads. The Côte de Domancy though hits 15 per cent – could the risk of losing time to change bikes be offset by the potential reward of gaining precious seconds?

Stage 17 Wednesday 19 July Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc – Courchevel (166km, mountain)

A potential cracker of a stage in the Alps, including the Col de la Loze which at 2,304 metres will be the highest point the Tour reaches this year, on a day that begins with the familiar combination of the Col des Saisies and Cormet de Roseland and which will no doubt see a lot of fighting to get into the break, particularly from riders or teams that have had a disappointing race to date.

After the descent from Nôtre-Dame-du-Pré, the road heads upwards again, with the climb to the Col de la Loze covering 28.1km at an average gradient of 6 per cent but hitting a brutal 24 per cent at times. The summit comes with 6.6km to go, followed by a fast descent ahead of a final 18 per cent ramp to the finish. It’s very much a day that could see a big reshuffling of the top 10 on GC.

Stage 18 Thursday 20 July Moûtiers – Bourg-en-Bresse (186km, hilly)

This is one of those intriguing stages that is often thrown into the last week of the Tour, and is consequently a difficult one to call. With rolling terrain and no categorised climbs, it should be one for the sprinters, but the exertions of the past few days in the mountains, plus the reduction of teams to eight riders a few years ago, means sprint trains don’t now dominate as they once did.

Add to that the fact that with the race fast approaching its end, chances to make an impression are running out, which means many riders – including some still looking for a new contract for next year – will try and get in the break and take it all the way to the line. It could very well be one of those days when the bunch tries to reel in the escapees at the death, with a close finish in prospect.

Stage 19 Friday 21 July Moirans-en-Montagne – Poligny (173km, flat)

Another one that should, in theory, end in a bunch finish, but subject to the same caveats that applied yesterday. We’re back in the Jura today, but the two categorised climbs, the second of which has its summit 29.1km from the finish town, shouldn’t prove too taxing for the legs of the fastest men in the peloton.

A finishing straight that is around 8km in length also plays into the hands of the chasers – psychologically, it’s easier to chase down a break when it is within line of sight, and the absence of twists and turns late on, more easily negotiated by individual riders or a small group rather than the peloton, also favours the sprinters who today have their last chance of success before Paris.

Stage 20 Saturday 22 July Belfort – Le Markstein Fellering (133km, mountain)

The final mountain stage is also the shortest road stage of the race, but it is one that certainly packs a punch with six categorised climbs in wait ahead of a first-time finish at Le Markstein Fellering in the Vosges mountains. Quite how the day pans out will depend a lot on the gaps at the top of the GC – if they are small, this will be an explosive stage, and we’d expect a big break to get away eventually.

That could take some time as teams that missed the move counter attack. We should also see GC teams try and get riders up the road to fall back and help their leaders later on. The penultimate climb, the Petit Ballon, averages 8.1 per cent over 9.3km, followed by the Col du Platzerwasel, 7.1km at 8.4 per cent ahead of the finish when we’ll know who is poised to win the 110th Tour de France tomorrow.

Stage 21 Sunday 23 July 2023 Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines – Paris Champs-Elysées (115km, flat)

The traditional procession into Paris will be missing next year, the 2024 Tour concluding with an individual time trial in Nice as the French capital gears up to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are acknowledged by today’s stage starting outside the velodrome that will host the track cycling events a little more than 12 months from now.

It is of course a well-worn script, with the peloton in end-of-term mood as it heads into the heart of Paris, the jersey wearers posing for photographs, before a break that will almost certainly be doomed going clear on the iconic Champs-Elysées circuit ahead of a bunch sprint that is widely acknowledged as the unofficial sprinters’ world championship.

If Mark Cavendish, winner in May of the final stage of the Giro d’Italia in Rome,  makes it to Paris, this will be the 224th and final Tour de France stage (including Prologues) of his career. From 2009-12, he was unbeatable on the Champs-Elysées, his four straight stage wins here coming when he was at his peak, the last of those in the rainbow jersey of world champion on the same day as Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the yellow jersey.

By tradition, it is the team of the winner in waiting that leads the peloton across the line for the start of the first lap of the closing circuit, but the honour is sometimes given to a rider taking part in the race for the final time – although if Cavendish is here, it will be with the goal of clinching what has proved to be an elusive fifth win on cycling’s most famous finish line, and one which, if he has not yet clinched his 35th stage victory, would be the one that would finally see him pull clear of Eddy Merckx as the rider with the most stage wins in the history of the race.

Whatever happens, for the riders who have made it through the three weeks, reunions with friends and family plus celebrations with team-mates and staff beckon in the evening after the race ends for another year, the baton passing to the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence, with the city next year hosting what will be Italy’s first ever Grand Départ of its neighbouring country’s Grand Tour.

Arrivederci Paris, ed all’anno prossimo in Toscana – Goodbye Paris, and until next year in Tuscany.

Help us to fund our site

We’ve noticed you’re using an ad blocker. If you like road.cc, but you don’t like ads, please consider subscribing to the site to support us directly. As a subscriber you can read road.cc ad-free, from as little as £1.99. 

If you don’t want to subscribe, please turn your ad blocker off. The revenue from adverts helps to fund our site.

Help us to bring you the best cycling content

If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

Re stage 9, finishing up the Puy de Dôme, you say "Poulidor’s stage-winning battle with eventual overall champion Jacques Anquetil in 1964 is just one of the past visits that has sealed the Puy de Dôme’s place in Tour history." Poulidor dropped Anquetil on the Puy de Dôme, but he didn't win the stage. They were behind the Spanish climbers Bahamontes and Jiménez, with Jiménez being the stage winner.

• Log in or register to post comments

A bit pedantic, but your opening paragraph is wrong...it's only three days to go until the 2023 Tour....not three weeks until the 2024 Tour!!

There's more detail here , including a lot about the areas, towns and villages the race passes through on each stage.

Quote: The start in Dax honours one of the peloton’s all-time great fast men, André Derrigade, who was born in nearby Narrosse. Now aged 94, he won 22 stages of the Tour de France, a record that stood until it was eclipsed by Mark Cavendish, who took his 23rd victory at the race on the Champs-Elysées in 2012 

Wasn't it eclipsed earlier by Eddy Merckx?

I think they meant to say sprint stages. Wheras Eddie won a mix of sprint and mountainous stages on his way to winning pretty much anything you can on a bike. 

And so the excitement builds.

Rest day on my birthday, boo.

But I will have that whole week off anyway.

I hope ITV still have the live rights, or I will be riding a lot that week , and trying to be back for 7. DMAX has been alright, apart from the weird cancelled days, and ITV4s Dauphine is good, but I need a bit of live Tour.

ktache wrote: And so the excitement builds. Rest day on my birthday, boo. But I will have that whole week off anyway. I hope ITV still have the live rights, or I will be riding a lot that week , and trying to be back for 7.

ITV only go from 2 pm, about two hours into the stage. However, Discovery+ have flag to flag coverage and there is a seven day free trial available, which would fit nicely into your birthday week!

Latest Comments

Once again, any comments about cyclists not using cycling infrastruture are completely missing the point that it wouldn't be necessary if people...

It really is entirely accurate. None of these Gammonflakes can even define what "woke" means. It appears to be everything from not wanting racism...

It has the smell of some of the taller stories the brexiters were telling in their heyday. And "just get rid of them" is reminiscent of "just leave...

Here's my 2011 Fuji track bike. Had it repainted and use it for all my commutes in San Francisco.

Buy a Honda CBR600RR for roughly the same amount of money*....

Like they have been doing in the whole UK for some time already?...

Agree 100%....

I haven't been for years and there are some Dutch residents who post here I think - so hopefully we'll find out!...

In what way does it differ from any other crime that's difficult to prove?

Strange that you chose not to include SRAM in the gravel groupset list....

• Milano Cortina 2026
• Brisbane 2032
• Olympic Refuge Foundation
• Olympic Games
• Olympic Channel
• Let's Move

Tour de France 2023: Daily stage results and general classification standings

The latest updates on the winners of each stage and the top contenders for the coveted yellow jersey in the 110th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 1 to 23 July.

Jonas Vingegaard claimed back-to-back Tour de France titles beating main rival Tadej Pogacar into second place in a repeat of the 2022 result.

Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) produced the best result of his career, winning the final stage on his Le Tour debut. He triumphed in a photo finish beating Jasper Philipsen and Dylan Groenewegen into second and third place, respectively.

The 2023 Tour de France , the second and most prestigious Grand Tour of the year in the men’s road cycling season , started in Bilbao on 1 July.

Check out the daily results and the general classification standings after each stage right here.

• Tour de France 2023 preview: Full schedule and how to watch live

Sunday July 23: Stage 21 - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Paris Champs-Élysées, 115.1 km

The final stage of the 2023 Tour de France came to a climactic end with Belgium’s Jordi Meeus claiming a surprise victory in a sprint for the line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Meeus won by the narrowest of margins in a photo finish edging Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Deceuninck) and Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco Alula) into second and third place, respectively.

Meeus celebrated an emphatic end to his debut while Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard claimed a second consecutive Tour de France title. Vingegaard finished seven minutes, and 29 seconds ahead of Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar with Adam Yates of Great Britain taking third overall.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 21 Results - Sunday 23 July

Saint-quentin-en-yvelines - paris champs-élysées, 115.1 km.

• Jordi Meeus (BEL, BORA-hansgrohe) 2h 56’13’’
• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0"
• Dylan Groenewegen (NED, Team Jayco-AIUla) +0"
• Mads Pedersen (DEN, LidI-Trek) +0"
• Cees Bol (NED, Astana Qazaqstan Team) +0"
• Biniam Girmay (ER, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) +0"
• Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) +0"
• Søren Wærenskjold (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +0"
• Corbin Strong (NZ, Israel-Premier Tech) +0"
• Luca Mozzato (ITA, Arkéa-Samsic) +0"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 21

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 82h 05'42"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +7:29"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +10:56"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +12:23"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +13:17"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +13:27"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, BORA - hansgrohe) +14:44"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +16:09"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +23:08"
• Guillaume Martin (FRA, Cofidis) +26:30"

Saturday 22 July: Stage 20 - Belfort - Le Markstein Fellering, medium mountains, 133.5 km

Despite failing to regain the yellow jersey he won in 2020 and 2021, Tadej Pogacar  ended his Tour de France on a high note.

In his last Tour de France mountain stage before retirement, home favourite Thibaut Pinot went on a solo attack to the delight of the French fans.

But the climbing specialist was unable to stay in front with first Tom Pidcock and Warren Barguil catching him before Pogacar made his bid to bridge the gap.

Overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard covered the move with Felix Gall , and the three forged clear on the closing Col du Platzerwase climb.

As things became tactical at the front, the Yates brothers - Adam and Simon - made it a lead group of five.

Vingegaard made his bid for the stage win with 250m to go, but Pogacar was too strong this time with the Dane losing second to Gall on the line.

Pinot received a hero's welcome as he crossed the line in seventh place.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 20 Results - Saturday 22 July

Belfort - le markstein fellering, medium mountains, 133.5 km.

• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) 3h 27'18"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +0"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +0"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +0"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +7"
• Warren Barguil (FRA, Team Arkéa Samsic) +33"
• Thibaut Pinot (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +33"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +33"
• Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +50"
• Rafał Majka (POL, UAE Team Emirates) +50"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 20

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 79h 16'38"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +12:57"

Friday 21 July: Stage 19 - Moirans-en-Montagne - Poligny, hilly, 172.8 km

Matej Mohoric denied Kasper Asgreen a second consecutive win at the 2023 Tour de France after a thrilling photo-finish sprint in Poligny.

The two riders emerged from a three-man breakaway and outsprinted Australia's Ben O'Connor, with Mohoric narrowly beating Asgreen to the finish line.

Throughout the 172.8km stage, there were numerous fragmented attacks across the field, leading to an intense pursuit among different breakaway groups in the final 20km.

Overall leader Jonas Vingegaard finished with the main peloton and kept his seven-and-a-half-minute lead on Tadej Pogacar in the general classification (GC) with just two stages remaining

2023 Tour de France: Stage 19 Results - Friday 21 July

Moirans-en-montagne - poligny, hilly, 172.8km.

• Matej Mohoric (SLO, Bahrain-Victorious) 3h 31'02"
• Kasper Asgreen (DEN, Soudal - Quick Step) +0"
• Ben O'Connor (AUS, AG2R Citroen Team) +4"
• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck) +39"
• Mads Pedersen (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +39"
• Christophe Laporte (FRA, Jumbo-Visma) +39"
• Luka Mezgec (SLO, Team Jayco AlUla) +39"
• Alberto Bettiol (ITA, EF Education-EasyPost) +39"
• Matteo Trentin (ITA, UAE Team Emirates) +39"
• Thomas Pidcock (GBR, INEOS Grenadiers) +39"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 19

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 75h 49'24"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +7:35"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +10:45"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +12:01"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +12:19"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +12:50"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, BORA - hansgrohe) +13:50"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +16:11"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +16:49"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +17:57"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 19 - Moirans-En-Montagne to Poligny - France - July 21, 2023 Team Bahrain Victorious' Matej Mohoric crosses the finish line to win stage 19

Thursday 20 July: Stage 18 - Moûtiers - Bourg-en-Bresse, flat, 184.9 km

Kasper Asgreen surprised the sprinters and claimed stage 18 of the Tour de France after a long day in the breakaway.

Following several mountain stages in the Alps, a flatter stage awaited the peloton on Thursday. A breakaway of four rider with Kasper Asgreen , Jonas Abrahamsen , Victor Campenaerts, and later Pascal Eenkhoorn managed to just stay clear of the sprinters that were breathing down their necks on the finish line.

Asgreen of Denmark proved to be the fastest of the riders in the breakaway, and he secured his team Soudal Quick Step their first stage win of this year’s Tour de France.

Jonas VIngegaard held on to the leader's yellow jersey and maintains his 7:35 advantage to Tadej Pogacar .

2023 Tour de France: Stage 18 Results - Thursday 20 July

Moûtiers to bourg-en-bresse, flat, 184.9 km.

