peloton magazine tour de france guide 2023

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2023 Tour de France program and race guide

Published by Lyn on 18 April 2023

The official Tour de France program and race guide ALWAYS SELLS OUT. It has all the info you need to plan your Tour de France trip, including stage times and maps. It's also great for viewing at home. You can order the UK edition here .

The Official Tour de France race guide is published in the months leading up to the race.   ASO, the Tour de France organiser, licenses the publication of the guide in each country each year. This is why the quality varies across countries.

The UK edition of the TDF race guide

In my view, the UK edition is consistently the best English-language edition. If you live in the UK, US, Canada, Australia or anywhere else and you are following the Tour de France in person, then this is the edition you want to get your hands on. It is more comprehensive than the English editions released in the US and Australia.

You need to have the UK edition sent to a UK address. It cannot be delivered outside the UK due to ASO's licensing agreements.

There are usually two UK editions.

1) The Standard Edition  of the Official Tour de France 2023 Race Guide (UK/English). You can order it here for £10.99 .

2) The Premium Edition of the Official Tour de France 2023 Race Guide (UK/English). You can order it here for £17.99 .

Readers outside the UK

As mentioned above, some of the versions below (published by local publishers on contract) are not as comprehensive as the UK English-language version. The UK edition is consistently more comprehensive than other editions and carries more maps, more route info, full stage times and more general race information.  If you are outside the UK and it's possible to have a friend in the UK send you a copy, then that would be my recommendation if you are travelling to the TDF.

* The Australian and New Zealand edition  can be ordered here  for $18.95 .  * For the US – I have no information on their being a US Edition this year.   * The original French-language version is released in France and is sold at newsagents and tabacs (corner stores). It is not as comprehensive as the UK edition.

The UK edition from the official publisher can only be sent to a UK address. There are two ways around this that readers have reported:

1)  Some readers outside the UK set up temporary UK postboxes  through this website .  They have the guide shipped there and forwarded to their US (or other overseas) address.

2) Some readers have reported success with this website . It is not the official publisher and I cannot offer any reassurance regarding their reliability. 

All other links on this page are to the official accredited UK publisher.

What's usually included in the UK English-language edition?

I cannot speak for the 2023 US and Australian versions – this info relates to the UK English edition.

We find the UK version of the guide invaluable when planning our trips to watch the Tour de France. It's got maps of every stage, plus full team and stage profiles, as well as stage start and end times (they are particularly useful to have in one place both when planning and on the day).

There is a 'premium' edition as well as a 'standard' edition  that includes stuff like:

Standard UK English-language edition 

The 2023 standard edition has :

• 204-page program/magazine with individual Tour de France stage maps + stage start/end times
• Tour de France Femmes info
• A2 double-sided Tour de France and Tour de Femmes wallchart
• Special Basque Legends magazine (the Tour this year starts in the Basque Country)
• Exclusive beer mats showcasing mountain passes on this year's route + historic moments from previous years

Premium UK English-language edition

The 2023 premium edition has :

• Souvenir TDF socks

(Image from a previous year).

Why get it?

We wouldn't go to watch more than one Tour de France stage without it. All the basic info is eventually replicated on the official TDF website, but having it in hard copy is handy (and easier/cheaper) if you're using phone data to access the web, if you're in a dodgy wifi zone or if your phone battery dies (yes, that was me in 2021).     

We get dozens of emails every day asking for information about following the Tour de France – I always tell them to get a copy of the official race guide to make planning easier.

This guide has lots of info that can help you plan your trip. While it is published too early to include all road closure information ( see this page for that ), having all the stage information in one place is really handy. It basically replicates the official TDF website but in a much more easily digestible format and in much more detail.

Each stage is profiled with a map that helps you put key cols and stage towns into perspective, and to see clearly where access roads may be. The pullout map then gives a full overview of how the stages interact.

Those UK links again ...

1) The Standard Edition of the Official Tour de France 2023 Race Guide (UK/English). Order it here for £10.99 .

2) The Premium Edition of the Official Tour de France 2023 Race Guide (UK/English). Order it here for £17.99 .

This guide SELLS OUT EVERY YEAR, often weeks before the Tour. If you are thinking of watching the Tour de France in person , you should order a copy as soon as it's released.  

• Accommodation on the Tour de France route here
• Road closure info here
• Full 2023 Tour de France route here

On the blog

2024 Tour de France program and race guide

AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW! The official Tour de France 2024 race program and guide includes all the route maps for each stage, plus stage start and end times, and team and rider profiles.

Posted: 23 Apr 2024

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Tour de France 2023 - Comprehensive team-by-team guide

A full rundown of all the teams, their leaders, and riders to watch at this year's race

This is your comprehensive team-by-team guide of all 22 teams and 176 riders competing in the 2023 Tour de France, which starts in Bilbao on Saturday, July 1.

All 18 WorldTour teams and the two best-ranked ProTeams, Lotto Dstny and TotalEnergies, are automatically invited. Race organisers ASO also gave wildcard entries to Israel-Premier Tech and Uno-X.

Budgets, calibre of riders and pre-race goals vary immensely. UAE-Team Emirates, led by their superstar Tadej Pogačar, are squarely focused on Tour de France glory.

Other teams, such as Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck, are gunning for stage victories. There are those, like Uno-X and Cofidis, who will regularly be up the road in breakaways, dreaming of an unlikely Tour stage triumph. Then there’s Jumbo-Visma, the team of defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and green jersey winner Wout van Aert, who could feasibly challenge for every stage.

Circumstances such as crashes, COVID-19 positive and mechanical problems can quickly change pre-race ambitions.

Whatever happens on the road between Bilbao and Paris, every team will want to make an impression and enjoy success. We look through every squad, assessing their leaders, objectives and chances of success.

AG2R-Citroën

• Team leader: Ben O’Connor
• Objective: GC and stage wins
• Rider to watch: Benoît Cosnefroy

It’s a big test for Ben O’Connor as he seeks to back-up his breakthrough fourth place from 2021. Last year’s Tour was crash-addled, most damagingly for his ambitions on the cobbled stage to Arenberg where he dropped over three minutes to his fellow contenders. He abandoned before stage 10 with a torn glute.

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This season has gone more smoothly. The man from Perth was sixth at the Tour Down Under and finished third at June’s Critérium du Dauphiné, coming into form at the right time.

The 27-year-old will be shepherded in the winds and on the flat by Belgian bodyguard Oliver Naesen but Greg Van Avermaet, who was not selected for a final Tour de France ride before he retires.

Giro d'Italia stage winner Aurélien Paret-Peintre doubles up while there is a Tour debut for former junior world champion Felix Gall. The Austrian climber shone at the Tour de Suisse, winning a stage.

In the French team’s 30th Tour appearance, stage wins will not be sacrificed in the name of GC ambitions. A triumph in the race’s final week, on a stage close to their Alpine base in Chambéry, would send them into raptures.

Alpecin-Deceuninck

• Team leaders: Jasper Philipsen, Mathieu van der Poel
• Objective: Stage wins
• Riders to watch: The leaders

Alpecin-Deceuninck only joined the WorldTour this season but they’ve been outperforming most top-tier teams for years, including in their two previous Tour de France performances.

No GC rider? No worries. In Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel, they have two of the sport’s stars and prime candidates for stage wins.

The flying Dutchman was the man of the spring with his Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix triumphs. He was unusually off colour at last year’s Tour but after a lighter racing schedule this time round, missing out on the Giro d'Italia, we can expect a different Van der Poel. He will be hoping for another stage win or spell in the yellow jersey to match his 2021 performance.

Additionally, Van der Poel can be an ultimate domestique deluxe and lead-out supporter for Philipsen. The Belgian sprinter has six wins in the bag this year, including a recent one outgunning rival Fabio Jakobsen at the Baloise Belgium Tour. In a closely-matched field of fast men, he’s a nose ahead of the rest.

Philipsen broke his Tour duck with sprint wins in Carcassonne and on the Champs-Elysées last year. There ought to be more victories this time round and a clearer shot at the green jersey, given Wout van Aert’s uncertainty about finishing the Tour due to the forthcoming birth of his second child.

New to the team this season, Søren Kragh Andersen could also threaten on rolling breakaway days. His paymasters would no doubt love a repeat of his Tour stage brace from 2020.

Astana Qazaqstan

• Team leaders: Mark Cavendish, Alexey Lutsenko

It’s the last dance for Mark Cavendish, a final Tour de France before retiring, one more chance to add to his prolific tally of stage wins. 

Twelve months ago, few would have expected his partner to be the Kazakhstani boys in blue but the team has a new jersey and new ambitions in the sprints.

Cees Bol will serve as a guiding light in the hectic bunch sprint finales. If the Giro d’Italia is anything to go by, there will be times the “Manx Missile” is surfing other lead-out trains in the final kilometres too.

Cavendish took a hard-fought stage win in Rome after fighting over the mountains. There ought to be more opportunities for sprint success at the Tour than the Giro, but an even higher level of rivals too. 

Taking a 35th Tour de France stage win to move above Eddy Merckx in the all-time list would be a fairytale achievement for Cavendish, fourteen years since his first triumph. 

The 38-year-old is just as determined as day one, even if the super-powered lead-out and devastating acceleration of his heyday are not quite there. Whether Cavendish achieves it or not will likely define Astana Qazaqstan’s race.

Alexey Lutsenko will be the team’s GC man, looking to improve on his seventh and eighth place finishes in 2021 and 2022.

Things surely can’t go worse than last year’s anonymous performance. Astana Qazaqstan featured in few breakaways or stage top-10s. They finished bottom of the race-ending prize list, earning a meagre €15,000 – barely enough to cover the team bus petrol expenses.

Bahrain Victorious

• Team leaders: Mikel Landa, Pello Bilbao
• Riders to watch: Fred Wright, Matej Mohoric

Bahrain Victorious have a variety of different options in their well-rounded line-up. 