• Kasper Asgreen (DEN, Soudal - Quick Step) 4h 06'48"
• Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED, Lotto Dstny) +0"
• Jonas Abrahamsen (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +0"
• Mads Pedersen (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +0"
• Jordi Meeus (BEL, BORA - hansgrohe) +0"
• Matteo Trentin (ITA, UAE Team Emirates) +0"
• Christophe Laporte (FRA, Jumbo-Visma) +0"
• Luca Mozzato (ITA, Team Arkéa Samsic) +0"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 18

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 67h 57'51"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 18 - Moutiers to Bourg-En-Bresse - France - July 20, 2023 Soudal–Quick-Step's Kasper Asgreen celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 18 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Wednesday 19 July: Stage 17 - Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc - Courchevel, high mountains, 165.7 km

Felix Gall claimed a dramatic queen stage of the Tour de France 2023, where Jonas Vingegaard cracked Tadej Pogacar to gain more than five and a half minutes on the Slovenian. The Dane is now seven minutes and 35 seconds clear in the overall lead, and looks very likely to win his second consecutive Tour de France.

The stage winner Gall attacked his breakaway companions with six kilometres remaining of the final climb Col de la Loze. Simon Yates tried to chase down Gall, but the AG2R Citroën Team rider managed to maintain a small gap to the Brit, and he crossed the finish line solo.

The general classification leader Vingegaard dropped Pogacar 7.5 kilometres from the summit of Col de la Loze, and while the Slovenian tried to limit his losses, last year’s winner did what he could to gain as much time as possible. His lead seems unassailable with four stages remaining.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 17 Results - Wednesday 19 July

Saint-gervais mont-blanc to courchevel, high mountains, 165.7 km.

• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) 4h 49'08"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +34"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +1:38"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +1:52"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +2:09"
• Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +2:39"
• Chris Harper (AUS, Team Jayco AlUla) +2:50"
• Rafał Majka (POL, UAE Team Emirates) +3:43"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +3:43"
• Wilco Kelderman (NED, Jumbo-Visma) +3:49"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 17

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 17 - Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to Courchevel - France - July 19, 2023 AG2R Citroen Team's Felix Gall celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 17 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Tuesday 18 July: Stage 16 - Passy - Combloux, individual time trial, 22.4 km

Jonas Vingegaard took a big step toward reclaiming his Tour de France title, as the Danish rider triumphed on this year’s lone time trial.

The yellow jersey wearer gained an astonishing one minute and 38 seconds to his biggest rival Tadej Pogacar , who finished second on the stage.

Before Wednesday’s queen stage, the Dane now has an advantage of 1:48 to his Slovenian rival.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 16 Results - Tuesday 18 July

Passy to combloux, individual time trial, 22.4 km.

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 32:26
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +1:38"
• Wout van Aert (BEL, Jumbo-Visma) +2:51"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +2:55"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +2:58"
• Rémi Cavagna (FRA, Soudal - Quick Step )+3:06"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +3:12"
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +3:21"
• Mads Pedersen (DEN Lidl - Trek) +3:31"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +3:31

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 16

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 63h 06'53"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +1:48"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +8:52"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +8:57"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, BORA - hansgrohe) +11:15"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +12:56"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +13:06"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +13:46"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +17:38"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +18:19"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 16 - Passy to Combloux - France - July 18, 2023 Team Jumbo–Visma's Jonas Vingegaard wearing the yellow jersey crosses the finish line after stage 16 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Sunday 16 July: Stage 15 - Les Gets les Portes du Soleil - Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, mountain stage, 179 km

Wout Poels took the first Tour de France stage win of his career, as he crossed the finish line alone at Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc on stage 15.

The 2016 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner dropped his breakaway companions Wout van Aert and Marc Soler 11 kilometres from the finish and managed to maintain his advantage.

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar fought another alpine duel, but neither rider could get the better of the other, and they crossed the finish line together.

The yellow leader’s jersey therefore remains with Vingegaard. His advantage to Tadej Pogacar is 10 seconds.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 15 Results - Sunday 16 July

Les gets les portes du soleil to saint-gervais mont-blanc, mountain stage, 179 km.

• Wout Poels (NED, Bahrain - Victorious) 4:40:45
• Wout van Aert (BEL, Jumbo-Visma) +2:08"
• Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA, TotalEnergies) +3:00"
• Lawson Craddock (USA, Team Jayco AlUla) +3:10"
• Mikel Landa (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +3:14"
• Thibaut Pinot (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +3:14"
• Guillaume Martin (FRA, Cofidis) +3:32"
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +3:43"
• Simon Guglielmi (FRA, Team Arkéa Samsic) +3:59"
• Warren Barguil (FRA, Team Arkéa Samsic) +4:20

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 15

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 62h 34'17"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +10"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +5:21"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +5:40"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, BORA - hansgrohe) +6:38"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +9:16"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +10:11"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +10:48"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +14:07"
• Guillaume Martin (FRA, Cofidis) +14:18"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 15 - Les Gets Les Portes Du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc - France - July 16, 2023 Team Bahrain Victorious' Wout Poels celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 15 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Saturday 15 July: Stage 14 - Annemasse - Morzine Les Portes du Soleil, mountain stage, 151.8 km

Carlos Rodriguez claimed the biggest victory of his career, marking the second consecutive win for his team INEOS Grenadiers, on stage 14 of the 2023 Tour de France after crossing the finish line alone in Morzine.

The 22-year-old Spaniard took advantage of the mind games between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, who were the strongest riders during the ascent on the Col de Joux de Plan.

The Slovenian secured second place, beating his Danish rival, but now trails Vingegaard, who picked up an extra bonus second, by 10 seconds.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 14 Results - Saturday 15 July

Annemasse - morzine les portes du soleil, mountain stage, 151.8 km.

• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) 3:58:45
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +5"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +5"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +10"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +57"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:46"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +1:46"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +3'19"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +3'21"
• Guillaume Martin (FRA, Cofidis) +5'57"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 12

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 46h 34'27"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +4:43"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, BORA - hansgrohe) +4:44"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +5:20"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +8:15"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +8:32"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +8:51"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +12:26"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +12:56"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 14 - Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes Du Soleil - France - July 15, 2023 Ineos Grenadiers' Carlos Rodriguez celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 14

Friday 14 July: Stage 13 - Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne - Grand Colombier, mountain stage, 137.8 km

Michael Kwiatkowski of INEOS Grenadiers secured a remarkable solo victory on stage 13 of the 2023 Tour de France, conquering the iconic Grand Colombier.

The Polish rider made a decisive move with 11km to go annd successfully maintained his lead over the pursuing riders, securing his third career stage win at La Grande Boucle.

Tadej Pogacar launched a late but blistering attack to finish third and narrow the gap to overall leader Jonas Vingegaard , with the Danish rider now leading by just nine seconds.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 13 Results - Friday 14 July

Châtillon-sur-chalaronne - grand colombier, mountain stage, 137.8 km.

• Michal Kwiatkowski (POL, INEOS Grenadiers) 3:17:33
• Maxim Van Gils (BEL, Lotto Dstny) +47"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +50"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +54"
• Thomas Pidcock (GBR, INEOS Grenadiers) 1'03"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) 1'05"
• James Shaw (GBR, EF Education-EasyPost) 1'05"
• Harold Tejada (COL, Astana Qazaqstan Team) 1:05"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) 1'14"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) 1'18"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +9"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +2:51"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +4:22"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +5:03"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +5:04"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious) +5:25"
• Tom Pidcock (GBR, INEOS Grenadiers) +5:35"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +6:52"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +7:11"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 13 - Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier - France - July 14, 2023 Ineos Grenadiers' Michal Kwiatkowski celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 13

Thursday 13 July: Stage 12 - Roanne - Belleville-en-Beaujolais, medium mountains, 168.8km

Ion Izagirre of Cofidis claimed a stunning solo victory on stage 12 of the Tour de France 2023. The 34-year-old Spaniard made a daring move from the breakaway 30 kilometres before the finish line and successfully fended off the chasing pack to claim his second stage win in the prestigious French grand tour. The Basque won his first stage in 2016.

Mathieu Burgaudeau took the second spot on the stage, while Matteo Jorgenson was third.

Jonas Vingegaard maintained his hold on the yellow leader's jersey, with the Danish rider maintaining a 17-second lead over  Tadej Pogacar in second place.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 12 Results - Thursday 13 July

Roanne to belleville-en-beaujolais, medium mountains, 168.8km.

• Ion Izagirre (ESP, Cofidis) 3:51:42
• Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA, TotalEnergies) +58"
• Matteo Jorgenson (USA, Movistar Team) +58"
• Tiesj Benoot (BEL, Jumbo-Visma) +1:06"
• Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team +1:11"
• Thibaut Pinot (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +1:13"
• Guillaume Martin (FRA, Cofidis) +1:13"
• Dylan Teuns (BEL, Israel - Premier Tech) +1:27"
• Ruben Guerreiro (POR, Movistar Team) +1:27"
• Victor Campenaerts (BEL, Lotto Dstny) +3:02"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +17"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +2:40"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious +4:36"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +4:41"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +4:46"
• Tom Pidcock (GBR, INEOS Grenadiers) +5:28"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama) +6:01"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +6:47"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 12 - Roanne to Belleville-En-Beaujolais - France - July 13, 2023 Cofidis' Ion Izagirre Insausti celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 12 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Wednesday 12 July: Stage 11 - Clermont-Ferrand - Moulins, flat, 179.8km

Jasper Philipsen secured his fourth stage win of this year’s Tour de France, as the Belgian once again proved to be the fastest rider of the peloton in a bunch sprint.

The green jersey wearer Philpsen won ahead of Dylan Groenewegen and Phil Bauhaus .

Jonas Vingegaard is still in the yellow leader’s jersey, after a stage that saw no changes in the top ten of the general classification.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 11 Results - Wednesday 12 July

Clermont-ferrand to moulins, flat, 179.8km.

• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4:01:07
• Dylan Groenewegen (NED, Team Jayco AlUla) +0"
• Phil Bauhaus (GER, Bahrain - Victorious) +0"
• Bryan Coquard (FRA, Cofidis) +0"
• Alexander Kristoff (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +0"
• Peter Sagan (SLK, TotalEnergies) +0"
• Wout van Aert (BEL, Jumbo-Visma) +0"
• Sam Welsford (AUS, Team dsm - firmenich) +0"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 11

• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +4:24"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 11 - Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins - France - July 12, 2023 Alpecin–Deceuninck's Jasper Philipsen celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 11 REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Tuesday 11 July: Stage 10 - Vulcania - Issoire, medium mountains, 167.2km

Pello Bilbao of Bahrain-Victorious claimed the first Spanish Tour de France stage win in five years as he outsprinted his breakaway companions in a thriliing finale on stage 10.

Prior to the sprint finish, Krists Neilands of Israel-Premier Tech was caught just three kilometres from the finish line after the Latvian tried to go solo 30 kilometres earlier.

Several riders from the breakaway attacked in the final, where Bilbao broke free with Georg Zimmermann of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Ben O'Connor of AG2R Citroën Team managed to bridge accross right before Bilbao launched his sprint.

Neither Zimmerman nor O’Connor could respond, and the 33-year-old Spaniard could take his first-ever Tour de France stage win. A victory he dedicated to his former teammate Gino Mäder, who tragically lost his life last month after a crash at the Tour de Suisse.

In the general classification, Jonas Vingegaard crossed the finish line alongside the other favourites, and he retains his 17-second advantage over Tadej Pogacar in second place. Bilbao advanced from 11 th to fifth position in the overall standings.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 10 Results - Tuesday 11 July

Vulcania to issoire, medium mountains, 167.2km.

• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious 3:52:34
• Georg Zimmermann (GER, Intermarché - Circus - Wanty) +0"
• Ben O'Connor (AUS, AG2R Citroën Team) +0"
• Krists Neilands (LAT, Israel - Premier Tech) +0"
• Esteban Chaves (COL, EF Education-EasyPost) +0"
• Antonio Pedrero (ESP, Movistar Team) +3"
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +27"
• Michał Kwiatkowski (POL, INEOS Grenadiers) +27"
• Warren Barguil (FRA, Team Arkéa Samsic) +30"
• Julian Alaphilippe (FRA, Soudal - Quick Step) +32"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 10

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 42h 33'13"
• Pello Bilbao (ESP, Bahrain - Victorious +4:34"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +4:39"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +4:44"
• Tom Pidcock (GBR, INEOS Grenadiers) +5:26"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +6:45"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 10 - Vulcania to Issoire - France - July 11, 2023 Team Bahrain Victorious' Pello Bilbao Lopez celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 10 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Sunday 9 July: Stage 9 - Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dôme, 182.4km

The iconic finish at Puy de Dôme , a 13.3 km stretch at 7.7% average gradient, returned to the race for the first time since 1988.

The stage was forecast to be a battle between overall leader Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar but it turned into a heartbreaking loss for Matteo Jorgenson. The U.S. rider who was stung by a wasp and needed to be attended to by the race doctor with 72km to go, produced a brave 50km solo effort and was caught 450m from the finish by Canada's Michael Woods.

Meanwhile, Pogacar gained eight seconds on Vingegaard. 

2023 Tour de France: Stage 9 Results - Sunday 9 July

Saint-léonard-de-noblat to puy de dôme, 182.4km.

Michael Woods (CAN, Israel Premier Tech) 4:19:41

Pierre Latour (FRA, TotalEnergies) +28

Matej Mohoric (SLO, Bahrain - Victorious) +35

Matteo Jorgensen (USA, Movistar) +35

Clement Berthet (FRA, AG2R Citroën) + 55

Neilson Powless (USA, EF Education-EasyPost) +1:23

Alexej Lutsenko (UKR, Astana Qazaqstan Team) + 1:39

Jonas Gregaard (DEN, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +1:58

Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA, TotalEnergies) + 2:16

David de la Cruz (SPA, Astana Qazaqstan Team) + 2:34

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 9

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 38h 37'46"
• Romain Bardet (FRA, Team DSM - Firmenich) +6:58"

Saturday 8 July: Stage 8 - Libourne - Limoges, hilly, 200.7km

Mads Pederson held off triple stage winner Jasper Philipsen and Wout van Aert to clinch stage eight of the Tour de France in 4:12:26.

Van Aert had looked to be in a position to take the stage but was forced to apply the brakes after getting blocked by his own Jumbo-Visma teammate Christophe Laporte . The Belgian was able to recover to catch third.

Earlier in the race, joint record holder for stage wins Mark Cavendish was forced to abandon his 14th and expected last Tour after he was caught in a crash with 63km to go.

The Manx Missile appeared to have injured his shoulder after a touch of wheels in the peloton forced him off his bike and onto the tarmac.

It's been a heartbreaking 24 hours for Cavendish who was denied a record win yesterday (Friday) after suffering a mechanical issue in his sprint showdown with Philipsen.

In the GC, Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey, while Great Britain's Simon Yates slid two places into sixth following his crash with just 5km of the race left to go.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 8 Results - Saturday 8 July

Libourne to limoges, hilly, 200.7km.

• Mads Pederson (DEN, Lidl - Trek) 4:12:26
• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin - Deceuninck) +0"
• Dylan Groenewegen (NED, Jayco AlUla) +0"
• Nils Eekhoff (NED, Team DSM - Firmenich) +0"
• Jasper De Buyst (BEL, Lotto Dstny) +0"
• Rasmus Tiller (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +0"
• Corbin Strong (NZL, Israel - Premier Tech) +0"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +0"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 8

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 34h 10'03"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +25"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:34"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +3:30"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +3:40"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +4:01"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +4:03"
• Romain Bardet (FRA, Team DSM - Firmenich) +4:43"
• Thomas Pidcock (GBR, INEOS Grenadiers) +4:43"
• Sepp Kuss (USA, Jumbo-Visma) +5:28"

Friday 7 July: Stage 7 - Mont-de-Marsan - Bordeaux, flat, 169.9km

Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck got his hat-trick, as he claimed his third sprint victory on stage 7 of the 2023 Tour de France.

The points classification leader won ahead of Mark Cavendish of Astana Qazaqstan Team and Biniam Girmay of Intermarché - Circus - Wanty.

A breakaway tried to challenge the peloton for the stage win, but it was inevitable that the sprinters were going to battle it out in the end.

The GC favourites, including Jonas Vingegaard , crossed the finish line in the peloton, and the Jumbo-Visma rider retained the yellow leader’s jersey.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 7 Results - Friday 7 July

Mont-de-marsan to bordeaux, flat, 169.9km.

• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck) 3hr 46'28"
• Mark Cavendish (GBR, Astana Qazaqstan Team) +0"
• Biniam Girmay (ERI, Intermarché - Circus - Wanty) +0"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 7

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) 29h 57'12"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +3:14"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 7 - Mont-De-Marsan to Bordeaux - France - July 7, 2023 Alpecin–Deceuninck's Jasper Philipsen celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 7 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Thursday 6 July: Stage 6 - Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque, high mountains, 144.9km

Tadej Pogacar of UAE Emirates won the mountainous stage 6 in the Pyrenees ahead of reigning Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard , who took over the leader’s jersey.

The first part of the stage was dominated by Jumbo-Visma and Vingegaard, who put pressure on the penultimate climb Col du Tourmalet. First, overnight leader Jai Hindley  was dropped by the pace of Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma).

Shortly after, Vingegaard attacked on climb, and only Pogacar could follow. The Dane’s teammate Wout van Aert got into the early breakaway and was waiting on the descent to pilot his captain into the final kilometres of the last climb - Cauterets-Cambasque.

Defending champion Vingegaard attacked again on the final climb with 4.5 kilomtres to the finish, but Pogacar stayed in his wheel. Two kilometres later, the Slovenian opened up a gap to the Dane. The two-time Tour de France winner managed to stay and claim his tenth Tour de France stage win.

In the GC, Vingegaard now leads by 25 seconds to Tadej Pogacar in second place.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 6 Results - Thursday 6 July

Tarbes to cauterets-cambasque, high mountains, 144.9km.

• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) 3hr 54'27"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +24"
• Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +1:22"
• Ruben Guerreiro (POR, Movistar Team) +2:06"
• James Shaw (GBR, EF Education-EasyPost) +2:15"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +2:39"
• Carlos Rodríguez (SPA, INEOS Grenadiers) +2:39"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco AlUla) +2:39"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +3:11"
• Romain Bardet (FRA, Team dsm - firmenich) +3:12"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 6

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma)
• Romain Bardet (FRA, Team dsm - firmenich) +4:43"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 6 - Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque - France - July 6, 2023 UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 6 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Wednesday 5 July: Stage 5 - Pau to Laruns, high mountains, 162.7km

General Classification podium contender Jai Hindley of BORA-Hansgrohe claimed the first mountain stage of the 2023 Tour de France. He also took over the leader’s yellow jersey from Adam Yates . Australian rider Hindley had sneaked into a big breakaway, where he attacked on the last categorised climb, Col de Marie Blanc. Hindley managed to maintain a gap to the GC favourites to take his first ever Tour de France stage.

Behind the stage winner, reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard had dropped two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and others on the last steep climb, and the Dane started the final descent with a 40-second advantage to the Slovenian.

Vingegaard crossed the finish line in fifth place, 34 seconds behind Hindley but gained more than a minute on his biggest rival for the overall win, Pogacar. Last year’s winner moves up to second place in the GC, 47 seconds behind Hindley, who was awarded 18 bonus second on the stage. Pogacar is in sixth place, 1:40 behind the leader’s jersey.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 5 Results - Wednesday 5 July

Pau to laruns, high mountains, 162.7km.

• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) 3hr 57'07"
• Giulio Ciccone (ITA, Lidl - Trek) +32"
• Felix Gall (AUT, AG2R Citroën Team) +32"
• Emanuel Buchmann (GER, BORA - hansgrohe) +32"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +34"
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +1:38"
• Daniel Felipe Martínez (COL, INEOS Grenadiers) +1:38"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama - FDJ) +1:38"
• Carlos Rodríguez (ESP, INEOS Grenadiers) +1:38"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 5

• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) 22hr 15'12"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +47"
• Giulio Ciccone (ITA, Lidl - Trek) +1:03"
• Emanuel Buchmann (GER, BORA - hansgrohe) +1:11"
• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) +1:34"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +1:40"
• Simon Yates (Team Jayco AlUla) +1:40"
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +1:56"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +1:56"
• David Gaudu (Groupama - FDJ) +1:56"

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 5 - Pau to Laruns - France - July 5, 2023 Bora–Hansgrohe's Jai Hindley celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 5 REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Tuesday 4 July: Stage 4 - Dax to Nogaro, flat, 181.8km

Jasper Philpsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinted to his second consecutive stage win on stage four of this year's Tour de France. In a close sprint finish, the Belgian threw his bike at the finish line to win right ahead of the Australian Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny).

A few crashes on the final kilomtres did not change anything among the GC favourites. Adam Yates crossed the finish line within the peloton, and the UAE Emirates rider retained the yellow leader's jersey.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 4 Results - Tuesday 4 July

Dax to nogaro, flat, 181.8km.

• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4hr 25'28"
• Caleb Ewan (AUS, Lotto Dstny) +0"
• Danny van Poppel (NED, BORA - hansgrohe) +0"
• Luka Mezgec (SLO, Team Jayco AlUla) +0

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 4

• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) 9hr 09'18"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +6"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco Alula) +6"
• Victor Lafay (FRA, Cofidis) +12"
• Wout van Aert (BEL, Jumbo-Visma) +16"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +17"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +22"
• Michael Woods (CAN, Israel-Premier Tech) +22"
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN, Lidl - Trek) +22"
• Carlos Rodriguez Cano (ESP, Ineos Grenadiers) +22"

• Jul 3, 2023 Foto del lunes del pedalista del Alpecin–Deceuninck Jasper Philipsen celebrando tras ganar la tercera etapa del Tour de Francia REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Monday 3 July: Stage 3 - Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, flat, 193.5km

Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck claimed the first sprint stage finish of the 2023 Tour de France, as the peloton left Spain to finish in Bayonne, France. It was the third Tour de France stage win for the Belgian sprinter.

The leader's yellow jersey stayed with Adam Yates, who came through the stage unscathed. He has a six-second lead to UAE Emirates teammate Tadej Pogacar.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 3 Results - Monday 3 July

Amorebieta-etxano to bayonne, flat, 193.5km.

• Jasper Philipsen (BEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4hr 43'15"
• Fabio Jakobsen (NED, Soudal - Quick Step) +0"
• Dylan Groenewegen (NED, Team Jayco AlUla) +0

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 3

• Mikel Landa (ESP, Bahrain Victorious) +22"

Sunday 2 July: Stage 2 - Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint-Sébastien, hilly, 208.9km

Frenchman Victor Lafay (Cofidis) timed his attack to perfection pulling away from the peloton with a kilometre left to sprint to a maiden Tour de France stage win in Saint-Sébastien.

Lafay’s brave sprint to the finish gave Cofidis their first win since 2008 with Wout van Aert finishing a few bike lengths behind him in second place.

Tadej Pogacar , bidding for a third yellow jersey after losing his title to Jonas Vingegaard last year, again crossed the line in third place for second in the general classification.

First-stage winner, Adam Yates , held onto the yellow jersey finishing the stage in 21st place, one spot behind brother Simon .

2023 Tour de France: Stage 2 Results - Sunday 2 July

Vitoria-gasteiz to saint-sébastien, medium mountains, 208.9km.

• Victor Lafay (FRA, Cofidis) 4hr 46'39"
• Thomas Pidcock (GBR, Ineos Grenadiers) +0"
• Pello Bilbao Lopez (ESP, Bahrain Victorious) +0"
• Michael Woods (CAN, Israel - Premier Tech) +0"
• Romain Bardet (FRA, Team DSM - Firmenich) +0"
• Dylan Teuns (BEL, Israel - Premier Tech) +0
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora - Hansgrohe) +0"
• Steff Cras (BEL, Totalenergies) +0"

2023 Tour de France: General Classification standings after Stage 2

Saturday 1 july: stage 1 - bilbao to bilbao, medium mountains, 182km.

Britain's  Yates twins  pulled away from the lead group inside the last 10km of the Grand Départ with  Adam  easing clear of  Simon  inside the final kilometre to take his first Tour de France stage win in Bilbao.

Tadej Pogacar , bidding for a third yellow jersey after losing his title to  Jonas Vingegaard  last year, won the sprint for third and punched the air as he celebrated gaining a four-second time bonus on his rivals as well as a stage win for his UAE Team Emirates colleague in northern Spain.

Thibaut Pinot  was fourth with reigning champion Vingegaard safely in the lead group in ninth place.

2023 Tour de France: Stage 1 Results - Saturday 1 July

Bilbao to bilbao, medium mountains, 182km.

• Adam Yates (GBR, UAE Team Emirates) 4hr 22'49"
• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco Alula) +4"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +12"
• Thibaut Pinot (FRA, Groupama-FDJ) +12"
• Michael Woods (CAN, Israel-Premier Tech) +12"
• Jai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe) +12"
• Skjelmose Mattias Jensen (DEN, Lidl-Trek) +12"
• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN, Jumbo-Visma) +12"
• David Gaudu (FRA, Groupama-FDJ) +12"

Tour de France 2023: General Classification standings after Stage 1

• Simon Yates (GBR, Team Jayco Alula) +8"
• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) +18"
• Thibault Pinot (FRA, Groupama-FDJ) +22"

Day-by-day route of the 2023 Tour de France

• Saturday 1 July: Stage 1 - Bilbao-Bilbao (182km)
• Sunday 2 July: Stage 2 - Vitoria-Gasteiz - Saint-Sebastian (208.9km)
• Monday 3 July: Stage 3 - Amorebieta - Etxano-Bayonne (187.4 km)
• Tuesday 4 July: Stage 4 - Dax - Nogaro (181.8 km)
• Wednesday 5 July: Stage 5 - Pau - Laruns (162.7 km)
• Thursday 6 July: Stage 6 - Tarbes - Cauterets-Cambasque (144.9 km)
• Friday 7 July: Stage 7 - Mont-de-Marsan - Bordeaux (169.9 km)
• Saturday 8 July: Stage 8 - Libourne - Limoges (200.7 km)
• Sunday 9 July: Stage 9 - Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dôme (182.4 km)
• Monday 10 July: Rest Day
• Tuesday 11 July: Stage 10 - Vulcania - Issoire (167.2 km)
• Wednesday 12 July: Stage 11 - Clermont-Ferrand - Moulins (179.8 km)
• Thursday 13 July: Stage 12 - Roanne - Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8 km)
• Friday 14 July: Stage 13 - Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne - Grand Colombier (137.8 km)
• Saturday 15 July: Stage 14 - Annemasse - Morzine Les Portes du Soleil (151.8 km)
• Sunday 16 July Stage 15 - Les Gets les portes du soleil - Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc (179 km)
• Monday 17 July: Rest Day
• Tuesday 18 July: Stage 16 - Passy - Combloux (22.4 km individual time trial)
• Wednesday 19 July: Stage 17 - Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc - Courchevel (165.7 km)
• Thursday 20 July: Stage 18 - Moûtiers - Bourg-en-Bresse (184.9 km)
• Friday July 21: Stage 19 - Moirans-en-Montagne - Poligny (172.8 km)
• Saturday July 22: Stage 20 - Belfort - Le Markstein Fellering (133.5 km)
• Sunday July 23: Stage 21 - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Paris Champs-Élysées (115.1 km)

How to watch the Tour de France 2023

The Tour de France will be shown live in 190 countries. Here is a list of the official broadcast partners across different territories.