Experienced Basque climber Mikel Landa will be leading their challenge. A fourth place finisher in 2017 and 2020, he will surely be in the fight for a similar finish this time round. The lack of time-trial kilometres plays massively in his favour.

Bahrain Victorious won the team classification in 2021 and they have one of the most formidable climbing line-ups here. Landa’s fellow Basque, Pello Bilbao, offers back-up and a Plan B, showing his good legs at the Tour de Suisse.

They’ll be gunning for a stage win or two, having gone away empty-handed from a 2022 edition damaged by Jack Haig’s race-ending crash on the cobbles.

Affected by COVID-19 last summer, Matej Mohorič is back to his best and attacking Briton Fred Wright offers another versatile option for breakaways.

Bahrain Victorious are still grieving the loss of Gino Mäder. They will be riding for him after his death following a crash at the Tour de Suisse, determined to dedicate him at least a stage victory.

Bora-Hansgrohe

• Team leader: Jai Hindley
• Rider to watch: The leader

A year after winning the Giro d’Italia, Jai Hindley heads to the 2023 Tour de France with ambitions of adding a maillot jaune to his maglia rosa. He will lead the German team, Bora-Hansgrohe, on a mountainous route that suits his qualities perfectly.

Hindley narrowly missed out on a podium place at the Critérium du Dauphiné, finishing 20 seconds behind Australian compatriot Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën), but he was pleased with his form leading into his main goal of the season.

Acting as key mountain domestiques will be Bob Jungels, winner of stage 9 at last year’s Tour and Emanuel Buchmann, who finished fourth overall at the 2019 edition of the race. 

Bora-Hansgrohe will also be hunting sprint stages with Jungels, Nils Politt and Jordi Meeus. He has surprisingly been given the nod as the sprint option, ahead of former two-time stage winner at the Tour and green jersey winner, Sam Bennett.

Meeus will make his debut at the Tour and will benefit from the luxury of having Danny van Poppel, one of the best lead-out riders in the world, working to launch him to the line on the eight possible sprint stages. 

Van Poppel has succeeded at delivering Bennett into winning positions throughout the last two seasons, but the Irishman has failed to deliver consistent results since claiming a brace of wins at last year’s Vuelta a España.

• Team leaders: Guillaume Martin, Bryan Coquard
• Rider to watch: Simon Geschke

The French squad are part of the race furniture at the Tour, making their 27th appearance. But it’s 15 years and counting since their last Tour de France stage win, a breakaway by Sylvain Chavanel.

Last year, they came close. Solo attacker Benjamin Thomas was caught 400 metres from the finish in Carcassonne and Simon Geschke lost the King of the Mountains jersey to Jonas Vingegaard on the last significant mountain stage.

Who can end the drought and heartache? Guillaume Martin is a trusty candidate for a top-10 finish. He has a history of following breakaways and yo-yoing up and down the general classification, gaining time one day, losing it the next. A stage win would arguably be more valuable than a peripheral GC finish.

This is a team geared for breakaways. Veteran climbers Simon Geschke and Ion Izaguirre have won past Tour stages up the road.

There’s also Bryan Coquard to mix it in the punchier bunch sprints. He’s got unfinished business after missing out last year due to a COVID-19 positive.

EF Education-EasyPost

• Team leader: Richard Carapaz
• Rider to watch: Neilson Powless

Olympic Champion Richard Carapaz joined EF Education-EasyPost as a proven Grand Tour winner and contender for 2023. The Ecuadorian finished third at the Tour in 2021 behind Pogačar and Vingegaard, and can live with the very best on his day.

Carapaz will ride in the Ecuadorian national champion’s jersey after winning it on his debut for Jonathan Vaughters' team but hasn’t been in the best form throughout 2023. He has only won two races and, despite trying to race aggressively at the Dauphiné, wasn’t able to follow Vingegaard or the rest.

He’ll be backed up by a team focused on solidifying his GC position alongside trying to get into breakaways and capture stages. Alberto Bettiol, Magnus Cort and Neilson Powless are capable of winning on a multitude of parcours.

Cort took a wonderful win into Megève in 2022 and always seems to perform at the biggest races when his team needs it most. 

Powless rode a great Classics, finishing in the top seven of Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders and will be eyeing up a maiden stage win at the Tour and perhaps an early spell in the yellow jersey. 

The American also has great memories in the Basque Country, having won the Clásica San Sebastián in 2021, so should be on show in the first week.

Groupama-FDJ

• Team leader: David Gaudu
• Rider to watch: Thibaut Pinot

Groupama-FDJ had a controversial initial roster announcement for the Tour de France, due to the omission of top French sprinter, Arnaud Démare, and the focus placed primarily on David Gaudu’s general classification hopes. 

Team manager Marc Madiot’s decision to leave Démare out was curious given how there could be as many as eight chances for the sprinters.

Gaudu finished a career-best fourth in last year’s Tour and will be hoping to go one better and reach the podium. His form has, however, fluctuated throughout 2023 with an impressive second place finish at Paris-Nice being offset by an underwhelming 30th at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné.

Stefan Küng will be on domestique duty as a rouleur and versatile puncheur and new French national champion Valentin Madouas will play a key support role in the mountains.

The French team will still hunt stages through the likes of Quentin Pacher, who was excellent at last year’s Vuelta a España and finished in the top six on four stages.

Thibaut Pinot will start his final Tour de France after announcing his retirement in January. 

Cycling fans will be willing him to chase stages with the hope he strikes at the Tour one final time. Despite narrowly falling to win a stage at the Giro d’Italia, Pinot won the mountains classification and finished fifth overall on GC, showing he’s more than capable of performing well in the Tour.

If Pinot is unable to achieve a fairytale ending and Gaudu doesn’t replicate his top-four finish, Madiot may rue the decision to snub Démare.

Ineos Grenadiers

• Team leader: Dani Martínez and Carlos Rodríguez.
• Objective: GC
• Rider to watch: Tom Pidcock

We’ve reached a strange moment in the British team’s history as they again lack a clear leader or a top-five favourite. They line-up for the Grand Depart in the Basque Country with former winner Egan Bernal after his long journey back to recovery following his life-threatening crash in 2022, but it’s still too soon to expect a charge for the yellow jersey from the Colombian.

He has performed well in the lead-up, despite recurring knee issues and crashes plaguing his 2023 season, and it was a delight to see Bernal back in the front group in at the Dauphiné where he finished 12th overall.

Bernal’s compatriot Dani Martínez is likely the strongest overall candidate for Ineos despite a lack of form and 23rd overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Ineos will experiment and look to learn for the future with young GC hopes in Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodríguez. 

Pidcock rode an exciting debut Tour last year with the highlight his victory atop the legendary Alpe d’Huez. He and Ineos want even more this year with another stage win and a top ten overall possible for Pidcock.

Rodríguez finished ninth and Best Young Rider at the Dauphiné and has Grand Tour talent. He has been linked to a move to Movistar for 2024 but a strong ride with Ineos at the Tour could change everything.

Team manager Rod Ellingworth and lead directeur sportif Steve Cummings can count on the experienced Michał Kwiatkowski and Jonathan Castroviejo to protect the leaders across the three weeks. The latter two won their respective national time trial championships in Poland and Spain a week before the start in Bilbao.

Also in the Ineos final eight at Omar Fraile and debutant Ben Turner. 

Intermarché - Circus - Wanty

• Team leaders: Biniam Girmay and Louis Meintjes
• Rider to watch: Biniam Girmay

Biniam Girmay is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated debutant at this year’s Tour de France. 

The Eritrean made history for African cycling by winning Gent-Wevelgem and a stage of the Giro d’Italia last year, and it would be no surprise if he were to write another chapter at this year's Tour.

A rapid finisher with the ability to hang tough on some rugged terrain, Girmay won’t lack opportunities on this Tour, and he warmed up for the main event with a stage victory at the Tour de Suisse. It was a reassuring win for the 23-year-old after a Classics campaign beset by bad luck, and he travels to France with justifiable confidence.

Louis Meintjes quietly rode himself into seventh overall at last year’s Tour, the third top-ten finish of his career, and the South African has the ability and the form to replicate that showing in 2023. His last outing before the Tour came at the Dauphiné, where his consistency carried him to seventh overall again.

Georg Zimmerman, a stage winner at the Dauphiné, also features, alongside former World Champion Rui Costa and Lilian Calmejane. Mike Teunissen, winner on the opening day in 2019, lines up as part of Girmay’s lead-out train with Adrien Petit.

Jumbo-Visma

• Team leader: Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert
• Objective: Win the Tour
• Riders to watch: Christophe Laporte, Sepp Kuss

It was a surprise when Jonas Vingegaard decisively cracked Tadej Pogačar on the Col du Granon last year but he went on to show that he was the strongest in the Tour. 

The Dane was steely, sportsmanlike and unbending in the face of the Slovenian’s numerous attacks. Is there yet more to come from the defending champion this summer?

He has kicked on from his victory, dominating at O Gran Camino and Itzulia Basque Country. Confidence will be high after two stage wins and an emphatic victory at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné. The only blot on his copybook this year is his third place at Paris-Nice, beaten by Pogačar, who could be affected by his fractured wrist.

The Dutch-registered team were the stand-out performers at last year’s race. They became the first team in 25 years to win both the yellow and green jersey. While they have gone from being the hunters to the hunted after their first Tour de France title, the same core team returns in 2023.

Wout van Aert is on board as a Mr. Do-It-All, a leader for bunch sprints, time-trials, punchy hill finishes and key helper for Vingegaard.

As the recent Netflix Tour de France documentary Unchained showed, it’s not always easy for this star-studded squad to accommodate multiple lofty ambitions. However, the Belgian has suggested he won't target the green jersey and could even abandon the race to be present for the birth of his second child.

Fresh off his lieutenant role to Primož Roglič at the Giro d’Italia, American Sepp Kuss will offer invaluable support as last man in the mountains, aided in support by Tiesj Benoot.

Christophe Laporte was a candidate for most improved rider last season. He can climb in the hills, protect on the flat, ride in the wind, sprint and attack to victory, as we saw with his poacher’s stage win in Cahors. A powerful new face in the engine room for Jumbo-Visma is 2022 Paris-Roubaix winner Dylan van Baarle.

Overall, Jumbo-Visma can win on several fronts. Rather than sitting back, they will likely look to capitalise on their strength-in-depth with race-making, proactive moves.

• Team leader: Enric Mas
• Rider to watch: Matteo Jorgenson

It will be a special 41st appearance for the long-running Spanish squad with the Grand Depart in the Basque Country, and they will be hoping Mas can bounce back from his underwhelming performance at the 2022 Tour that eventually ended in him abandoning due to COVID-19.

Mas has been far from his best in one-week stages throughout 2023, but he’s rarely entered a Grand Tour with a whole host of big results behind him and tends to bring it together in the three-week tests.

The 28-year-old has on three occasions been runner-up at the Vuelta a España and has finished in the top six of the Tour twice. Mas will be relishing a great chance to podium the Tour with the only time trial being 22km and hilly. 

Alongside Mas will be the versatile Matteo Jorgenson. The young American has been a stand-out in 2023, taking his first professional wins at the Tour of Oman, securing a top ten at the Tour of Flanders and coming second at the Tour de Romandie.

Jorgenson came painstakingly close to a stage win at last year’s Tour, finishing in the top five three times from the break. He could play a support role for Mas while hunting stages if given the freedom.

Movistar will race in a special white ‘iceberg’ kit for the 2023 race which will be auctioned to raise funds for ocean protection, with Gorka Izagirre, Alex Aranburu and Ruben Guerreiro also key riders.

Soudal-QuickStep

• Team leader: Fabio Jakobsen and Julian Alaphilippe
• Rider to watch: the leaders

The Belgian team have long been a stage-hunting side at the Tour, often lining up with the best sprinter in the world, be that Mark Cavendish or Marcel Kittel. 

Fabio Jakobsen is the latest sprinter to take up the mantle and he secured his first win at the Tour on debut last year after coming back from a life-threatening crash in 2020.

Jakobsen is one of the fastest sprinters in the peloton but hasn’t quite clicked with the Quickstep lead-out, perhaps due to Michael Mørkøv long absence in the spring due to injury. However the Dane is back for the Tour and is renowned as one of the best in the lead-out business.

Jakobsen took two wins at the Baloise Belgium Tour ahead of the Tour against a top-tier sprint field and will be hoping for much more than his solitary win at the 2022 race.

Soudal-QuickStep will also look to Julian Alaphilippe for stage wins after he missed last year's race due to his terrible Liege-Bastogne-Liege crash. 

The two-time World Champion returned to winning ways at World Tour level at the Dauphiné and sent a message to everyone with his celebration: Calm down, I'm back, he signalled after sprinting easily to victory.

The swashbuckling Frenchman should light up the opening stage in the Basque Country with dreams of another early stint in the yellow jersey.

Arkéa-Samsic

• Team leader: Warren Barguil
• Rider to watch: Clement Champoussin

The French team have long been a recipient of one of the wildcard invitations to the Tour de France but after being awarded WorldTour status at the end of the 2022 season, they have automatically qualified for their home race.

Significant moves were made in their ambitions after signing French rider Warren Barguil to lead them at the Tour from 2018 onwards, but the talented climber hasn’t yet won them a stage. He’s more than capable and twice finished in the top-four of stages at the Giro d’Italia this season, so there’s still hope for 'Wawa.'

Clément Champoussin and Luca Mozzato will be hoping to use their consistent ability to finish in the top ten and extend that to a win.

Champoussin won a memorable stage at the Vuelta two years ago after attacking from the GC group and if he is present during the break on a hilly day, could have a great chance of victory.

Jayco-AlUla

• Team leader: Simon Yates, Dylan Groenewegen

Altitude training is de rigueur for any serious Tour de France contender, but Simon Yates took it to an extreme this year. When he lines up in Bilbao on July 1, he will have not raced since stage two of the Tour de Romandie in late April, much of it spent high at altitude at his home in Andorra.

The 30-year-old will hope less is more in his challenge for the podium. His busier spring ticked all the boxes, with a stage win and second at the Tour Down Under and fourth in Paris-Nice.

He’ll be sharing some limelight with sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, an early stage winner last year.

With six victories so far, including a brace at the recent Tour of Slovenia, he’ll have the belief that he can add to his Tour tally. Luka Mezgec can help guide the Dutchman and Luke Durbridge will call the shots as road captain.

DSM-Firmenich

• Team leader: Romain Bardet
• Rider to watch: Sam Welsford

The Dutch team comes to the Tour with a new team name - Team DSM-Firmenich - and potentially new stars to be made. 

In his second season on the WorldTour, bunch sprinter Sam Welsford has gone up a level, winning two races and regularly featuring on the podium. It would be a whistlestop journey to the top if he can taste glory in France.

DSM-Firmenich have a reputation for bringing through new talent, as well as a challenging leadership style.

Theirs is a young team with a savvy, battle-hardened leader in Romain Bardet. The 32-year-old has been inside the top ten of every stage race he’s completed this season.

Last summer, he finished sixth at the Tour. It might have been more, had he not lost several minutes on a sweltering stage to Foix. 

Extra motivation comes in the shape of stage finishes in his home city of Clermont-Ferrand and on the nearby Puy de Dôme.

• Team leader: Giulio Ciccone and Mads Pedersen
• Objective: Stage wins and green jersey
• Rider to watch: Mattias Skjelmose

Having missed the Giro d'Italia due to a COVID-19 positive, Giulio Ciccone will lead a talented Lidl-Trek side riding under that name for the first time. 

The Italian recently extended his contract with the US-registered team until 2027 and has more than earned the leadership spot with a blistering start to the season.

Ciccone won the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné and has consistently performed on GC at each race this season. The 28-year-old is very punchy and could also snap up bonus seconds in the first week.

Mattias Skjelmose should be there as support and after his mature ride that saw him take victory at the Tour de Suisse, the 22-year-old could also challenge for stage wins on some of the hardest days from the break if given the opportunity by his team.

The real push for stages in the Lidl-Trek camp will come from former World Champion, Mads Pedersen. The powerful Dane took his first Tour de France win from the break in 2022, and he may have to adopt similar tactics if he is to claim another.

The sprint field is set to be stacked with as many as eight possible chances for a bunch sprint. Pedersen is no slouch in a sprint, but his top-end speed may not be as high as Jakobsen, Philipsen or Groenewegen. 

• UAE Team Emirates
• Team leader: Tadej Pogačar
• Objective: Yellow jersey

UAE Team Emirates have one clear goal: winning the Tour de France with Pogačar. 

The Slovenian superstar was denied his third yellow jersey in as many years after being well-beaten by Vingegaard in the high mountains and will be looking to bounce back at the 2023 Tour.

Pogačar produced a spring classics campaign for the ages and dominated with an air of invincibility. Paris-Nice, The Tour of Flanders, Fleche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race. 

His onslaught of wins was halted however, by a crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he fractured the scaphoid bone in his hand and was forced to take time off the bike. This may have been timely after such an arduous spring and his training schedule hasn’t been overly disrupted.

It’s difficult to find a parcours that doesn't suit Pogačar’s abilities and he will want to maximise his bonus seconds on the punchier stages, especially in the first week.

Pogačar returned to racing at the Slovenian national time trial championships where he took an emphatic victory, albeit against a weak field, 5:14 ahead of the runner up on a 15.7km route. He then dominated the road race too.

UAE Emirates have named a strong team that includes Adam Yates - a co-leader according to team manager Mauro Gianetti, plus Marc Soler and Rafał Majka to provide the final pull for Pogačar on the toughest climbing days.

The Polish super-domestique has worked well with Adam Yates in 2023, helping the Brit win the Tour de Romandie and finish second at the Critérium du Dauphiné, behind only Vingegaard.

Mikkel Bjerg, Felix Großschartner, Matteo Trentin and Vegard Stake Laengen form the core of the team to protect Pogačar.

Lotto-Dstny

• Team leader: Caleb Ewan
• Rider to watch: Maxim Van Gils

The Belgian team were relegated from the UCI WorldTour at the end of 2022 but still received an invitation as one of the two top-ranked ProTeams. 

They haven’t won a stage of the Tour de France since 2020 and will be desperately trying to rectify that in 2023 with their headline sprinter Caleb Ewan.

It’s no surprise to see Ewan backed up by Jasper de Buyst, who will be his last man in the lead-out and veteran lead-out specialist, Jacopo Guarnieri, who they signed from Groupama-FDJ at the end of the season to bolster their train.

Ewan won three stages in 2019 and two in 2020. Since then, he’s been without luck or a consistent lead-out but doesn’t appear to have lost his top-end speed. 

The Australian fast man had a tough 2022 season, crashing in the opening stage of the Giro and on the gruelling cobbled stage at the Tour. He suffered another setback at the Baloise Belgium Tour after crashing and staying down for some time before getting back on his bike.

Outside of Ewan, one of their riders to watch is young star Maxim Van Gils, who has impressed throughout 2023. The 23-year-old finished in the top eleven of all three Ardennes Classics and fifth in stages one and two of the Dauphiné. Look to see him feature in the punchy days or alongside another of Lotto Dstny’s new signings, Pascal Eenkhoorn, in the breakaway.

Victor Campenaerts was also a late selection and will surely go on the attack on multiple stages. 

TotalEnergies

• Team leader: Peter Sagan
• Objective: stage wins
• Rider to watch: Anthony Turgis

This is one of the oldest line-ups in the race. Several squad members have Tour de France success in their past and will be looking to show that they aren’t yesterday’s men: Alexis Vuillermoz, Maciej Bodnar, Edvald Boasson Hagen and, last but certainly not least, Peter Sagan.