• Basque Country - EiTB
• Belgium - RTBF and VRT
• Czech Republic - Česká Televize
• Denmark - TV2
• Europe - Eurosport
• France - France TV Sport and Eurosport France
• Germany - Discovery+ and ARD
• Ireland - TG4
• Italy - Discovery+ and RAI Sport
• Luxemburg - RTL
• Netherlands - Discovery+ and NOS
• Norway - TV2
• Portugal - RTP
• Scandinavia - Discovery+
• Slovakia - RTVS
• Slovenia - RTV SLO
• Spain - RTVE
• Switzerland - SRG-SSR
• United Kingdom - Discovery+ and ITV
• Wales - S4C
• Canada - FloBikes
• Colombia - CaracolTV
• Latin America & Caribbean: ESPN
• South America - TV5 Monde
• United States - NBC Sports and TV5 Monde

Asia Pacific

• Australia - SBS
• China - CCTV and Zhibo TV
• Japan - J Sports
• New Zealand - Sky Sport
• South-East Asia - Global Cycling Network and Eurosport

Middle East and Africa

• The Middle East and North Africa - BeIN Sports and TV5 Monde
• Subsaharan Africa - Supersport and TV5 Monde

Related content

From Biniam Girmay's brilliance to the BMX boom in South Africa: The story behind Africa's growth as a cycling continent

Can virtual cycling ever match up to the great outdoors? We ask Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet

How to qualify for road cycling at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

The Cinderella story of Michael Vink - The 31-year-old rider joining cycling's World Tour after Esports and amateur career: 'You've got to love what you do'

‘Ambitious’ Magnus Sheffield reveals surprising future plans beyond cycling

You may like.

Tour de France 2023: Route and stages

Read about the entire route of the 2023 Tour de France.

Please click on the links in underneath scheme for in-depth information on the individual stages.

Tour de France 2023 stages

Tour de france 2023: route, profiles, more.

Click on the images to zoom

More about the Tour de France

Tour de france 2023: the route, tour de france 2023 route stage 1: bilbao - bilbao.

Tour de France 2023 Route stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz - San Sebastián

Tour de France 2023 Route stage 3: Amorebieta-Etxano - Bayonne

Tour de France 2023 Route stage 4: Dax - Nogaro

Tour de France 2023 route: Every stage of the 110th edition in detail

This year's race has kicked off in Bilbao, in Spain's Basque Country. It looks like it'll be a Tour for the climbers, with the Puy de Dôme returning and 56,400 metres of climbing in all

• Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

• Stage summary
• The stages in-depth

The 2023 men's Tour de France began in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday, July 1, with a route that looks set to be one for the climbers. It features four summit finishes, including a return for the iconic Puy de Dôme climb for the first time since 1988.

There is just one time trial across the three-week event, a short uphill race against the clock from Passy to Combloux over 22km. There are also returns for other epic climbs like the Col de la Loze and the Grand Colombier, with 56,400 metres of climbing on the Tour de France 2023 route.

The race started on foreign soil for the second year in a row, with a Grand Départ in the Spanish Basque Country , the setting for the race's 120th anniversary. There were two hilly stages in Spain, before the peloton crossed the border into France for a stage finish in Bayonne on day three. 

After visiting Pau for the 74th time on stage five, the race's first real mountain test came on stage six, leaving Tarbes and cresting the Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet before a summit finish in Cauterets. 

On stage seven, the Tour’s second most visited city, Bordeaux, will welcome its first stage finish since 2010, when Mark Cavendish claimed his 14th of a record 34 stage wins. Leaving nearby Libourne the next day, stage eight will head east on a 201km slog to Limoges. 

Before the first rest day, the riders will wind up to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, a dormant lava dome which hasn’t featured in the Tour for 35 years. They’ll then enjoy a well-earned day off in Clermont-Ferrand before continuing their passage through the Massif Central. 

France’s national holiday, 14 July, will be celebrated next year with a summit finish on the Grand Colombier, the site of Tadej Pogačar ’s second stage win back in 2020. From there, the mountains keep coming. The riders will climb over the Col de Joux Plaine to Morzine on stage 14, before another mountaintop test in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc the next day. 

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

The sole individual time trial of the Tour de Franc route comes on stage 16, when a hilly 22km dash from Passy to Combloux will give the GC contenders a chance to force time gaps. The following day will bring the stage with the highest elevation gain, counting 5000m of climbing en route to the Courchevel altiport, via the Cormet de Roselend and the monstrous Col de la Loze. 

On stages 18 and 19, the sprinters are expected to come to the fore, with flat finishes in Bourg-en-Bresse and Poligny. 

The penultimate stage will play out in the country’s most easterly region, ascending the Petit Ballon, Col du Platzerwasel and finishing in Le Markstein, as the Tour de France Femmes did last year. 

The riders will then undertake a 500km transfer to the outskirts of Paris for the curtain-closing stage. The final day will start at France’s national velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the track cycling venue for the 2024 Olympics, and will conclude with the customary laps of the capital’s Champs-Elysées. 

The 2023 Tour de France will begin on 1 July, with the winner crowned in Paris on 23 July. 

2023 Tour de France stage table

Jonas Vingegaard raced in the Basque Country this year

Tour de France route week summary

Tour de france week one.

The race began in Bilbao, starting in the Basque Country for the first time since 1992, when the Tour started in San Sebastian. The first two stages are packed full of climbs, with ten classified hills in over the opening couple of days, meaning there will be a fierce battle for the polka-dot jersey. Watch out for Basque fans going crazy on the roadside.

Stage three saw the race cross into France, which it will not leave for the rest of the 18 days. As expected we saw a sprint finish in Bayonne, even after four categorised climbs en-route. Nothing is easy this year.

The fourth day was another sprint, on a motor racing circuit in Nogaro, as the race moved, ominously, towards the Pyrenees. The Hors Categorie Col de Soudet on stage five was the first proper mountain of the race, and was followed by the Col de Marie Blanque, which has tough gradients. A GC day early on, although they are all GC days, really.

Stage five was a mountain top finish in Cauterets-Cambasque, but its gradients didn't catch too many out; it is the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet that will put people through it.

The seventh day of the race was a chance for the riders to relax their legs as the race headed northwest to an almost nailed-on sprint finish, before another opportunity for the the remaining fast men presented itself on stage eight - after two category four climbs towards the end, and an uphill finish.

The long first week of the race - which will have felt longer because last year had a bonus rest day - ended with the mythical Puy de Dôme.

Tour de France week two

Magnus Cort in the breakaway on stage 10 of the Tour de France 2022

The second week begins with a lumpy road stage around Clermont-Ferrand, starting from a volcano-themed theme park. This will surely be a day for the break. The next day could also be one if the sprint teams fail to get their act together, with two early categorised climbs potential ambush points.

Back into the medium mountains on stage 12, with a finish in the wine making heartland of the Beaujolais, Belleville. Another day for the break, probably, but none of the five categorised climbs are easy.

The following day, stage 13, is France's national holiday, 14 Juillet. The Grand Colombier at the end of the day is the big attraction, with its slopes expected to cause shifts on the GC. Stage 14 is yet another mountain stage as the Tour really gets serious, with the Col de la Ramaz followed by the Col de Joux Plane. The latter, 11.6km at 8.5%, will be a real test for a reduced peloton, before a downhill finish into Morzine.

The final day of week two, stage 15, is yet another day in the Alps before a rest day in Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc. There is nothing as fearsome as the previous days, but 4527m of climbing should still be feared.

Tour de France week three

Tadej Pogačar in the final time trial at the 2022 Tour de France

The third and final week begins with the race's only time trial, 22km long and with a lot of uphill. It is not a mountain event, but it is certainly not one for the pure rouleurs .

Stage 17 looks like the race's Queen Stage, with the final climb up to the Col de la Loze looking incredibly tough on paper, and in real life. That follows the Col de Saisies, the Cormet de Roselend and the Côte de Longefoy, adding up to 5,100m of climbing. The race might be decided on this day.

After that, there is a nice day for the sprinters on stage 18, with a flat finish in Bourg-en-Bresse surely one for the fast men. The next day, stage 19 could be a breakaway day or a sprint finish, depending on how desperate teams are feeling, or how powerful the remaining leadout trains are.

The final mountainous day comes on the penultimate stage, with the men following the Femmes lead and finishing in Le Markstein. However, there's no Grand Ballon, just the Petit Ballon, and so unless something chaotic happens, there should not be great time switches on this stage.

Then, at last, there is the usual finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, after the race heads out of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, which has a long-term deal to host the start of Paris-Nice too. ASO country.

Remember, this will be the last time Paris hosts the Tour de France until 2025. So, be prepared.

Tour de France 2023: The stages

Stage one: Bilbao to Bilbao (182km)

The opening stage is very lumpy

There was no easing into the Tour de France for the peloton this year, with a tough, punchy day in the Basque Country. Adam Yates took the first yellow jersey of the 2023 Tour de France after a scintillating stage in the Basque Country that saw the overall battle for the Tour take shape at the earliest opportunity.

The Briton emerged clear over the top of the final climb of the stage, the short and steep Côte de Pike, with his twin brother Simon a few seconds behind him. The pair worked well together to stay clear of the chasing bunch of GC contenders before Adam rode his brother off his wheel inside the final few hundred metres to claim victory.

Stage two: Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint Sebastian (208.9km)

Still in the Basque Country, there is a Klasikoa theme to stage two

This was the longest stage of the Tour, surprisingly.  Five more categorised climbs meant  it was unlikely to be a sprint stage, including the Jaizkibel, famous from the Clasica San Sebastian, tackled on its eastern side 20km from the finish. This second stage from Vitoria Gasteiz to San Sebastian on the Basque coast followed many of the roads of the San Sebastian Classic, held here every summer.

An early break was soon established in the first 50km and established a three-minute advantage. However, the break was reeled in and a group, including the yellow jersey Adam Yates, pressed towards the finish with Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) clearly hoping it would finish in a sprint. 

Victor Lafay (Cofidis) had other ideas however, and with all and sundry already having attacked Van Aert, Lafay finally made it stick with a kilometre to go, holding off the reduced bunch all the way to the line.

Stage three: Amorebiata-Etxano to Bayonne (187.4km)

Still some hills, but this should be a sprint stage

The third stage took the riders from Amorebieta-Etxano in the Basque Country and back into France, finishing at Bayonne in what was always tipped to be a bunch sprint.  Ultimately, despite a very strong showing in the leadout by Fabio Jakobsen's Soudal-Quick Step team, it was Jasper Philipsen who triumphed , having benefited from a deluxe leadout by team-mate Mathieu Van Der Poel.

Mark Cavendish, who is hunting for a record 35th stage win in what will be his final Tour de France, was sixth.

Stage four: Dax to Nogaro (181.8km)

A nailed on bunch sprint, surely. Surely!

Now this one was always going to be a sprint finish, right? It finished on a motor racing circuit in Nogaro, meaning teams have a long old time to sort their leadout trains.  After a sleepy day out all hell broke lose on the finishing circuit with a series of high speed crashes. Jasper Philipsen was one of the few sprinters to still have a lead-out man at his disposal and when that lead-out man is of the quality of Mathieu van der Poel he was always going to be very difficult to beat. So it proved with Australian Caleb Ewan chasing him down hard but unable to come around him.  Philipsen's win handed him the green jersey too .

Stage five: Pau to Laruns (162.7km)

The first proper mountain, and the first sorting out, as early as stage five

The first Hors Categorie climb of the race came on stage five, the Col de Soudet, which is 15.2km at 7.2%, before the Col de Marie-Blanque and its steep gradients. It certainly ignited the GC battle!  

A break that at one point contained 37 riders was never allowed more than a few minutes, but that proved unwise for Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar behind. Ultimately, with the break already splintering on the final big climb – the Col de Marie-Blanque – Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), riding his first Tour de France, attacked. 

With Hindley time trialling the largely downhill 18km to the finish, Vingegaard attempted to chase him down – and put time into Pogačar as he did so.

Picking up strays from the early break on the way, Vingegaard got to within 34 seconds of Hindley, but it wasn't enough to stop the Australian from taking the stage win, and the yellow jersey .

Stage six: Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque (144.9km)

While in the Pyrenees, why not tackle a few more mountains?

A day of aggressive racing in the Pyrenees towards the first summit finish saw Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) take the yellow jersey but Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates) win the stage .

Having had his team set a blistering pace on the Col du Tourmalet, Vingegaard attacked with 4km until the summit. Only Pogačar could follow him as yellow jersey holder Jai Hindley dropped back to the peloton

Having joined up with super domestique Wout van Aert over the top, the group of favourites were towed up the first half of the final climb before Vingegaard attacked. Once again Pogačar followed and with two kilometers to go the Slovenian counter-attacked.

He clawed back nearly half a minute by the line, making the race for yellow a three horse race between those two and Hindley in the process. 

Stage seven: Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux (169.9km)

Bordeaux is always a sprint finish

Renowned as a sprint finish town, Bordeaux didn't disappoint the hopeful fastmen –except perhaps for Mark Cavendish, who had to concede victory to hat-trick man Jasper Philipsen, despite a very strong charge for the line from the Manxman .

With Cavendish hunting that elusive 35th record stage win, and having won here last time the Tour came visiting in 2010, many eyes were on the Astana Qazaqstan rider, with on-form Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who has won twice already, starting as favourite.

The day began with Arkéa-Samsic's Simon Gugliemi forging what turned out to be a solo break that lasted 130 kilometres. He was joined by Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Nans Peters (Ag2r-Citroën) halfway through the stage, the trio forming a purposeful triumvirate of home riders.

However, with the sprinters and their teams on the hunt and few places to hide on what was a hot day crammed with long, straight roads, the break served only as a placeholder for the day's main action in Bordeaux.

A technical finish with roundabouts aplenty, first Jumbo-Visma (in the service of GC leader Jonas Vingegaard) and then Alpecin-Deceuninck took the race by the scruff of the neck in the final. Philipsen enjoyed a marquee leadout from team-mate Mathieu Van Der Poel, but when Cavendish turned on the afterburners at around 150m and leapt forward, the whole cycling world held its breath.

That 35th stage win had to wait for another day though, with Philipsen sweeping past in what was yet another command performance from the Belgian.

Stage eight: Libourne to Limoges (200.7km)

Three categorised climbs in the final 70km could catch people out

Mads Pedersen powered to victory up a punchy finish on stage eight of the  Tour de France , managing to hold off green jersey  Jasper Philipsen  in the process.

Pedersen, the Lidl-Trek rider, now has two Tour stage wins to his name, in a finish which mixed pure sprinters and punchier riders. Alpecin-Deceuninck's Philipsen was third, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in third. To prove how mixed the top ten was, however, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished behind the likes of Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).

On a day which could have been one for the breakaway, the race was controlled expertly by Jumbo, Trek and Alpecin for their options, and so the escapees were never allowed much time. Sadly, stage eight turned out to Mark Cavendish's last - the Astana-Qazaqstan rider crashed heavily and was forced to abandon .

Stage nine: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (184km)

The Puy de Dôme is back, and is vicious

In a north American showdown it was Canada that came out on top as  Michael Woods  beat American rival  Matteo Jorgenson  to the win atop the legendary Puy de Dôme.

Jorgenson had gone solo form a breakaway with 40km left to race. However, on the slopes of the Puy de Dôme where the gradient remains over 105 for more than four kilometres, Woods closed the gap and came around Jorgenson with just 600m left to go.

In the final kilometre, of what had been a blisteringly hot day with temperatures north of 30 degree Celsius, Tadej Pogačar managed to drop Jonas Vingegaard but the Jumbo-Visma captain dug deep to minimise his losses and came across the line eight seconds down.

Stage 10: Vulcania to Issoire (162.7km)

Five categorised climbs over this Volcanic stage

The breakaway had its day in Issoire, as Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) won beneath the scorching sun in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. 

After a frantic start, the mood finally settled and a 14-rider move went clear. Krists Neilands (Israel Premier Tech) launched a solo bid with around 30km remaining, but was caught in the closing moments by a chasing group led by Bilbao. The Spaniard then policed attacks in the finale, before sprinting to his team's first victory at this year's race. 

"For Gino," Bilbao said afterwards, dedicating his win to his late teammate, Gino Mäder .  

Stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (179.8km)

The flat finalé hints at a sprint, but it could be a break day

After a difficult previous day that was hot and hilly, the bunch allowed the break to go very quickly, with Andrey Amador, Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss quickly gaining three minutes. They were kept on a tight leash though, with the sprinters' teams eyeing a bunch finish. And this they delivered, with Jasper Philipsen winning a fourth stage after a tricky finale.

Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8km)

Hills return, with some steep, punchy ones towards the end

Just like stage ten, Thursday's stage 12 was a fast and frenetic affair on the road to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. A strong group of puncheur type riders eventually got up the road after the breakaway took more than 80 kilometres to form. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) came out on top at the finish, soloing to the line after a big attack on the final climb of the day. 

Stage 13: Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier (138km)

Welcome to the Alps, here's an hors categorie climb

Michał Kwiatkowski took an impressive solo victory on the summit finish of the Grand Colombier. The Polish rider caught and passed the remnants of the day's breakaway which included Great Britain's James Shaw to grab his second-ever Tour stage win. Behind the Ineos rider, Tadej Pogačar attacked and took eight seconds back on Jonas Vingegaard in the fight for the yellow jersey. 

Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil (151.8km)

Five categorised climbs, four of which are one and above. Ouch.

Carlos Rodríguez announced himself on his Tour de France debut on stage 14 with a career-defining victory in Morzine. While all eyes were on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, the Spaniard broke free on the descent of the Col de Joux Plane and descended as if on rails to the finish. 

Stage 15: Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc (179km)

Back to a summit finish, there is no escape at this Tour

The breakaway had its day at the summit of Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. After dedicating his career to domestique duties, the victory went to Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), who launched a late attack on the steepest slopes and held off Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) to the line.

Stage 16: Passy to Combloux ITT (22.4km)

A time trial! But not a flat one

Stage 16 brought the fewest time trial kilometres at the Tour de France in 90 years. On the uphill test to Combloux, Jonas Vingegaard proved the strongest , and by quite a way, too. The Dane's winning margin of 1-38 over Tadej Pogačar left him in the driving seat to taking his second Tour title.

Stage 17: Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc to Courchevel (165.7km)

Back to  the proper mountains, and there will be no let up on the final Wednesday

The Queen stage brought a career-defining victory for Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën), but all eyes were on the GC battle, and the demise of Tadej Pogačar. The UAE Team Emirates rider cracked on the slopes of the Col de la Loze, losing almost six minutes to Jonas Vingegaard, and slipping to 7-35 in the overall standings.

Stage 18: Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse (184.9km)

Two category four climbs on the road to a chicken-themed sprint

Denmark's Kasper Asgreen put in one of the best performances of the race to grab his first-ever Tour victory . The Soudal Quick-Step rider was part of a four man breakaway that managed to hold on all the way to the line by just a handful of seconds ahead of the peloton.

Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny (172.8km)

Another sprint, maybe, or a heartbreaking chase which fails to bring the breakaway back

Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious took an emotional victory in Poligny after a chaotic day of racing. The Slovenian rider launched an attack with Kasper Asgreen and Ben O'Connor on the final climb of the hilly stage before beating his breakaway compatriots in a three-up sprint for the line. It was Mohorič's third-ever Tour victory.

Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering (133.5km)

One last chance. Six categorised climbs, will it shake up the GC?

The race might be very near Germany at this point, but Belfort remained French after the Franco-Prussian War, unlike the territory the penultimate stage travels into. 

This is the last chance saloon for all teams and riders who aren’t sprinters, especially those with GC ambitions. However, it is not quite the task of the previous Alpine days, with the six categorised climbs not the most testing. Still, there will be a lot of people trying to make things happen.

Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris (115.1km)

The classic Parisian sprint. Lovely.

This will be the last time the Tour heads to Paris until at least 2025, so make the most of those shots of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. The classic procession will happen for the first 55km until the race hits the Champs for the first time 60km in. From that point on, anything goes, although that anything will probably be a bunch sprint.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing, speaking to people as varied as Demi Vollering to Philippe Gilbert. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

• Tom Thewlis

Franck Bonnamour's biological passport is under investigation by the UCI, but he denies wrongdoing

By Adam Becket Published 27 March 24

‘I’m aware of my own mortality everytime I leave the house’ writes journalist Emmie Harrison-West following the news that cash-strapped councils are switching off street lights.

By Emmie Harrison-West Published 27 March 24

Dutchman starts his 2024 road season at Italian Monument on Saturday

By Tom Thewlis Published 15 March 24

US star grabbed his first ever Grand Tour win at last year’s Giro d’Italia

By Tom Thewlis Published 8 March 24

The American could step into the leaders yellow jersey on Tuesday evening after stage three’s team time trial in Auxerre

By Tom Thewlis Published 5 March 24

Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux

By Tom Thewlis Published 3 March 24

'He can still surprise us all the time’ João Almeida on Pogačar's performance in Tuscany

Roglič up against Remco Evenepoel for the first time in 2024 as he gets set for a return to the Tour de France

Evenepoel starts season in fine form ahead of Tour de France debut this summer

By Tom Thewlis Published 19 February 24

British rider set to make racing comeback at Volta ao Algarve on Wednesday, nine months after serious crash

By Tom Thewlis Published 13 February 24

Useful links

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• Vuelta a España

Buyer's Guides

• Best road bikes
• Best gravel bikes
• Best smart turbo trainers
• Best cycling computers
• Editor's Choice
• Bike Reviews
• Component Reviews
• Clothing Reviews
• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Advertise with us

Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

• Associated Press ,

Trending Teams

2023 tour de france route: stage profiles, previews, start, finish times.

• OlympicTalk ,
• OlympicTalk

A stage-by-stage look at the 2023 Tour de France route with profiles, previews and estimated start and finish times (all times Eastern) ...

Stage 1/July 1: Bilbao-Bilbao (113 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 6:30 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:15 a.m. Quick Preview: The Grant Départ is held in the Basque Country as the Tour’s first three stages start in Spain. There are five categorized climbs, though none of the highest difficulty, with 21 King of the Mountain points available and 50 green jersey points. An uphill finish could neutralize the top sprinters.

TOUR DE FRANCE: Broadcast Schedule

Stage 2/July 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz-San Sebastián (130 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 6:15 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:04 a.m. Quick Preview: Five more climbs with the toughest coming near the end of the longest stage of the Tour. If no breakaways are successful, the sprinters will be rewarded with a flat finish.

Stage 3/July 3: Amorebieta-Etxano-Bayonne (120 miles) Flat Neutralized Start: 7 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:27 a.m. Quick Preview: The first flat stage brings the Tour into France along the Bay of Biscay coastline. Could be Mark Cavendish’s first prime opportunity to break the Tour stage wins record he shares with Eddy Merckx.

Stage 4/July 4: Dax-Nogaro (114 miles) Flat Neutralized Start: 7:10 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:12 a.m. Quick Preview: Another flat stage, this one finishing at France’s first purpose-built motor racing venue, the Circuit Paul Armagnac, with the final 1.9 miles taking place on the track.

Stage 5/July 5: Pau-Laruns (103 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:21 a.m. Quick Preview: The first of eight mountain stages that will collectively visit France’s five biggest mountain ranges. This one is in the Pyrenees with three summits in the second half of the day followed by a flat run-in to the finish. Expect the overall standings to shake up.

Stage 6/July 6: Tarbes-Cauterets (90 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:10 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:08 a.m. Quick Preview: The first of four summit finishes of this year’s Tour. Summit finishes are usually where the real yellow jersey contenders separate from the pack. Could be the first duel between 2022 Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard and 2020 and 2021 Tour winner Tadej Pogacar.

Stage 7/July 7: Mont-de-Marsan-Bordeaux (110 miles) Flat Neutralized Start: 7:15 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:07 a.m. Quick Preview: Flattest stage of the Tour with a single fourth-category climb. Cavendish won the last time a Tour stage finished in Bordeaux in 2010.

Stage 8/July 8: Libourne-Limoges (125 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 6:30 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:07 a.m. Quick Preview: A transition day as the Tour heads to the Massif Central. A 5% uphill in the last 700 meters might mean this is not a sprinters’ day.

Stage 9/July 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat-Puy de Dôme (114 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:30 a.m. Estimated Finish: 12:05 p.m. Quick Preview: A summit finish -- to a dormant volcano -- before a rest day is sure to shake up the overall standings. Puy de Dôme returns to the Tour after a 35-year absence.

Stage 10/July 11: Vulcania-Issoire (104 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:19 a.m. Quick Preview: The hilliest day of the Tour. Begins at a volcano-themed amusement park.

Stage 11/July 12: Clermont-Ferrand-Moulins (110 miles) Flat Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:19 a.m. Quick Preview: The last flat stage until the 19th stage. If Cavendish hasn’t gotten a stage win yet, the pressure will start to mount.

Stage 12/July 13: Roanne-Belleville-en-Beaujolais (103 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:21 a.m. Quick Preview: Even with three late climbs, don’t expect a yellow jersey battle with back-to-back-to-back mountain stages after this.

Stage 13/July 14: Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne-Grand Colombier (86 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:45 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:12 a.m. Quick Preview: On Bastille Day, the second and final beyond-category summit finish of this year’s Tour. The French have incentive to break away on their national holiday, but this is a climb for the yellow jersey contenders. A young Pogacar won here in 2020.

Stage 14/July 15: Annemasse-Morzine (94 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:18 a.m. Quick Preview: Another selective day in the Alps, with each climb seemingly tougher than the last. The downhill into the finish could neutralize attacks from the last ascent.

Stage 15/July 16: Les Gets-Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (110 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 12 p.m. Quick Preview: The last of three consecutive mountain stages features the last summit finish of the Tour. The eventual Tour winner could emerge here given the next stage’s time trial is only 14 miles.

Stage 16/July 18: Passy-Combloux (14 miles) Individual Time Trial First Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:36 a.m. Quick Preview: After a rest day, the Tour’s lone, short time trial will be punctuated by a late climb. Only twice in the last 50 years has there been just one time trial (including team time trials and prologues).

Stage 17/July 19: Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Courchevel (103 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 6:20 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:03 a.m. Quick Preview: The first of two mountain stages in the last week of the Tour. It’s the most difficult of the eight total mountain stages with more than 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) of elevation gain, capped by the beyond category Col de la Loze just before the descent to the finish.

Stage 18/July 20: Moûtiers-Bourg-en-Bresse (116 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 7:05 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:31 a.m. Quick Preview: About as flat of a “hilly” stage as one gets. Should still be a day for the sprinters who made it through the mountains.

Stage 19/July 21: Moirans-en-Montagne-Poligny (107 miles) Flat Neutralized Start: 7:15 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:11 a.m. Quick Preview: An undulating stage with a relieving descent toward the end. The last kilometer goes up a 2.6% incline, which could take the sting out of some sprinters.

Stage 20/July 22: Belfort-Le Markstein (83 miles) Mountain Neutralized Start: 7:30 a.m. Estimated Finish: 10:54 a.m. Quick Preview: The last competitive day for the yellow jersey is highlighted by two late category-one climbs that could determine the overall champion should it be close going into the day.

Stage 21/July 23: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines-Paris (71 miles) Flat Neutralized Start: 10:30 a.m. Estimated Finish: 1:28 p.m. Quick Preview: The ceremonial ride into Paris, almost always a day for the sprinters. Should be the final Tour stage for Cavendish and Peter Sagan, who both plan to retire from road cycling after this season.