It will be the last Tour de France for the retiring, but never shy, Slovakian. He has seven points jerseys and a dozen stage wins to his name. While his best days are behind him, you can never write off Sagan. Several fourth and fifth places in bunch sprints at the 2022 race showed the legs are still there.

TotalEnergies will be active in breakaways, but a stage win would make their year. They need a pick-me-up after a fallow year too, with only one victory in Europe so far.

Uno-X Pro Cycling

• Team leader: Alexander Kristoff
• Rider to watch: Torsten Traæn

The Norwegian squad are the fresh-faced debutants in the pack. Gaining a wild card from the race organisers in January was a first victory for them.

They are on a journey of discovery at the sport’s top level and there is no more brutal testing ground than the Tour de France to show where they belong.

Expect these underdogs to light up the race with many attacks while also working to set up veteran sprinter Alexander Kristoff.

Uno-X have several promising youngsters, waiting to make a name for themselves. 

U23 TT world champion Søren Wærenskjold packs a powerful sprint. Then there’s mountain men Tobias Halland Johannessen, who won the 2021 Tour de l’Avenir and Torsten Træen, who was eighth at the Critérium du Dauphiné. They could surprise a fair few observers.

Israel-Premier Tech

• Team leader: Michael Woods and Dylan Teuns
• Rider to watch: Corbin Strong

Despite their relegation from the UCI WorldTour at the end of the 2022 season, Israel-Premier Tech were one of the two teams that received an invitation to the Tour de France as a wildcard. It’s their fourth participation at the Tour and they will have high expectations after securing two emotional and inspiring victories in 2022 through Simon Clarke and Hugo Houle.

As a whole, the Israeli team impressed fans at the Giro d’Italia with their mainly young squad riding an attacking race where they targeted the majority of breakaways. Their Tour team features much of their older contingent, but hopefully, the same style of racing will be adopted. Clarke and Houle have both been selected again to get into breaks.

Michael Woods and Dylan Teuns have shown the best climbing form in recent weeks with Woods winning the Route d'Occitanie and Teuns finishing ninth at the Tour de Suisse, despite barely figuring on the radar for much of the race.

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome was expected to start, ten years after he won his first Grand Boucle for Team Sky but he was left out for a squad the team believed was better suited to their goals.

Stage hunting will be the agenda for the whole three weeks with Corbin Strong and Nick Schultz making the eight-man roster. 

Strong is a quick finisher with a great track-racing background and could be very dangerous from a break, while Schultz came agonisingly close to a stage win in Megève at last year’s Tour, so he’ll be hoping for another chance at victory here.

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Formerly the editor of Rouleur magazine, Andy McGrath is a freelance journalist and the author of God Is Dead: The Rise and Fall of Frank Vandenbroucke, Cycling’s Great Wasted Talent

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2023 Tour de France: A visual guide to cycling’s most challenging race

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the number of competing teams in the Tour de France. The correct number is 22.

The 110th edition of the Tour de France , the most challenging and best-known bicycle race in the world, starts July 1 in Bilbao, Spain, and ends 2,115 grueling and painful miles later on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 23.

In France, the tour is more than a three-week race – it's a cultural phenomenon . Ten million to 12 million racing fans will line the roads of the course to cheer on 176 riders among 22 teams.

Around the world, millions will watch on broadcast TV or streaming services. 41.5 million viewed the 2022 race on the French public service broadcaster France Télévisions alone.

And while nearly 200 riders compete, only one will win.

The race: More than 2,100 miles in 21 days

The Tour de France is actually a collection of 21 single-day races, called stages, over 23 days. (Two rest days are built in.) The stages range from:

• Flat (8 stages): While the route is not always flat, racers usually ride together in a large group called a peloton . Flat stages end with riders breaking away by themselves or a large group sprinting together.
• Hilly (4 stages): Considered more arduous than a flat stage but less difficult than a mountain stage.
• Mountain (8 stages): First introduced in 1910, mountain stages are the most challenging. This year, riders will climb the 6,939-foot Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees.
• Time trial (1 stage): Individual riders race against the clock. The 2023 time trial is 13.7 miles. The other stages average to 105 miles, and the longest stage is 130 miles.

Tour route is different every year

The Tour de France has been held annually – except for war years – since 1903. While the format stays the same, the route changes every year, alternating between a clockwise and counterclockwise circuit of France.

It's designed by two men, Christian Prudhomme , a former TV journalist who is general director of the tour, and Thierry Gouvenou , a former pro racer who is the tour's race director. Prudhomme decides the general route and Gouvenou maps out details , linking towns and cities together.

The tour was confined to France in the early years but has expanded beyond French borders. The Grand Départ , the start of the race, was held outside France for the first time in 1954, in the Netherlands.

Other nations have hosted the Grand Départ, including the U.K. in 2007 and 2014.

Since 1975, the final stage has ended in Paris . In 2024, however, the race will finish in Nice .

Do women compete in the Tour de France?

Women have competed, but not directly with men and not over the same distances. Women have raced on smaller editions of the tour over the years, once in 1955 and again from 1984 to 1989. That series was canceled over financial problems.

Other equivalent events such as la Grande Boucle Féminin were held, but these did not last.

The women's tour was revived in 2022 with 144 women competing in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift , a smaller version of the men's event with 640 miles over eight days.

Femmes avec Zwift returns this year , with women riders racing eight days over a 594-mile course.

Which riders are favored to win this year?

The top three contenders according to Cycling News are:

How does a rider win the Tour de France?

The overall winner is the rider with lowest accrued time over the 21 stages of the race. It's possible to win the tour without winning a single stage – American rider Greg LeMond won in 1990 without a stage win. Roger Walkowiak of France won in 1956 without winning a stage.

Overall leaders wear a distinctive yellow jersey as long as they're in the lead. The jersey can be worn by a number of riders throughout the race. Its use was introduced in 1919.

There are also secondary honors, such as the award given to the rider who scores the most points, earned by finishing among the top 15 in a specific stage.

There's also the King of the Mountains award for the rider who gets the most points in categorized mountain climbs.

Domestiques are the tour's unsung heroes

Winning riders don't win by themselves. They get crucial support from teammates, called "domestiques," the French word for servants, who support the lead rider and the team overall.

Domestiques assist by:

• Bringing food and water to teammates.
• Helping leaders with flat tires and mechanical breakdowns, including giving top riders their own wheels or even bikes to continue the race.
• Riding in front of top riders to provide a windbreak.
• If a top rider falls behind, domestiques will lead him back to the pack.

The windbreak technique is called drafting, in which domestiques cut the wind ahead of the top rider. Cycling sources say the top rider conserves 15% to 40% of his energy in drafting.

Riding in front of the pack is exhausting. Domestiques often trade off places in front of the top rider.

How physically demanding is it?

The race is considered one of the most difficult athletic events in the world. Participants are:

Riders can be injured in collisions or crashes. Broken bones, concussions and dislocated shoulders are common.

What do the jersey colors signify?

Tour riders wear the distinctive uniforms of their teams, but you'll see four jerseys with special colors and significance.

Tour de France terms you should know

• Peloton: A French term meaning "group." It refers to the main pack of riders.
• Breakaway: One rider or a group of riders who have outdistanced the peloton.
• Attack: When a rider or riders race away from the group.
• Team leader: The best rider on the team.
• Time trial: A race against the clock.
• Rouleur: A steady rider with a consistent pace.
• Slipstream: The relatively still air behind a rider, used by followers to overcome air resistance.
• Drafting: Taking shelter in the slipstream of the rider ahead.
• Sag wagon: A vehicle that picks up riders who are no longer able to continue.

What do the riders win?

The tour says, "A total of  2.3 million euros  (about $2.5 million) will be awarded to the teams and riders including €500,000 (about $531,820) to the final winner of the overall individual classification."

Who are the legends of the Tour de France?

Past multiple winners include:

• Fausto Coppi | Italy, 1949, 1952
• Jacques Anquetil | France, 1957, 1961-64
• Eddy Merckx | Belgium, 1969-74
• Bernard Hinault | France, 1978-79, 1981-82, 1985
• Greg LeMond | U.S., 1986, 1989-90
• Miguel Indurain | Spain, 1991-95
• Chris Froome | Kenya, 2013, 2015-17

American Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France a record seven times from 1999 to 2005, but he was stripped of his victories by the International Cycling Union in 2012 over allegations of using illegal drugs. He admitted to years of performance-enhancing drug use to Oprah Winfrey in a televised interview. 

How to watch the Tour de France

Coverage of the 2023 Tour de France will be carried on :

• NBC Sports: Will broadcast select parts of race.
• Peacock : Will stream all race stages.
• USA Network: Will show condensed live coverage.

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Associated Press; VeloNews; letour.com; bicycling.com; cyclingnews.com

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The Official 2023 Tour de France Guide is on sale now

The build-up to the 2023 Tour de France starts here

The build-up to the 2023 Tour de France has begun, with the UK’s only official Tour de France Guide available to buy now, with free UK delivery.

This year’s jam-packed guide comes with profiles of every team, exclusive interviews with key contenders, maps of each stage and plenty more.

Order now for delivery in time for this year’s race*.

• Order the Official Tour de France Guide 2023 now

Get all this with this year’s 204-page Official Tour de France Guide

• The only official UK Tour de France race guide
• Maps, profiles and itineraries of all 21 Tour de France stages with analysis from Bernard Thévenet
• All the teams, stages and profiles from the biggest race in women’s cycling – Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
• Celebrate this year’s Grand Depart with our exclusive Basque Legends magazine
• Exclusive Tour de France beer mats, showcasing historic moments on this year's mountain passes
• Official Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift double-sided, A2 wallchart
• Interviews with the stars of this year’s race, including Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Annemiek van Vleuten and more
• Full breakdown of the 22 teams

*Applies to UK customers only, allow five working days for delivery

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Preview: Your stage-by-stage guide to the 2023 Tour de France route

Tricky early stages and GC tests make this a difficult Tour de France.