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• La Vuelta ciclista a España
• World Championships
• Amstel Gold Race
• Milano-Sanremo
• Tirreno-Adriatico
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• Il Lombardia
• La Flèche Wallonne
• Paris - Nice
• Paris-Roubaix
• Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
• Critérium du Dauphiné
• Tour des Flandres
• Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
• Clásica Ciclista San Sebastián
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Groupama - FDJ
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
• BORA - hansgrohe
• Bahrain - Victorious
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Intermarché - Wanty
• Lidl - Trek
• Movistar Team
• Soudal - Quick Step
• Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
• Team Jayco AlUla
• Team Visma | Lease a Bike
• UAE Team Emirates
• Arkéa - B&B Hotels
• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Grand tours
• Countdown to 3 billion pageviews
• Favorite500
• Profile Score
• Stage 21 Results
• Top competitors
• Startlist quality
• All stage profiles
• Hardest stages
• Winners and leaders
• Prizemoney ranking
• Fastest stages
• Statistics - Statistics
• Startlist - Startlist
• More - More
• Teams - Teams
• Nations - Nations
• Route - Route
• Results - Results
•   »  

Leaders in subclassifications

• Most constant rider
• Smallest sum of results
• Most bonifications
• Hottest stages
• Leader jerseys
• Best worse result
• Combative riders
• Fastest first and last hour
• Average speed per stage
• Timegap chart
• GC without TTs
• GC Without 1 stage
• GC without time bonusses
• Most GC time changes
• Points GC breakdown
• Least predictable

Grand Tours

• Vuelta a España

Major Tours

• Volta a Catalunya
• Tour de Romandie
• Tour de Suisse
• Itzulia Basque Country
• Milano-SanRemo
• Ronde van Vlaanderen

Championships

• European championships

Top classics

• Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
• Strade Bianche
• Gent-Wevelgem
• Dwars door vlaanderen
• Eschborn-Frankfurt
• San Sebastian
• Bretagne Classic
• GP Montréal

Popular riders

• Tadej Pogačar
• Wout van Aert
• Remco Evenepoel
• Jonas Vingegaard
• Mathieu van der Poel
• Mads Pedersen
• Primoz Roglic
• Demi Vollering
• Lotte Kopecky
• Katarzyna Niewiadoma
• PCS ranking
• UCI World Ranking
• Points per age
• Latest injuries
• Youngest riders
• Grand tour statistics
• Monument classics
• Latest transfers
• Favorite 500
• Points scales
• Profile scores
• Reset password
• Cookie consent

About ProCyclingStats

• Cookie policy
• Contributions
• Pageload 0.0337s

Everything you need to know about cycling in France your independent guide

Tour de France 2023 route: Stage-by-stage guide

The 2023 tour de france will take place july 1 to july 23. it will be the  110th edition of great race. the grand depart will take place in the basque country. .

• 2023 Tour de France Femmes routes
• Finding accommodation for the Tour de France
• Finding bike hire for the Tour de France
• Tour de France road closure information
• Advice for watching the TDF in person
• Advice for watching the TDF in Paris
• Beginner's guide to the Tour de France
• Riding Etape du Tour
• 2023 Tour de France program and race guide

The 2023 Tour de France Grand Depart  will be a big one as it takes place in cycling heartland, the Basque Country on the Spanish side of the border. This is an area with a rich cycling tradition and super passionate supporters. 

The race kicks off on July 1 and finishes on July 23. As is tradition, the Tour de France will  finish in Paris. 

Specific info on each stage and more detailed maps are also usually published online each May and in the official race program . We'll post links to it when it's released.

We have this page for Tour de France road closure information , which we also update as information comes to hand (usually not from around May onwards).

See here for accommodation near the route (it will be progressively updated throughout 2023).

Where to find more useful information: Official 2023 Tour de France Race Guide

2023 tour de france grand depart map.

Note that all maps and stage profiles are also available  from the official website . Stage timings are also provided there.

Stage 1: Saturday, July 1  – Bilbao to Bilbao, 182km 

For the first time in a few years, the Tour de France starts with a full stage, rather than a time trial – and it isn't an easy introduction to the Tour.

Bilbao is the host for this 185km loop ride that takes in a good 3300m of climbing. There are five  climbs with points up for grabs straight away in the polka dot contest. The climbs on the route are the  Côte de Pike – just 10km from the finish – plus the   Côte de Laukiz , the  Côte de San Juan de Gaztelugatxe , the  Côte de Morga  and the  Côte de Vivero .

Stage 2: Sunday, July 2 – Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian, 209km

The opening stages are a whistle-stop tour of the jewels of the Basque region. From Bilbao on day one we go to the popular seaside resort of San Sebastian.  The day may end on the coast but it's not a flat ride: there are  5 climbs on stage 2.

Stage 3: Monday, July 3 – Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, 185km 

We know the stage starts in Amorebienta-Etxano and heads back across the border into France .   

Stage 4: Tuesday , July 4 -  Dax to Nogaro Circuit, 182km

Potentially another day for the sprinters as they go head-to-head on the Nogaro circuit.

Stage 5: Wednesday, July 5 - Pau to Laruns, 165km

It wouldn't be the Tour de France without Pau on the map – today is also the first mountain stage.

Stage 6: Thursday, July 6 - Tarbes to Cauterets, 145km

Say hello to the Aspin and Tourmalet, part of 3750 metres of climbing.

Stage 7: Friday, July 7 - Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux, 170km

The Tour visits Bordeaux for the 82nd time – until recent times, it was one of the regular Tour towns. This is the first visit in more than 10 years, though. It'll be a sprint finish along the riverfront, ending at  Place des Quinconces.

Stage 8: Saturday, July 8 - Libourne to Limoges, 201km

The sprinters capable of powering up a short but difficult climb could take the win.

Stage 9: Sunday, July 9 -  Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme, 184km

An icon returns.

Rest day - Monday, July 10 - Clermont-Ferrand

The area around Clermont-Ferrand also features prominently in the Tour de France Femmes 2023 .

Stage 10: Tuesday, July 11 - Parc Vulcania to Issoire, 167km

One for the breakaway.

Stage 11: Wednesday, July 12 - Clermont Ferrand to Moulins, 180km

A day for the sprinters.  

Stage 12: Thursday, July 13 - Roanne to  Belleville-en-Beaujolais 169km

The formation of the breakaway will be one of the critical moments on this hilly stage.

Stage 13: Friday, July 14 - C hâtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier,  138km

Stage 14: Saturday, July 15 -  Annemasse to Morzine, 152km

4200 metres of climbing, including the Col de la Ramaz and Joux Plane . This is also the 2023 L'Etape du Tour stage . That's on July 9.

Stage 15: Sunday, July 16 - Les Gets to Saint Gervais, 180km

More mountains!

Rest day: Monday, July 17 - Saint Gervais Mont Blanc

Stage 16: tuesday, july 18 - passy to combloux, 22km.

A quick little individual time trial.

Stage 17: Wednesday, July 19 - Saint Gervais to Courchevel, 166km

More than 5000 metres of vertical gain, the infamous Col de la Loze before reaching Courchevel's altiport.

Stage 18: Thursday, July 20 - Moutiers to Bourg en Bresse, 186km

After 5 very hard stages, the sprinters will find a route that should facilitate their return front and centre .

Stage 19: Friday, July 22 - M oirans-en-Montagne to Poligny, 173km

A 8km long final straight, the dream for the sprinters' teams .

Stage 20: Saturday, July 22 - Belfort to L e Markstein, 133km

A final chance in the mountains with a route for the leaders . This stage has the last 2 climbs in the Tour.

Stage 21: Sunday, July 23 - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris Champs-Elysées, 115km   

As is tradition, we finish on the  Champs-Elysées . 

Time bonuses and points

In 2023, time bonuses will be awarded at the finish of each stage – 10, 6 and 4 seconds for the first three riders across the line.

Bonus points will also be awarded on strategic mountain passes and summits. The first three riders across these will pick up bonuses of 8, 5 and 2 seconds. The mountain-top bonus points won't count towards the points classification.

Bike hire for watching the Tour de France

A reminder that if you need bike hire during the Tour de France you should book early. It ALWAYS sells out and it can be very hard to find quality carbon road bikes closer to the time.  More info here .

2023 Tour de France Race Guide

Get the official 2023 Tour de France Race Guide: This collates all stage maps and race times into one booklet.

See here for bike-friendly accommodation  

Related articles

• Tour de France 2022 route: Stage-by-stage guide
• Tour de France 2024 route: Stage-by-stage guide
• Tour de France 2021 route: Stage-by-stage guide
• 2024 Tour de France program and race guide
• Tour de France 2020 route: Stage-by-stage guide
• 2019 Tour de France Official Race Guide
• Tour de France Femmes 2023 Stage-by-stage guide

On the blog

House and gite business for sale in the Pyrenees – a perfect cycling base or B&B

The Pyrenees offers some of the best cycling in France. This lovely cyclist-owned house is looking for a new owner – it could be you!

Posted: 3 May 2023

Cycling in France?

Search for tours & accommodation

What are you looking for? What are you looking for? All Accommodation - Campsites - Hotels, hostels and B&Bs - Self-catering All Tours - Guided - Self-guided

Where do you want to look? Where do you want to look? All France /r/n Alsace /r/n Aquitaine /r/n Auvergne /r/n Brittany /r/n Burgundy /r/n Champagne-Ardenne /r/n Corsica /r/n Franche-Comté /r/n Languedoc-Roussillon /r/n Limousin /r/n Loire Valley-Centre /r/n Lorraine /r/n Midi-Pyrénées /r/n Nord-Pas-de-Calais /r/n Normandy /r/n Paris-Île-de-France /r/n Pays de la Loire /r/n Picardy /r/n Poitou-Charentes /r/n Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur /r/n Rhône-Alpes /r/n

Share this:

© 2011-2021 Freewheeling France | Copyright, Cookies, Privacy and Advertiser T&Cs |

The Can’t Miss Stages of the 2023 Tour de France

The 2023 Tour de France looks to be one of the most mountainous–and explosive–we’ve ever seen. Here are six stages you won’t want to miss.

In total, the riders will cover 3,399.5km spread over 21 stages (including two Rest Days) with eight stages that could end in field sprints, four “hilly” stages that look perfect for breakaways, one individual time trial, and a whopping eight mountain stages (including four summit finishes). Here are six you won’t want to miss:

Stage 1 - Bilbao to Bilbao (182km) - Saturday, July 1

The Tour’s opening weekend is always an exciting event, and this year’s packs an even bigger punch than usual. Starting in Spain’s Basque region, both Stages 1 and 2 are packed with the short, steep climbs for which the region is famous–and the reason why April’s Tour of the Basque Country is considered one of the hardest stage races on the calendar.

If you only have time to watch one of the two, go with Stage 1 for the simple reason that the winner is guaranteed to pull-on the first maillot jaune of the Tour and the racing will be even more intense because of it.

The stage starts and finishes in Bilbao, with the riders covering 182km of the region’s tight, technical roads and five categorized climbs offering points toward the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition .

The stage will likely be decided on the Côte de Pike, a short but steep climb that comes just 9.6km from the finish line. Don’t be surprised to see someone win solo, but at most a small group of the Tour’s best riders will emerge to settle the stage and determine who’s first to pull-on the yellow jersey. We can’t remember the last time an opening stage was so challenging, and you won't want to miss it.

Stage 9 - Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (182.4km) - Sunday, July 9

After 35 years, one of the most famous climbs in Tour de France history makes its return at the end of Stage 9: the Puy de Dôme. An extinct volcano that rises above the Massif Centrale, the climb was last visited by the Tour in 1988, when Denmark’s Johnny Weltz was first to the summit.

The 182.4km stage begins in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat and heads due east toward the chain of volcanoes that’s home to the final climb. The intermediate sprint comes early–in Lac de Vassivière–and from there the stage’s jagged profile really begins to bite, with three categorized climbs setting the stage for the finale.

The Puy de Dôme is rated as an hors categorie (“beyond category”) climb, a distinction reserved for only the Tour’s toughest ascents. The 13.3km climb begins steadily, with an average gradient that hovers around 7 percent for the first 9km. But the pitch steepens significantly once the riders hit the parking lot for tourists wishing to take the railway to the summit.

From there final 4km average close to 12 percent, and the road narrows considerably as the riders wind their way up the treeless summit. It’s a perfect climb for a rider like Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), and the defending Tour champ will certainly do his best to continue his nation’s winning streak.

Stage 13 - Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier (137.8km) - Friday, July 14

The organizers plan something special for Bastille Day, and this year is no different, with a short stage into the Jura mountains that ends with a climb up one of the Tour’s newer hors categorie ascents: the Grand Colombier. The Tour originally visited the climb in 2012 and again in 2017, but it was first used as a summit finish in 2020, when Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar won the stage.

There are four routes to the summit, and each year local cyclists organize a ride that loops together all of them in a painful celebration of the mountain. This year the riders will tackle it just once–from Culoz–with an approach offering 17.4km of climbing and an average gradient of 7.4 percent. The stage is relatively short and there are no other categorized climbs on the route, so the riders should hit the bottom of Colombier in one large group, which means we should be treated to a battle among the GC contenders to win the stage.

Stage 15 - Les Gets les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc (179km) - Sunday, July 16

After a finish on the Grand Colombier (Friday) and a first foray into the Alps (Saturday), Sunday’s Stage 15 should have everyone happy to see Monday’s second Rest Day. Starting in Les Gets, the 179km stage features five categorized climbs, all in the second half of the stage.

The final 60km are particularly brutal with the Category 1 Col de la Croix Fry followed almost immediately by the Category 3 Col des Aravis, then a long descent to the valley below where the final climbs to the finish line begin almost immediately. Essentially two climbs in one, the finale begins with the Category 2 Côte des Amerands–with an average gradient of 10.9 percent and pitches topping out at 17 percent–then a short downhill before the more steady Category 1 climb to the finish line in Saint Gervais. With such a jagged profile and no moment for the riders to catch their breath, Stage 15 offers an intense end the second week.

Stage 17 - Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Courchevel (165.7km) - Wednesday, July 19

After Stage 16’s individual time trial on Tuesday, Wednesday brings the final stage in the Alps–and it’s a doozie! Starting at the foot of the climb to the finish of Stage 15, Stage 17 covers over 5,000m of elevation gain thanks to four categorized climbs spread evenly throughout the 165.7km route: the Category 1 Col des Saisies, the Category 1 Cormet de Roselend, the Category 2 Côte de Longefoy, and the hors categorie Col de la Loze.

The first three climbs are challenging, and will provide a chance for out-of-contention GC contenders to go on the attack in a bid to try and win the stage or score more points toward the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. But it’s the Col de la Loze–originally the road to the Méribel ski resort–that makes this stage special.

The Tour famously climbed to Méribel in 1973 when Frenchman Bernard Thévenet won the stage, but was unable to gain significant time on Spain’s Luis Ocaña, who had taken the yellow jersey during a stage earlier in the morning (and went on to win the race overall).

The Tour didn’t return until 2020, when the construction of a new cyclists-only roadway from the ski resort to the summit of the nearby Col de la Loze gave the organizers a good reason to. The new roadway adds another 7km to the original climb, most of which is steeper than 10 percent—with one pitch that hits 24 percent.

One of the highest paved roads in France, the first rider to the top will take home the Souvenir Henri Desgrange cash prize for winning the highest summit in the 2023 Tour. The stage ends after a short descent into Courchevel, where a steep ramp to the finish line offers one final, painful challenge for the riders to overcome.

Stage 20 - Belfort to Le Markstein (133.5km) - Saturday, July 22

The Tour’s penultimate stage will be an explosive one, with a short stage through the Vosges mountains that could be one of the most exciting of the Tour–no matter what the standings are. Only 133.5km long and with six categorized climbs, the stage will be raced like a spring classic, with attacks coming right from the gun and everyone trying to get up the road. The race for the stage–and possibly the Tour–should all come down to the final two climbs–the Category 1 Petit Ballon and the Category 1 Col du Platzerwasel–where riders will lay it all on the line in one last bid for glory.

Pogačar famously won his first Tour de France in the Vosges back in 2020 when he crushed an individual time trial up to the La Planche des Belles Filles ski resort to snatch the Tour from compatriot Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). Assuming the Slovenian gets stronger as the Tour progresses (his pre-Tour preparation was interrupted by a broken wrist he sustained in late-April) and Vingegaard weakens (he’s been racing at a high level since early June), this stage could be the scene of another dramatic Tour finish.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Tour de France

2024 Tour de France May Start Using Drones

The 2024 Tour de France Can’t Miss Stages

Riders Weigh In on the Tour de France Routes

2024 Tour de France Femmes Can't-Miss Stages

How Much Money Do Top Tour de France Teams Make?

2024 Tour de France/ Tour de France Femmes Routes

How Much Did Tour de France Femmes Riders Earn?

5 Takeaways from the Tour de France Femmes

Who Won the 2023 Tour de France Femmes?

Results From the 2023 Tour de France Femmes

Previewing Stage 8: 2023 Tour de France Femmes

Official games

2023 Edition

• Stage winners
• All the videos

Tour Culture

• Commitments
• key figures
• Sporting Stakes
• "Maillot Jaune" Collection
• The jerseys

TOTAL: 3492 km

This will be the first Grand Départ in Italy and the 26th that’s taken place abroad  First finale in Nice. Due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Paris, the race will not finish in the French capital for the first time.

Two time trials. 25 + 34 = 59km in total, the second of them taking place on the final Monaco>Nice stage. This will be the first time the race has seen a finale of this type for 35 years, the last occasion being the famous Fignon - LeMond duel in 1989.

Apennines (Italy), the Italian and French Alps, Massif Central and Pyrenees will be the mountain ranges on the 2024 Tour route.

The number of countries visited in 2024: Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France. Within France, the race will pass through 7 Regions and 30 departments.

The number of bonus points 8, 5 and 2 bonus seconds go to the first three classified riders, featuring at strategic points along the route (subject to approval by the International Cycling Union)these will have no effect on the points classification. Bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds will be awarded to the first three classified riders at road stage finishes.

Out of a total of 39, the locations or stage towns that are appearing on the Tour map for the first time . In order of appearance: Florence, Rimini, Cesenatico, Bologna, Piacenza, Saint-Vulbas, Gevrey-Chambertin, Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, Évaux-les-Bains, Gruissan, Superdévoluy, Col de la Couillole.

The number of sectors on white roads during stage nine, amounting to 32km in total .

The number of stages: 8 flat, 4 hilly, 7 mountain (with 4 summit finishes at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, Plateau de Beille, Isola 2000, Col de la Couillole), 2 time trials and 2 rest days.

The number of riders who will line up at the start of the Tour, divided into 22 teams of 8 riders each.

The height of the summit of the Bonette pass in the Alps, the highest tarmac road in France, which will be the “roof” of the 2024 Tour.

The total vertical gain during the 2024 Tour de France.

PRIZE MONEY

A total of 2,3 million euros will be awarded to the teams and riders including € 500,000 to the final winner of the overall individual classification .

Receive exclusive news about the Tour

Accreditations

Privacy policy, your gdpr rights.

• SuperSportBet

Advertisement

Introducing the Tour de France 2023

The Tour de France 2023 will hold its Grand Départ in the Basque Country, with a first stage in Bilbao on 1st July, and will finish in Paris on 23rd July, on completion of a 3,404-km route that will tackle the difficult slopes of the country’s five mountain ranges.

The Grand Départ will be the second to take place in the autonomous region of the Basque Country after Saint-Sébastien’s in 1992 and the 25th to be held abroad. After three stages on the western side of the Pyrenees, the rest of the Tour will take place in France. It will visit 6 regions and 23 departments.

The battle for the Yellow Jersey will witness a decisive and emotional episode on the Puy de Dôme, where a stage finish will be held 35 years after the victory of Denmark’s Johnny Weltz. The return to this legendary climb will be accompanied by the rise in importance of sites that will mark the Tours of the future, such as the Grand Colombier or the Col de la Loze.

The sole time-trial on the Tour de France in 2023 will take place over 22 kilometres between Passy and the Combloux ski resort in Haute-Savoie. The sprinters will also have the opportunity to express themselves on finishes in Bordeaux, Limoges, Moulins, before the grand finale on the Champs-Elysées.

Stage Profiles

In summary, the tour will see riders tackle:

• 8 flat stages • 4 hilly stages • 8 mountain stages with • 4 summit finishes (Cauterets-Cambasque, Puy de Dôme, Grand Colombier and Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc) • 1 individual time trial • 2 rest days

FULL RACE MAP

Click to enlarge

BROADCAST DETAILS

SuperSport will bring you all the action from France, daily and LIVE on TV or to stream via DSTV . Check the TV Guide for details.

You can also keep up to date with all the action with the LIVE TRACKER

Out of a total of 40, 12 new stage towns and other locations will appear on the 2023 Tour map:

• Bilbao (start and finish of stage 1) • Amorebieta-Etxano (start of stage 2) • Nogaro (finish of stage 4) • Vulcania (start of stage 10) • Moulins (finish of stage 11) • Belleville-en-Beaujolais (finish of stage 12) • Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne (start of stage 13) • Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil (start of stage 15) • Passy (start of stage 16) - Combloux (finish of stage 16) • Poligny (finish of stage 19) • Le Markstein Fellering (finish of stage 20)

MOUNTAIN RANGES

The race will visit all five of France’s mountain massifs. They are, in the order they occur, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Jura, the Alps and the Vosges.

There are three new climbs: the Côte de Vivero (Basque Country), the Col de la Croix Rosier (Massif Central) and the Col du Feu (Alps).

The Puy de Dôme, which hasn’t appeared on the Tour route since 1988, will be making an eagerlyawaited return after its 35-year absence.

The Col de la Loze (2,304m) will be the “roof” of the Tour de France 2023.

There will be just a single individual test on the programme of the 110th edition. It will be held in the Alps, at altitude and in steep terrain, on the Passy > Combloux 16th stage, and over a distance of 22,4 km.

BONUS SECONDS

Time bonuses will be awarded at the finish of each stage and will amount to 10, 6 and 4 seconds, respectively, for the first three classified riders.

Bonus points will be located on passes or summits at strategic points along the route. The first three classified riders will be awarded bonuses of 8, 5 and 2 seconds, respectively (subject to approval by the International Cycling Union). These bonus points will not count towards the points classification.

PRIZE MONEY

A total of 2,3 million euros will be awarded to the teams and riders including € 500,000 to the final winner of the overall individual classification.

2023 STAGE GUIDE

** ITT - Individual Time Trial

Race organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) have extended an invite to all 18 UCI WorldTeams, as well as four UCI ProTeams, to make up the 22-team peloton.

WHAT IS THERE TO WIN?

The rules are the Bible of a sporting competition. Their balance and rigour are intended to ensure equal opportunities, motivate riders and help spectators and viewers alike to understand the event. Here is an outline of the main points.

Prize money: A total of 2,3 million euros will be awarded to the teams and riders including € 500,000 to the final winner of the overall individual classification.

THE STAKES A wide range of objectives coexist in the peloton, depending on each rider's disposition, strong points and assigned tasks. The most team-oriented of individual sports gives the majority of them a role in multi-layered strategies. The distinctive jerseys and other honours up for grabs during the 3 weeks of racing are listed below.

• Stage victories The 21 stages of the 2023 Tour can be broken down as follows: 8 flat stages, 4 hilly stages, 8 mountain stages with 4 summit finishes (Cauterets-Cambasque, Puy de Dôme, Grand Colombier and Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc), 1 individual time trial.

Stage victories are sponsored by Continental.

• The Yellow Jersey This jersey is worn by the leader of the general time classification. The yellow jersey is sponsored by LCL.

• The Green Jersey This jersey is worn by the leader of the general points classification. Points are awarded at the intermediate sprint in each mass-start stage and the finish of each stage. The green jersey is sponsored by Škoda.

• The Red Polka Dot Jersey This jersey is worn by the best climber in the general classification. Mountain points are awarded at the top of every categorised climb. The points for a summit finish are doubled. The red polka-dot jersey is sponsored by E.Leclerc.

• The White Jersey This jersey is worn by the best young rider (age 25 or under in the current year) in the general classification. The white jersey is sponsored by Krys.

• The Combativity Award This distinction is awarded at the end of each stage by a jury made up of cycling specialists. An overall winner is designated after the last stage of Le Tour. The winner wears red-coloured race numbers in the next stage. The combativity award is sponsored by Century 21.

• The team classification This classification is calculated by adding the times of each team's three best riders on each stage. Riders in the team leading the classification wear yellow helmets and race numbers. The team classification is sponsored by Les Hauts-de-Seine.

• Seconds up for grabs Time bonuses are awarded at the end of every mass-start stage (i.e. no time bonuses on offer in individual and team time trials). The first three riders get 10, 6 and 4 seconds, respectively.

• Mandatory helmet use All cyclists are required to wear helmets throughout the duration of each stage.

• Falls in the last three kilometres As has been the case since 2005, riders involved in a fall in the last three kilometres of a stage are given the same finishing time as the group they were riding in. Time trial stages and summit finishes are not covered by this rule.

Tour de France FAQs

Q: Why is the Tour overall leader's jersey yellow?

A: In 1919, Tour organisers decided the race leader should wear a special jersey making him easy to identify by spectators. They picked yellow as it was the colour of the paper on which L'Auto, the sports daily sponsoring the race, was printed.

Q: What is the green jersey?

A: It is the jersey awarded for the points classification and a great consolation prize for sprinters as they usually win more stages, albeit by a slimmer margin.

Points are awarded to the top 20 finishers in each stage; the rider finishing with the most points wins the jersey. The record green jersey winner is German Erik Zabel, who won it six times.

It was introduced 60 years ago to spice up the race.

Q: What is the polka dot jersey?

A: It is the jersey awarded to the best climber of the Tour or 'King of the Mountains'. Points are awarded at the top of each hill or mountain, which are rated from fourth to first category depending on their difficulty. Some exceptionally tough climbs, such as l'Alpe d'Huez or Mont Ventoux, are rated "hors categorie" (out of category).

The polka dot design was chosen as it was the same as one of the jersey's sponsors. The record winner of the King of the Mountains jersey is Frenchman Richard Virenque, who earned it seven times.

Q: Why do riders often finish in the same time?

A: Because only seconds are taken into account in the overall standings and not fractions of seconds. It is the convention in road cycling that all the riders included in the same group are given the same time on the finish line regardless of whether they are at the front or the back.

Another rule, applying only to flat stages, states that a rider who crashes in the last three kilometres will be awarded the same time as the group he was in before crashing.

Q: Cycling is an individual sport so why are there teams?

A: The Tour is raced by 20 teams of nine riders. Each team usually includes a leader - the man with the best chance for the final classification - sprinters, climbers and every type of rider who can help the team to win a stage, take a jersey and bring home prize money.

When some 200 competitors are cycling in a bunch at around 50 kph, the riders at the front waste much more energy than the ones immediately behind, who are sheltered from the headwind.

This is why team mates are often seen riding ahead of their leader - they are protecting him from the wind.

Team mates often act for their leaders in other ways, passing on one of their wheels if he punctures or picking up bottles and bags at the feeding zone.

Q: What is a "bordure"?

A: Also called an echelon, it is one of the nightmares of the peloton. When the wind is strong and blowing sideways, it can split the riders into little groups which are no longer sheltered inside the main bunch. They lose contact, find themselves on the most exposed side of the road and can lose considerable time. It happened to Alberto Contador in 2010 in a stage finish in La Grande Motte.

Q: What is the "omnibus?"

A: Also called the "gruppetto" (Italian for small group), it is the group formed by poor climbers in the mountain stages to help each other make it to the finish line at a reasonable pace, but inside the time limits.

Q: How do riders pee?

A: Spending some five hours on the bike, riders sometimes have to urinate during a stage. If the race is raging at full speed, riders do so on their bikes but most of the time they stop early in the stage when the pace is leisurely.

It is an unwritten rule of the peloton that you do not attack when a rider or a group has stopped to urinate.

Q: What is a domestique?

A: A domestique, or "gregario" is a rider who is not allowed any personal ambition on the race. He is picked for his ability to set the pace, suffer to the limit and drop out when his task is done. He is also expected to slide to the back of the bunch to fetch bottles, give his bike to his leader if necessary. Some riders, like Alberto Contador, have long-time, dedicated domestiques (or gregari).

Q: Where can I watch this year’s Tour de France?

A: SuperSport will bring you all the action from France, daily and LIVE on TV or to stream via DSTV . Check the TV Guide for details.

© https://www.letour.fr/

• As it happened: Jorgenson solos to victory as Van Aert crashes out
• Dwars door Vlaanderen Women Live - Classic stars prepare for Flanders

Tour de France 2023 - Five key stages

From the Pyrenees to Alsace, the days that could decide the race

Picking out five key stages from a Tour de France route has rarely been this difficult. With five mountain ranges – the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Alps and Vosges – all visited across the route of the 2023 Tour, there are potentially pivotal days at just about every turn next July.

What’s more, in this breathless modern era, even seemingly milder days have the potential to catch fire. Witness Wout van Aert’s one-man show of force on the road to Longwy in 2022, for instance, or Thibaut Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe’s two-up effort en route to Saint-Étienne in 2019.