We haven’t seen a Tour de France route quite like this one before. Not only because the host of the Grand Départ, the beautiful Basque city of Bilbao, has never hosted a Tour stage before, but because the overall direction and balance of the stages is unique in modern Tours de France.

It’s a difficult Tour, right from the start. The first week features more climbing than usual, much of it on the short, punchy ascents we know from races like the Tour of the Basque Country and Klasikoa San Sebastian. It’s a climber’s Tour, too, with only one 22 km time trial, which itself contains a difficult Category 2 climb. The 2023 Tour de France never goes more than two days without some sort of potential GC shakeup. That is no accident.

The route starts in northern Spain and heads in a mostly northeasterly direction from there, doubling back on itself multiple times and, quite unusually, camping for long periods in two different cities. We spend four days within shouting distance of Clermont-Ferrand in the middle of the country, and then sit again in the heart of the Alps for three days (four if you include the rest day in the middle) near the end of the race.

The hardest stage, on paper, is probably stage 17 , which finishes on the new Tour favorite Col de la Loze, or 14 , which has endless climbing. Stages 15 , and 6 are in the same bracket. Monsters, each of them.

The Alps win out over the Pyrenees this year, at least in terms of total difficulty. But the race touches all five of France’s mountain ranges, and the days in the Massif Central, Vosges, and the Jura shouldn’t be ignored. In the Massif Central, a finish atop the volcano at Puy de Dôme contains some of the steepest kilometers of the whole race. In the Vosges, the final stage to Le Markstein has all the hallmarks of a GC trap. Its placement just a day before Paris could make it the most thrilling stage of the race.

Looking for Tour de France team rosters? We’re updating the eight-man lineups as they’re announced.

Jump to stage details: • Stage 1: July 1 – Bilbao to Bilbao – 182 km • Stage 2: July 2 – Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint-Sébastien – 209 km • Stage 3: July 3 – Amborebieta-Etxano to Bayonne – 185 km • Stage 4: July 4 – Dax to Nogaro – 182 km • Stage 5: July 5 – Pau to Laruns – 165 km • Stage 6: July 6 – Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque – 145 km • Stage 7: July 7 – Mont-De-Marsan to Bordeaux – 170 km • Stage 8: July 8 – Libourne to Limoges – 201 km • Stage 9: July 9 – Saint-Léonard-De-Noblat to Puy de Dôme – 184 km • July 10 – Rest Day • Stage 10: July 11 – Vulcania to Issoire – 167 km • Stage 11: July 12 – Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins – 180 km • Stage 12: July 13 – Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais – 169km • Stage 13: July 14 – Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier – 138 km • Stage 14: July 15 – Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes Du Soleil – 152 km • Stage 15: July 16 – Les Gets to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc – 180 km • July 17 – Rest Day • Stage 16: July 18 – Passy to Combloux – 22 km • Stage 17: July 19 – Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to Courchevel – 166 km • Stage 18: July 20 – Moûtiers to Bourg-En-Bresse – 186 km • Stage 19: July 21 – Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny – 173 km • Stage 20: July 22 – Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering – 133 km • Stage 21: July 23 – Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines to Champs-Élysées – 115 km

This route is … evenly loaded?

There’s been a fair amount of chatter about this Tour route being frontloaded. That isn’t wrong when you put the route in context of previous years, but it isn’t exactly right when you compare the first week to the second half of the race.

To aid in visualizing the route as a whole, we (subjectively) ranked every stage’s potential GC jeopardy on a scale of 1-10. One is a sprint stage. Ten is a crazy high mountain day with an uphill finish (there are no 10s in this year’s Tour). Hilly stages like those found in Bilbao in the first week all sit between four and six. They’re hard, and could see potential time gains, but they’re not high-mountain hard.

The result? What appears to be a very balanced route. Like anybody trying to build narrative, the Tour de France clearly doesn’t want to slow things down for too many days in a row. Thierry Gouvenou, who designs the Tour’s routes, peppered interesting and/or difficult stages throughout the race, all the way from the short, punchy climbs of stage 1 to the final climbing day to Le Markstein.

The race will feature a total of 30 climbs categorized 2 or higher. That’s seven more than last year, three more than 2021. They are spread quite evenly, as the above chart suggests. One in the Basque country, six in the Pyrenees, four in the Massif Central, one in the Jura, 13 in the Alps, and five in the Vosges.

GC favorites will have to be on their game from stage 1 to stage 20. That’s somewhat unusual. But it should make for a fantastic race.

Let’s take a look at the profiles, key moments, and defining features of each stage of the 2023 Tour de France.

If you prefer to listen, this week’s podcast is a detailed breakdown of all 21 stages.

Stage 1: Bilbao to Bilbao – 182 km

Date: Saturday July 1, 2023 Stage type: Hilly Potential winners: Puncheurs or possibly a GC man. Julian Alaphilippe, Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard. Or maybe even Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel. What to watch for: Jonas Vingegaard won a similar stage of the Dauphiné in June. He seems to have been working on his punch. Will he take advantage?  Stage 1 summary: No easing into this Tour de France. The very first stage takes in 3,300 meters (10,000 feet) of climbing in a large loop starting and finishing in Bilbao, in the heart of the cycling-mad Basque region. The final climb, the last in a series of four in the last 60 km, is the Côte de Pike, a nasty kicker that averages 10% over 2 km. To further increase the importance of that climb, there are bonus seconds (8-5-2) available for the first three riders over the top. 

It’s mean. It will split things up. The first yellow jersey (and all the rest of the jerseys) is on the line. 

It’s also taking place in one of cycling’s traditional heartlands, and specifically a region that has produced climbers by the bucketload. From 1994 to 2013, the sight of the distinctive orange jerseys of the team built around the Euskadi Cycling Foundation flocking to the front meant the real climbing was about to start. Names like Unai Etxeberria and Iban Mayo, and later Mikel Landa and the Izaguirre brothers, all performed their acts of antigravity while racing in that bright orange. The team is now rebuilding, currently with ProTeam status, with the goal of returning to the Tour de France.

Stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint-Sébastien – 209 km

Date: Sunday July 2, 2023 Stage type: Hilly Potential winners:  Bauke Mollema loves the Jaizkibel climb. So do riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Matej Mohoric, and EF’s Neilson Powless. What to watch for: San Sebastian often comes down to a small group sprint and that’s the likely outcome of this stage, too. Stage 2 summary: This stage finishes 500 meters lower than it starts, but don’t let that fool you.

The decisive climb from Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, a post-Tour one-day race in the region, is placed just 20 km from the finish of stage 2. The slopes of the Jaizkibel, 8 km long and averaging 5.1%, with a final 4 km at 7%, have decided most editions of that race.

The descent down the backside and into the finish could prove just as decisive in stage 2 of the Tour de France.

Stage 3: Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne – 185 km

Date: Monday July 3, 2023 Stage type: Flat Potential winners: Mark Cavendish, Fabio Jakobsen, Jasper Philipsen What to watch for: Potential echelons along the coast.  Stage summary: A couple early and relatively easy climbs shouldn’t spoil the day for sprinters, but the run-in to Bayonne isn’t exactly straightforward so a break may think it stands a small chance of pulling one over on the peloton. They’ll certainly try. Plus much of the route runs along the coast, making crosswinds and echelons a possibility. 

Still, a sprint is most likely for the stage that takes the race back to France. 

Stage 4: Dax to Nogaro – 182 km

Date: Tuesday July 4, 2023 Stage type: Flat Potential winners: Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Mads Pedersen, Caleb Ewan What to watch for: Auto racing circuits are always a bit chaotic, and usually harder than they look. This one is no different. Stage summary: This is the second in a pair of flat stages intended to give the peloton a small breather before the Pyrenees, very much designed for a sprint finish. It finishes on the Nogaro motor racing circuit, including an 800 meter straight into the finish line. 

That might seem to have bunch sprint written all over it, and that is a pretty safe bet. But the top sprinters, and more specifically their teams, may have a difficult time.

The last time Nogaro was used in a pro race was the 2017 Route du Sud when the stage was won by EF’s Tom Scully, who is not a pure sprinter. He was part of a 12-rider breakaway that was caught, but not passed, just as it crossed the finish line. The top sprinters on that stage were Elia Viviani and Bryan Coquard, in seventh and eighth respectively.

Motor racing tracks are full of corners that make it difficult to mount a real chase. If the sprint teams leave it too late, they could get caught out again.

Stage 5: Pau to Laruns – 165 km

Date: Wednesday July 5, 2023 Stage type: High Mountains – Pyrenees Potential winners: Pello Bilbao, Giulio Ciccone What to watch for: The fight for the break will be fierce.  Stage summary: The first true mountain day, though without a mountain-top finish. 

Stage 5 tackles the hors-categorie Col du Soudet at its halfway mark, climbing 15.1 km at 7%. It’s a climb that’s unlikely to see GC fireworks but the day’s breakaway, which could be large given the high likelihood of survival for any breakaway group, will seek to shed some of its members. 

The category 3 Col d’Ichère punctuates the second half of the stage before the final test: the category 1 Col de Marie Blanque, 9.2 km at 7.6%. That sounds hard, right? It’s even harder. The last 4.5 km average over 10%. 

The distance from the bottom of the final descent to the finish line is a bit too far for any real GC moves to stick, but expect a high pace to be set on the slopes of the Marie Blanque. It’s likely some B-level GC contenders lose contact and struggle to come back. 

Stage 6: Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque – 145 km

Date: Thursday July 6, 2023 Stage type: High Mountains – Pyrenees Potential winners: Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mattias Skjelmose, Adam Yates What to watch for:  Which GC team takes control on the Tourmalet, as that will indicate confidence Stage summary: Finally, the first big uphill finish of the 2023 Tour de France.

A short, sharp stage to end a two-day stint in the Pyrenees, this stage first tackles the Col d’Aspin, 12 km at 6.6%, then the fearsome Col du Tourmalet, 17.2 km at 7.3%. After a long descent off the Tourmalet, the race turns back to the south and climbs up to the finish in Cauterets. 

The 15 km finish climb averages only 5.3% but has a 2 km section at kilometers 13 and 14 that average about 10%. If anybody goes, it will be here. 

Stage 7: Mont-De-Marsan to Bordeaux – 170 km

Date: Friday July 7, 2023 Stage type: Flat  Potential winners: All the sprinters What to watch for: An attempt to distance the pure sprinters on the only category 4 climb Stage summary: Flat. Flat flat. Flatty flat flat. 

The goal of this stage is simple: Get out of the Pyrenees, get up to Bordeaux so we can all have a nice glass of wine and celebrate … Mark Cavendish’s record-breaking stage win ? It only seems right. 

Stage 8: Libourne to Limoges – 201 km

Date: July 8, 2023 Stage type: Mostly flat, punchy uphill finish. Potential winners: Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, or Fred Wright from a break What to watch for: Pure sprinters will console themselves by going for the green jersey points 80 km in.  Stage summary: The key route feature of stage 8 is the 2.8 km, 4.8% climb up to the finish line. 

Limoges is traditionally a sprint finish town. The last time the race finished here, Bryan Coquard came as close as he ever has to a Tour stage win, losing a photo finish to one Marcel Kittel. This year, the pure sprinters will have a difficult time contesting. 

First, there are the three categorized climbs (a cat 3 then two cat 4s) in the last 70 km. But that shouldn’t break things up too much. 

This is a classic peak-era Peter Sagan finish, or more recently a Wout van Aert finish. It’s the type of stage that could be incredibly important for the green jersey competition. The pure sprinters will want to try to nab a few points, even if they can’t beat Van Aert. Other more well-rounded fast men like Mads Pedersen will be licking their lips. 

Stage 9: Saint-Léonard-De-Noblat to Puy de Dôme – 184 km

Date: July 9, 2023 Stage type: Mountain Potential winners:  Much depends on the breakway, let’s say Rigoberto Uran for old time’s sake What to watch for: Superb volcano-related puns in Escape Collective headlines. Stage summary: The last 4 km of this stage average over 11%. Before that, the climb to Puy de Dôme sits at a measly 6-7%. 

This is a hard, potentially explosive stage, with one of the most difficult finishes of the entire Tour de France. Puy de Dôme is an ancient volcano and those final 4 km circle the top like some kind of real life Zwift volcano hell route (minus any actual lava). 

The climb was the home of one of the Tour’s iconic duels. Raymond Poulidor (grandfather of Mathieu van der Poel) and Jacques Anquetil battled up it on stage 20 of the 1964 Tour de France, a race that had seen the two crack, recover, swap the lead, and then finally battle shoulder to shoulder on Puy de Dôme. Poulidor won the day but it wasn’t enough to overhaul Anquetil in the overall. It was probably the closest the “eternal second” came to winning the Tour. 

The stage as a whole is not as difficult as what is coming in the Alps. A string of category 3 and 4 climbs will do little to break up the bunch. It should play out somewhat similar to last year’s Planche des Belles Filles stage, which was similarly flat in the leadup to the final climb. After a few hours of cruising, Puy de Dôme will erupt into a half-hour power test. 

July 10 – Rest day

Stage 10: Vulcania to Issoire – 167 km

Date: July 11, 2023 Stage type: Hilly for the breakaway artists. Potential winners: Toms Skujiņš What to watch for: Riders looking to chase the polka dot jersey will want to be in this break Stage summary: Rarely has a stage been so perfectly crafted for a breakaway as this one. 

The peloton will spin out its rest day legs as a breakaway group fights it out up front, racing across five categorized climbs before a mostly downhill run-in to Issoire. That front group will be full of hitters thanks to the string of early climbs that make the breakway selection particularly difficult. 

Stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins – 180 km

Date: July 12, 2023 Stage type: Flat Potential winners: Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen What to watch for: A mis-timed chase Stage summary: Clermont-Ferrand is the home of Michelin tires and that is by far the most interesting thing about this stage. 

Unless! Perhaps the peloton mistimes its chase on the undulating, semi-complicated run-in to Moulins. Breakaways have been surviving with increasing frequency in the last few seasons and this is the sort of stage where some strong rouleurs may try to pull off a coup. 

But, let’s be honest, it’ll probably be a sprint. 

Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais – 169 km

Date: July 13, 2023 Stage type: Hilly Potential winners: Breakaway artists who can climb. Perhaps Neilson Powless or Matej Mohorič What to watch for: The sprint points that come after two category 3 climbs will be tantalizing to any of the more-versatile sprinters. Could we see one try to jump in the breakaway, like Peter Sagan used to do? Stage summary: Deep in one of France’s iconic wine regions, this stage seems primed for another successful breakaway. The two category 3 climbs in the first 40 km will ensure that the break is strong. Of the two back-to-back category 2 climbs in the latter third of the stage, the Col de la Croix Rosier is the more difficult, averaging 7.6% over 5.3 km. Expect it to be the final launch pad for either a solo winner, or a small group that splits off the day’s main breakaway.

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

Date: July 14, 2023 Stage type:  Mountain Potential winners: Jonas Vingegaard , Tadej Pogačar, anybody French What to watch for: It’s Bastille Day! The French riders will of course want this one. Can David Gaudu pull one over on the rest? Stage summary: Tour organizers have been keen on this sort of stage as of late. There isn’t much to separate the peloton ahead of the final test, an hors categorie slog up the 17.4 km Grand Colombier. That means tactics won’t really play a part in this stage. It’s a power test for the GC favorites.

There is a lump of a climb in the Col de la Lèbe before the Colombier, but after a short steep section early on it levels out and shouldn’t present any problems for even half-decent climbers.

The Grand Colombier itself is a monster. The length means there’s no hiding; a bad day could be catastrophic. The climb stair-steps a bit, with three distinct difficult sections. The second kilometer of the climb, 15 km from the finish, averages over 10%. Then kilometers 5-7 sit over 11%. Kilometers 10-12, with just 5 km to go, offer a final opportunity, sitting around 9.5%.

At this point, wind will play a part. The climb turns to the north for its final, flatter kilometers. If riders face a headwind, the top favorites will be less likely to go for it on that last steep section. If they have a tailwind, out of the south, we could see attacks fly with about 5 km to go.

Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes Du Soleil – 152 km

Date: July 15, 2023 Stage type:  Mountains Potential winners: A climber who can descend, like Giulio Ciccone or Tom Pidcock What to watch for: Aurélien Paret-Peintre is from the start town of Annemasse and is likely to try to slide into the break. Stage summary: The Joux Plane has been described as the nastiest climb in the Alps. Others have more notoriety, but few, if any, are actually harder. It was host to a famous Marco Pantani win in 1997 and, of course, the final climb in Floyd Landis’ unbelievable (and unnatural) solo, 120 km ride back into the yellow jersey in 2006. It has often flown under the radar but has a history of turning the Tour on its head.

Starting near the Swiss border before winding its way into the heart of the Alps, this latter half of the stage is nearly identical to the difficult day won by Ion Izaguirre in 2016. That stage also finished with the Col de la Ramaz and Col de Joux Plane before descending into Morzine, and we saw a large and star-studded breakaway ride clear before duking it out on the Joux Plane itself.

Behind, Chris Froome and his Team Sky train trundled along and kept their iron grip on the yellow jersey.

Could we see the same? It’s likely. The early climbs are good breakaway formation territory, and then the strongest climbers of that group will battle for the stage win. Behind, the GC men will have to be careful on Joux Plane and even more careful on the descent off its backside into the finish.

The descent is fast and dangerous, most because it’s unpredictable. The corners are often blind. What lies around the next bend? A sweeping, no-brakes flier or a nasty, decreasing radius corner? Riders will have to be on their game. Legend has it Sean Kelly once hit 124 km/h on this descent.

Stage 15: Les Gets Les Portes Du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc – 180 km

Date: July 16, 2023 Stage type:  Mountain Potential winners: GC favorites, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard What to watch for: Small gaps could hold on this stage with few flat sections Stage summary: A fitting cap to an incredibly difficult few days in the Alps. This stage takes in five categorized climbs (though the cat 2 and HC at the end are really one climb with a very short descent between them) and has some sneaky difficult moments long before the finish.

The Col de la Forclaz Montmin, ridden from the wider but steeper north side, is 90 kilometers from the finish and looks like a potential springboard. If a last-ditch, long-range attack were needed by one of the contenders, this might be the place to do it. The front side is steep, over 10% for its latter half. Crucially, the descent is narrow, no more than one lane in places. A few seconds over the top and a bit of daredevil descending could see somebody go free.

The finale, while technically two climbs, is effectively just one. Waking tired legs up after a long descent near the end of a stage can be difficult, which means the 16% grades at the base of the Amerands could be a make-or-break moment for any GC favorite. Have a bad moment there and there isn’t much time to come back on the 7% average grade up Bettex to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc.

July 17 – Rest day

Stage 16: Passy to Combloux individual time trial – 22 km

Date: July 18, 2023 Stage type:  Individual time trial Potential winners: Wout van Aert, Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar What to watch for: Rest days do odd things to some riders. Will any favorites suffer rest-day legs? Stage summary: A category 2 climb defines this short but crucial time trial.

The Tour marks the “top” of the climb in Domancy, just 2.5 kilometers from the bottom. Those early kilometers are indeed the steepest, averaging 9.4%, but the climb doesn’t stop there. It keeps going for another 4 km. The total climb is 6.3 km at 6.6% average.

Three GC stages remain. This time trial, then two more days in the mountains. A bad day is not an option.

Stage 17: Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to Courchevel – 166 km

Date: July 19, 2023 Stage type:  Mountain Potential winners: It seems unlikely a break will survive the GC onslaught, so one of the riders going for yellow What to watch for: If the fight for yellow is still close, the bonus seconds on top of Col de la Loze could come into play. Stage summary: Four categorized climbs and the narrow, twisty bike path up Col de la Loze define this final day in the Alps. A small descent means this isn’t technically an uphill finish, but that descent is short enough that any time gaps over the top of Col de la Loze are likely to stick until the finish line.