And yet, when the lights go up in the Palais des Congrès every October, some stages stand out more than others. In 2023, mind, there were at least eight or nine stages that caught the eye, and some particularly arduous days have been cast aside from this (very) short list, including the tough summit finish on the Grand Colombier on stage 13 and the passage over the Col de Joux Plane a day later. 

At this early juncture, here are five stages that whet the appetite ahead of the big show in July.

Stage 6 : Tarbes - Cauterets-Cambasque, 145km

When the Grand Départ last took place in the Basque Country in 1992, the Tour paid only a most perfunctory visit to the Pyrenees on its passage back into France. Javier Murguialday won in Pau after skirting the mountains on stage 3, while his breakaway companion, a youngster called Richard Virenque, announced himself to Le Grand Public by taking temporary hold of the yellow jersey. The GC men, including Miguel Indurain, preferred to keep their powder dry for the challenges ahead, namely the 63.5km team time trial two days later and the 65km individual time trial in Luxembourg at the end of the opening week.

Unlike in the Jean-Marie Leblanc era, there is no respite for overall contenders in the modern Tour. The men with designs on yellow in Paris will again be forced into action early and often in 2023. After a hilly opening stanza in the Basque Country, the Tour swings into the Pyrenees for two stages that could make a deep early impression on the general classification. The first, on stage 5, features the short but stiff Col de Marie Blanque ahead of the finish in Laruns, but the second to Cauterets is the main event.

Though just 145km in length, stage 6 from Tarbes features three mountain passes. First up is the Col d’Aspin (12km at 6.5%) after 68km, followed by the mighty Col du Tourmalet (17.1km at 7.3%), which returns to the route after being overlooked in 2022. The long drop to Luz Saint Sauveur notionally offers a chance for the race to regroup, but anybody who went too deep on the Tourmalet might pay for that effort on the final haul to Cauterets. The 16km climb has an average gradient of just 5.4%, but statistics can be deceptive on a day such as this. A Pyrenean stage of this magnitude this early in the Tour is certain to create ructions.

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Stage 9 : Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dôme, 184km

In the summer of 2001, the Luxembourg Gardens doubled as the site of an outdoor exhibition of the greatest photographs ever to grace the pages of L’Équipe . The railings along the perimeter were adorned with striking images, from fencing to football, from Alain Prost to Zinedine Zidane. But, like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, one picture attracted more footfall than any other on those balmy evenings: Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor, elbow to elbow on the Puy de Dôme, locked in combat for the 1964 Tour.

It’s likely that more words have been written about that Tour than any other, and plenty more will follow over the next eight months. The Puy de Dôme is one of the Tour’s holy sites but it has not featured on the route since 1988 due to the construction of a panoramic railway up the dormant volcano that overlooks Clermont Ferrand. Cycling is strictly prohibited on the narrow road alongside the railway, but on joining ASO in 2004, Christian Prudhomme made returning to Puy de Dôme an objective. It even featured on his initial route plans in 2012, but it took until 2023 before the logistics could be thrashed out.

Unlike that indelible afternoon in 1964, when half of France seemed to have congregated on the mountainside, no spectators will be permitted on the final 4km of the climb next July, but the televised spectacle should be no less enthralling. Clermont native Raphaël Geminiani knows the climb better than anyone. He raced up on its first appearance in the Tour in 1952, when Fausto Coppi won at the summit, and he was Anquetil’s directeur sportif a dozen years later. “There’s the Alpe d'Huez, but nothing can compare to the Puy de Dôme. It’s a straight line and it just goes straight up...” Geminiani told France 3. “It is very difficult.”

In 2023, the Puy de Dôme comes at the end of a rugged stage through the Auvergne. Although there are no extreme ascents on the agenda beforehand, the terrain is latently demanding, with some 3,600m of total climbing. The day’s highlight, of course, comes on the vicious climb to the finish. The full ascent from Clermont is 13km in length at an average of 7.7%, but the key difficulty comes in that steep and straight final 4km, where the gradient never drops below 11%. Sweltering heat is often a factor in this corner of the world in July.

The final stage before the Tour’s first rest day could be pivotal.

Stage 16 : Passy – Combloux, 22km (Individual time trial)

With such a preponderance of mountain stages, it’s easy to overlook the significance of the lone time trial on this Tour route. And yet, in modern Grand Tours, even the smallest portion of time trialling kilometres can add up to a hell of a difference over three weeks. The 2017 Tour was a case in point, where Romain Bardet had Chris Froome’s measure in the mountains but still finished the race in third place, his 2:20 deficit essentially amassed in just 36km of time trialling.

The controlled racing of 2017, of course, already feels an eon removed from the remorseless chaos that seems to be routinely unleashed these days by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and his Jumbo-Visma rivals. But it’s still notable that Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) do not tend to be very easily separated when they go head-to-head in the high mountains.

Last July, it took Jumbo-Visma’s all-out assault on the Granon to split the two main men in the mountains, while Pogačar’s crash on the Spandelles surely had an impact on his travails on the Hautacam a week later. Otherwise, when the pair were both fit and firing, they essentially matched one another pedal stroke for pedal stroke every time the road climbed.

In that light, the 22km time trial from Passy to Combloux could be hugely significant, particularly as it’s something of a hybrid test: not a full mountain time trial, but certainly not a flat one either. The short Côte des Soudans features early on, while the final 6.5km from Domancy are all uphill. The toughest section comes on the 3km-long Côte de Domancy, which was where Bernard Hinault forged his World Championships victory in 1980. Indeed, the entire finale of this stage already formed part of a strikingly similar time trial in 2016.

On that occasion, the course continued climbing past Combloux to take in the Côte des Chozeaux. This time out, the route is not as demanding, but the gaps will hardly be any smaller for it. The transition from the flat mid-section to the stiff finale will not be straightforward, and bike selection – or perhaps even a bike change – will be key. Pogačar, winner of the two-part time trial to La Planche des Belles Filles in 2020, might like what he finds here.

Stage 17 : Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc-Courchevel, 166km

Identifying the toughest mountain stage of this Tour is largely in the eye of the beholder, but the position of this Alpine leg – not to mention its 5,000m of altitude gain – puts it firmly in contention for that honorific. Coming in the third week of the race and just 24 hours after the Tour’s lone time trial, it’s difficult to envisage anything other than significant time gaps come the finish at Courchevel’s altiport.

There are four classified climbs on the agenda, starting with the Col des Saisies (13.km at 5.3%). The wicked Cormet de Roseland (19.9km at 6%) brings the race just shy of the 2,000m mark, before a long drop past two evocative names in Tour history – Les Arcs and La Plagne – en route to the base of the day’s third ascent. The Côte de Longefoy is relatively short (6.6km at 7.6%), but, cruelly, the road briefly kicks up once more after the official summit.

The day’s key obstacle, however, is the interminable Col de la Loze, which drags inexorably upwards for 28.4km at an average gradient of 6%. If the steepness and the sheer length don’t splinter the race, then the altitude surely will. At 2,304m, the Col de la Loze is the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, the highest point of the entire Tour.

When the Tour first visited in 2020, the Col de la Loze served as a summit finish, with Miguel Ángel López soloing to victory while Primož Roglič  (Jumbo-Visma) snatched what felt like a decisive 15 seconds from Pogačar. This time out, the race continues for another 6.5km, dropping over the summit and back towards Courchevel, where there is a sting in the tail, with the steep kick up to the finish line at the altiport.

Stage 20 : Belfort - Le Markstein Fellering, 133 km

Among the innovations of the Prudhomme era at the Tour has been the regular insertion of full mountain stages on the fourth weekend of the race ahead of a long transfer to Paris on the final day. The experiment has had the occasional damp squib – the rain-sodden procession to Morzine in 2016 springs to mind – but there has been more than enough late drama over the years to justify the concept.

The biggest turnaround came in the Vosges in 2020 when Pogačar upset all the odds in that time trial up La Planche des Belles Filles , and the Tour returns to the mountain range for its final shake-up in 2023. The short leg through Alsace has the potential to be a miniature epic, particularly if the margins are still surmountable atop the overall standings. Five classified ascents pepper the 133km route, with a total of some 3,600m of climbing on the road from Belfort to Le Markstein.

A familiar name is first up. The Ballon d’Alsace (11.5km at 5.3%) began the Tour’s relationship with mountain passes back in 1905, though it has only featured four times in the past 40 years. The ascent comes early here and could shatter the peloton into shards with over 100km still to race.

The Col de la Croix des Moinats, Col de Grosse Pierre and the uncategorised Col de la Schlucht are wedged into a demanding middle section before the drop to Munster offers some respite. It doesn’t last long. The road climbs once more with the sharp Petit Ballon (9.3km at 8.1%), followed shortly afterwards by the Col du Platzerwasel (7.1km at 8.4%).

The summit comes just over 8km from the finish, but the day’s hardship isn’t yet over, as the route traverse the undulating ridge that leads towards Le Markstein ski resort, which was the site of the finish of the penultimate stage of last year’s Tour de France Femmes. Annemiek van Vleuten’s solo exhibition there turned the race on its head and put her into yellow. Alsace might offer similar fireworks in the men’s race next July.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

Wout van Aert tweaks build-up in bid to change Tour of Flanders narrative – Analysis

Back in the game – Biniam Girmay's fresh approach to the cobbled Classics

Dwars door Vlaanderen: Matteo Jorgenson wins solo on dramatic day in Flemish hills

Most Popular

By Josh Ross March 21, 2024

By Barry Ryan, Alasdair Fotheringham March 20, 2024

By Barry Ryan March 19, 2024

By Dan Challis March 18, 2024

By Stephen Farrand March 17, 2024

By Will Jones March 15, 2024

By Josh Ross March 15, 2024

By Simone Giuliani March 15, 2024

By Will Jones March 14, 2024

By Stephen Farrand March 14, 2024

By Jackie Tyson March 13, 2024

Now you can see non-English news...

[HIGHLIGHTS] Tour de France 2024: the map of the route and the 12 stages not to be missed

2023-10-25T11:10:21.593Z

Tour de France 2024: the map of the route and the 12 stages not to be missed. The first big start in Italy, the first finish far from Paris, the Tour 2024 is full of attractions.

Florence, Dream Theatre. Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, a first. The Mystery of the White Paths (9th loop around Troyes), a long loop around Nuits Saint-Georges - Gevrey-Chambertin and Monaco-Nice.

Read the full translated version in English Read the full version from lefigaro

May on the same topic in other locals

Paris-Nice 2024: a team time trial, in the mountains... The complete race route . ...

Twenty menus of the day to explore Galicia . ...

Where to hike in France to enter spring? . ...

Tour of Andalusia: the first stage canceled due to a lack of police . ...

All information about the AC/DC concert in Stuttgart . ...

All sports articles on 2023-10-25

Contract extension negotiated? Sports boss Krösche is apparently committed to Eintracht in the long term

France-Chile: the favorites and favorites of our special correspondent

Foot: the Senate will launch a commission of inquiry into the LFP commercial company on April 4

It was not possible to turn the wheel back: the tension between Zahavi and Benion only increased - voila! sport

Manager (†57) of Serie A club dead: deep sadness in Italy

Nike jersey angers England: Klopp's protégé even covered the controversial detail

Algeria-South Africa: video of Yassine Benzia’s exceptional goal

Andrik starred in Brazil, but Vinicius upset and once again stole the show - voila! sport

Look and be jealous: Ukraine is again in the Euro, and is celebrating for "the soldiers who sacrifice their lives" - voila! sport

Confusion about the DFB goal anthem “Major Tom”: Why was the song only played once during the Holland victory?

The Washington Wizards remain in the capital after the plan to move to Virginia fails 2024-03-28T01:44:44.301Z

Ice hockey: end clap for the Cergy-Pontoise Jokers, eliminated in the semi-final of the playoffs 2024-03-27T22:34:49.191Z

Football: former PSG Jérémy Ménez leaves an Italian D2 club 2024-03-27T22:14:54.459Z

French team: “It’s time for action”, strong words from Deschamps in the locker room against Chile 2024-03-27T21:45:01.505Z

Basketball: Parker, Wembanyama, the Blues, “pots in Turkey”... The confidences of Alain Weisz 2024-03-27T21:44:48.756Z

Football: Endrick, Yamal, Mainoo, the teenage stars, future greats of tomorrow 2024-03-27T21:44:42.055Z

Return of confidence, great form: will we finally see the real Randal Kolo Muani with Paris in Ligue 1? 2024-03-27T21:34:54.441Z

Tennis: Jannik Sinner first qualified for the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Miami 2024-03-27T21:05:19.003Z

The Germans explained why the sign was removed for the release of the hostages in the young woman game - voila! sport 2024-03-27T20:55:00.242Z

Lyon-Benfica: Cascarino as heroine, Le Sommer in difficulty...the tops and the flops 2024-03-27T20:44:53.607Z

Novak Djokovic stops working with Goran Ivanisevic 2024-03-27T20:25:41.695Z

Football (F): Steph Houghton, former captain of the England team, will retire at the end of the season 2024-03-27T20:25:15.520Z

Wout van Aert breaks collarbone and several ribs in Across Flanders 2024-03-27T20:25:09.115Z

Judicial closure of the 'Oikos case', the largest investigation into corruption in football 2024-03-27T20:24:48.668Z

Women's Champions League: the Lyonnaises dominate Benfica and reach the semi-final 2024-03-27T20:15:53.462Z

Champions League (F): Lyon crushes Benfica and reaches the semi-finals 2024-03-27T19:55:18.094Z

Vettel announces return to Formula 1 2024-03-27T19:45:49.914Z

Losers: the two black weeks of Israeli sports - voila! sport 2024-03-27T19:45:11.310Z

Maccabi Tel Aviv - Valencia 13:10 (quarter 1) - voila! sport 2024-03-27T19:44:46.074Z

Tennis: Garcia largely beaten in the quarter-final of the WTA 1000 in Miami by Collins 2024-03-27T19:35:57.120Z

Football: Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 mobilized against racism this weekend 2024-03-27T19:35:37.983Z

© Communities 2019 - Privacy