Stage 17 covers more than 5,000 m (16,400 ft) of climbing. The final three kilometers of the Col de la Loze are the most difficult, hovering around 10%. After that, a 6.5 km descent into Courchevel is capped by a short, incredibly steep (18%) kick up to the altiport.

Stage 18: Moûtiers to Bourg-En-Bresse – 186 km

Date: July 20, 2023 Stage type:  Flat Potential winners: Whatever sprinters are left; Mark Cavendish if he doesn’t have win 35 yet What to watch for: If the green jersey battle is still tight, this is one of the last opportunities for the pure bunch sprinters over the more versatile fast men. Stage summary: The Tour has turned toward Paris. Stage 18 is a long ride out of the Alps, finishing with what should be a bunch kick in Bourg-en-Bresse.

There is a small climb, about 3 km long, 15 km from the finish. But that shouldn’t bother the sprint teams too much.

The final 5 km of the stage run slightly downhill until the flamme rouge at 1 km to go. From there to the finish the road rises slightly.

Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny – 173 km

Date: July 21, 2023 Stage type:  Hilly Potential winners: Fred Wright, finally What to watch for: Can a break survive? Stage summary: Another push north, another likely sprint stage.

The only potential stumbling block is the category 3 Côte d’Ivory, roughly 25 km from the finish. The final kilometer of the finale is a slight uphill.

If Mark Cavendish doesn’t have his stage win yet, no way will Astana let this stage finish in anything but a sprint.

Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering – 133km

Date: July 22, 2023 Stage type:  Mountains Potential winners: Last-gasp French winner in Thibaut Pinot What to watch for: It’s a trap! Stage summary: A short, punchy stage with over 3,600 m (11,800 ft) of climbing packed into just 133 km across the Vosges mountain range.

Stage 20 doesn’t feature any hors-categorie monsters, but the pair of category 1 climbs in the finale offer up the final opportunity to take – or keep – the yellow jersey. Both climbs sit just over 8%.

The finale runs slightly downhill for the last 8 km, which could dissuade all but the most desperate from trying anything too audacious.

Le Markstein hosted the penultimate stage of last year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, where Annemiek van Vleuten took the race lead with a massive solo effort. That stage used the Petit Ballon/Platzerwasel combination earlier in the route.

The lack of flat roads on this route could lend it self to a long-range move. We can only hope.

Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines to Paris Champs-Élysées – 115 km

Date: July 23, 2023 Stage type:  Flat Potential winners: Any sprinter left standing What to watch for: Cavendish? Stage summary: Ahh, Paris. We have arrived. The biggest sprint in the world, some post-race champagne, and we turn our attention to Clermont Ferrand, where the Tour de France Femmes has just kicked off.

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WHAT’S AHEAD AT THE TOUR–PHASE 2: NORTH FRANCE

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

July 6, 2015 – We saw on Sunday’s stage of the Tour de France along the Dutch coast how strong side/tailwinds can split apart the peloton—and the same thing happened (briefly) on the middle part of Monday’s stage.

Written by John Wilcockson/Photos by Yuzuru Sunada

The resulting battles to form echelons behind strong teams racing hard in the gutter, forcing others into the wind, combined with crashes that can happen at any time, have already caught out several pre-race favorites. And that pattern is likely to continue on the upcoming three stages across the plains of northern France and along the coast of the English Channel.

Those who are watching the race on NBC Sports get an incomplete view of the action because of the frequent and long commercial breaks, along with the sometimes inaccurate commentary and the impossibility of the cameras catching every key development. The evolution of the splits and eventual winning move on stage 2 from Utrecht to Zealand were confusing, so it’s instructive to do a quick analysis, especially because the likes of Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde, Joaquim Rodriguez, Andrew Talansky, Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot all lost 88 seconds—a time gap that could have great import by the end of the Tour.

There were several reasons for the various splits, including the accelerations made by the Belgian teams, Etixx-Quick Step and Lotto-Soudal; the rainstorm (and its gusting winds) that blew through at a critical juncture; and crashes (mainly on roundabouts) that delayed riders at key moments. After a first split caught out Movistar’s Quintana and Valverde among others, a critical incident caused defending champion Nibali of Team Astana to lose touch. Involved in that split were French climber Pinot of FDJ and first-day time trial winner Rohan Dennis of BMC Racing, who was wearing the yellow jersey.

“We were well prepared but we didn’t expect to catch that storm coming out of Rotterdam,” Pinot said. “That was the worst moment, with lots of roundabouts, lots of crashes [and lots of] panic. At first I wasn’t caught out. [My teammate] Mathieu [Ladagnous] was just ahead of me. But another guy was between us and he was the one who let the gap go….”

Dennis elaborated. “We were going through a lot of roundabouts and I was sort of toward the back [of the front group], thinking it was safe because it wasn’t too hard.” Describing the gap that developed ahead of him, Dennis then said, “Pinot…swung out and basically looked at me, saying I had to close it. I looked around and saw Nibali was there as well. So I made the call not to chase because if Nibali loses time, it is better [for the team].”

Indeed, Dennis’s selfless call was a huge coup for BMC team leader Tejay van Garderen, who had four teammates helping him in the eventual 24-strong group that sprinted for the stage 2 win (taken by Lotto’s André Greipel): they were Italians Daniel Oss and Manuel Quinziato, Swiss champion Michael Schär and Belgian Greg Van Avermaet.

All four of those BMC men, along with Dennis, are sure to be of invaluable support in the stages ahead for van Garderen—who’s now up to third place overall, 13 seconds behind new race leader Froome after the stage 3 finish up the Mur de Huy won by Team Katusha’s Rodriguez. Here’s what to expect on these next few stages:

Stage 4 (July 7): Seraing–Cambrai 223.5km Rolling terrain before flat finale featuring seven sectors of cobblestones (or pavé)

Stage 4 will be a tough one, even in the dry. It leaves Belgium via the cobbled climb to the Citadelle at Namur (53 kilometers into the stage), followed by a first long section of cobblestones at Pont-à-Celles (101 kilometers) before crossing the border into France for the final 83 kilometers.

The last six sectors of pavé, most of which have been used in the Paris-Roubaix classic (in the opposite direction), total 11.5 kilometers of riding over gnarly cobblestones (probably dry and dusty) in the space of 35 kilometers before the final 10-kilometer race into the finish at Cambrai. This is almost identical to the 11.9 kilometers of pavé in 36 kilometers for the final six sectors in last year’s Tour stage to Arenberg that was so favorable to Nibali in consolidating his yellow jersey before the mountain stages. Besides the cobbles, the country roads through this part of France are narrow and winding, which in themselves, combined with the expected speed and strong winds, will split the pack into various groups.

Having consolidated his yellow jersey on the cobblestones a year ago, along with distancing Contador and seeing Froome eliminated, Nibali and his Astana teammates can be expected to plan a similar coup this week. And this will surely be the Italian’s biggest chance of putting time into Quintana and the other pure climbers before the mountains. It could also be a chance for BMC Racing’s van Garderen and Cannondale-Garmin’s Talansky to use their classics-savvy teammates to open up the race for yellow.

However, with Team Sky’s Froome already in the yellow jersey, and with his own powerful team of classics riders —including fellow Brits Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and Peter Kennaugh—they will be attempting to gain more time for their leader. Whether Froome has the resilience to achieve that goal will be a key moment in this year’s 102nd Tour.

Because there will be a headwind on much of this longest stage of the race, the important moves won’t develop until late in the day. A key to victory should be getting to the front of the pack on the fourth section of cobblestones into Saulzoir, 35 kilometers from the finish, where the course turns left and the riders will have a tailwind for the 7 kilometers into St. Python. That village is followed by three more sectors of pavé in quick succession, totaling 7.5 kilometers, all of them likely to be raced in strong crosswinds, sometimes from the right, then from the left.

A few riders may regroup in the headwind before the finish in Cambrai, but the course doubles back on itself in the city’s streets for a with-the-wind, slightly uphill finish. Should Froome still be at the head of the race, he will retain the yellow jersey unless current runner-up Tony Martin of Etixx is also there and takes one of the three time bonuses.

Stage 5 (July 8): Arras–Amiens 189.5km Likely sprinters’ stage through rolling terrain where World War I battles were fought

After this Tour’s hectic and intense opening four days, most everyone will be hoping that stage 5 will bring some respite. Then again, there will be those who will want to make it into the day’s main breakaway, while the teams of sprinters Mark Cavendish, Greipel, Nacer Bouhanni and Peter Sagan will be trying to keep the race together for a field sprint in Amiens.

Whatever the interest in the racing, our eyes will also be on the region’s other sights—including the start in Arras, in the cobbled Grande Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where pop concerts are staged, and the finish in Amiens, in the shadow of the city’s awesome Gothic cathedral, where sprinters such as Mario Cipollini and André Darrigade have won in the past.

Everywhere the racers go on this rolling stage, there will be cemeteries dedicated to the fallen soldiers of World War I from the armies of France, the British Empire and Germany. In the Battle of the Somme—the river that meanders through these bucolic lowlands—more than a million men were killed or wounded in just over four months of 1916, at the rate of more than 7,000 casualties a day.

It’s said to be one of the bloodiest battles in world history and puts into perspective the horrific magnitude of trench warfare. Three Tour de France champions were among those who lost their lives in the Great War: François Faber of Luxembourg and the Frenchmen Octave Lapize and Lucien Petit-Breton.

Stage 6 (July 9): Abbeville–Le Havre 191.5km Rolling stage along the coast of Normandy

Stage 6 takes the Tour away from the wartime battlefields on a scenic trip along the Normandy coast, past chalk cliffs and fishing villages, to the port city of Le Havre. A century ago, this town was the destination of the opening stage for 13 consecutive Tours de France, and the stage was twice won by Ottavio Bottecchia, in 1924 and ’25, and each year he went on to win the Tour.

In more recent times, stages into Le Havre have twice been won in long solo breakaways—by the Swiss Serge Demierre in 1983 and Frenchman Thierry Marie in 1991—while a sprint, such as the one taken by Cipollini in 1995, is more normal.

This year, at the end of the 191.5-kilometer stage, the organizers have confounded the sprinters by placing the finish outside the Victorian-era Fort de Tourneville at the top of a hill that climbs for 850 meters at a 7-percent grade to an elevation of 250 feet (75 meters) above the docks. It’s like a less-steep-Mur de Huy and will catch out those not prepared for such a rude ending to a day that will likely be affected by side winds blowing off the English Channel.

So, rather than Cavendish or Greipel, the fans at the finish in Le Havre may be cheering for Tinkoff-Saxo’s Sagan or Giant-Alpecin’s John Degenkolb. At the same time, look for another (less) intense battle for seconds up that final climb between Froome and his nearest GC contenders, van Garderen, Rigoberto Urán of Etixx, Contador, Nibali, Valverde and Quintana.

You can follow John on twitter @johnwilcockson

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Tour de France 2023 stage-by-stage guide: Route maps and profiles for all 21 days

The 2023 Tour de France has all the ingredients of a classic: two leading protagonists ready to tear lumps out of each other in reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard and the deposed Tadej Pogacar; entertaining multi-talented stage hunters Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe and Tom Pidcock; the great Mark Cavendish chasing a historic 35th stage win; all facing a brutal route with 56,000m of climbing and four summit finishes.

The Tour begins in the Spanish Basque country on Saturday 1 July, and these hilly routes will throw open the yellow jersey to a wide range of contenders. The race crosses the French border for some flat stages and an early jaunt into the high Pyrenees, where the Col du Tourmalet awaits. The peloton takes on the Puy de Dome volcano on its journey across France towards the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and it is in the mountains that this Tour will ultimately be decided. It all ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday 23 July.

Here is a stage-by-stage guide to how the race will unfold.

Stage 1: Bilbao to Bilbao, 182km

The 2023 Tour de France starts outside Bilbao’s iconic Guggenheim Museum, and winds north to the Bay of Biscay coastline before returning to the city where the stage winner will take the yellow jersey. This 182km opening stage is a hilly route with 3,000m of climbing featuring five categorised ascents, of which the final two are sharp and testing: they are tough enough to shake off the dedicated sprinters and open up early glory for the best puncheurs – those riders with the legs to get over short climbs and the power to surge away on the other side.

The profile of this stage is a great choice by organisers as it could suit just about anyone, from the speed of Wout van Aert to the climbing strength Tom Pidcock or Simon Yates – even two-time champion Tadej Pogacar.

Stage 2: Vitoria Gastiez to Saint Sebastian, 209km

The peloton will head east from Bilbao, touching more picturesque Basque coastline before arriving at the finish in San Sebastian. At more than 200km this is the longest stage of the 2023 Tour and, with the sizeable Jaizkibel climb (8.1km, 5.3% average gradient) shortly before the finish, this is even more tough on the legs than the first day. Another puncheur with the climbing strength to get over the steeper hills can capitalise, like two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe.

Stage 3: Amorebieta to Bayonne, 187km

Stage three starts in Spain and ends in France, and the finale in Bayonne is ripe for a bunch sprint. Mark Cavendish will get his first shot of this race at trying to win a historic 35th Tour de France stage, but he will be up against a stacked field including former QuickStep teammate Fabio Jakobsen and the awesome speed of Wout van Aert. It will be fascinating to get a first glimpse of how the power riders stack up.

Stage 4: Dax to Nogaro, 182km

Another flat day and an even faster finish in store on the Circuit Paul Armagnac, a race track in Nogaro. The 800m home straight will almost certainly tee up a showdown between the Tour’s serious fast men.

Stage 5: Pau to Laruns, 163km

The first major mountains of the Tour come a little earlier than usual, as the peloton heads up into the high Pyrenees on day five. The Col de Soudet (15km, 7.2%) is one of the toughest climbs of the race and rears up halfway through this 163km route from Pau to Laruns. The category one Col de Marie Blanque (7.7km, 8.6%) guards the finish 20km out, and holds bonus seconds for those first over the top to incentivise the major contenders to come to the fore and fight it out.

Stage 6: Tarbes to Cauterets, 145km

This has the potential to be a thrilling day: the 145km route takes on the double trouble of the category one Col d’Aspin (12km, 6.5%) followed by the monstrous hors categorie Tourmalet (17.1km, 7.3%), before a fast ascent and a final climb to the summit finish at Cauterets (16km, 5.4%).

It is a day with several possible outcomes. If the yellow jersey is on the shoulders of a fast puncheur at the start then it may well be transferred to one of the general classification contenders by the end, should they decide to fight for the stage win. Then again, a breakaway could be allowed to escape which would open up victory – and perhaps the yellow jersey – to an outsider. The last time the Tour finished in Cauterets in 2015, breakaway specialist Rafal Majka surged clear of his fellow escapers to win. Keep an eye on Ineos’s Tom Pidcock, who could use the long, fast descent from the Tourmalet summit to speed to the front, as he did before winning atop Alpe d’Huez last year.

Stage 7: Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux, 170km

The first week of racing finishes in the Tour’s second most visited city, Bordeaux, and it’s a third flat day for the sprinters to contest. Much will depend on who has best preserved their legs through the high mountains when they come to this tight, technical finish on the banks of the Garonne river in the city centre.

Stage 8: Libourne to Limoges, 201km

A long, hilly day will see the peloton head 201km east from Libourne outside Bordeaux to Limoges. The lumpy stage should suit a puncheur but it is not a particularly taxing set of climbs – only three are categorised and the toughest of those is just 2.8km at 5.2%. So could a determined team carry their sprinter to the finish and the stage win? Look out for Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, superstars with the all-round talent to conquer the climbs and still finish fast.

Stage 9: Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dome, 184km

The final stage before the relief of the first rest day is relatively flat and gentle – until a brutal finish atop the iconic Puy de Dome volcano, a 13.3km drag at a gruelling 7.7% average gradient that last appeared in the Tour in 1988. The summit finish will require a serious climber’s legs to clinch the stage win, and the general classification contenders may well let a breakaway get ahead and fight for that prize.

Rest day: Clermont-Ferrand, Monday 10 July.

Stage 10: Parc Vulcania to Issoire, 167km

The race resumes in the centre of France from Vulcania – a volcano-themed amusement park – where riders will embark on a hilly 167km route through the Volcans d’Auvergne regional park, finishing down in the small town of Issiore. With five categorised climbs, including the sizeable Col de Guery (7.8km at 5%) and the Croix Saint-Robert (6km at 6.3%), it will be a draining ride with virtually no sustained flat sections, and a long descent to the finish town. It looks like a good day to plot something in the breakaway, as the big GC contenders save their legs for bigger challenges to come.

Stage 11: Clermont Ferrand to Moulins, 180km

The final flat stage before the hard Alpine climbs will present an opportunity for those fast men who managed to haul themselves through the Pyrenees to get here – although there is still some climbing to be done including three category-four leg-sappers along the 180km route. The day begins in the university city of Clermont-Ferrand before the riders wind north and then east to Moulins, a small town on the Allier river. Any breakaway is likely to be reeled by those teams with dedicated sprinters eyeing their only opportunity for a stage win between the two rest days.

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

The race caravan will shift east to start stage 12 in Roanne in the Loire region, before taking a 169km route to Belleville, situated on the Saone river north of Lyon. This has been categorised as a hilly or medium mountain stage, but it might feel harder than that by the time the peloton reaches the foot of the fifth categorised climb of the day, the Col de la Croix Rosier (5.3km at 7.6%). That should be enough to put off the best puncheurs like Van der Poel and Van Aert, because the stage winner will need strong climbing legs. The GC riders will want to conserve energy, so expect a breakaway to stay clear and fight amongst themselves.

Stage 13: Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier, 138km

The first of three brutal stages that could decide the destiny of this year’s yellow jersey is only relatively short – 138km – but will provide a stern enough test to reveal any weaknesses in the major contenders. The peloton will enjoy a relatively flat and gentle first 75km from Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne before entering the Jura Mountains. A short climb and fast descent precedes the big climax: all 17.4km (7.1%) of the Grand Colombier providing an epic summit finish. This could be another day for a breakaway away to get free, but the overall contenders like Pogacar and Vingegaard will also fancy stage glory and the chance to stamp their authority on the race.

Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine, 152km

Part two of this triple header of mountain stages sees the peloton ride into the Alps with a 152km route from Annemasse to Morzine ski resort. Three tough category one climbs line the road to the hors categorie Col de Joux Plane (11.6km at 8.5%), a brutally steep grind where bonus seconds await the first few over the top – and stage victory is the prize at the bottom. This is another potential spot for yellow jersey fireworks.

Stage 15: Les Gets to Saint Gervais, 180km

The last ride before the final rest day will take the peloton further east into the Alps, towards the French border with Italy . The 179km day is almost constantly up and down, with a fast descent before the final two climbs, and the summit finish atop Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc will require strong climbing legs once more.

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

Stage 16: Individual time trial from Passy to Combloux, 22km

This year’s home stretch begins with the only time trial of the race: a short, relatively flat 22km from Passy to Combloux in the shadow of Mont Blanc. The route includes one categorised climb, the steep but short Cote de Domancy (2.5km at 9.4%). This stage is unlikely to decide the yellow jersey or podium spots, but there is an opportunity here to make up crucial seconds for those that need them.

Stage 17: Saint Gervais to Courchevel, 166km

Put Wednesday 19 July in the diary: this will surely be the most brutal day of the entire Tour de France and it could be decisive. The 166km route features four big climbs, the last of which offers up this year’s Souvenir Henri Desgrange for the first rider over the highest point of the race. To get there the riders must endure a 28.1km slog averaging 6% gradient to the top of the Col de la Loze, towering in the clouds 2,304m above sea level. There are bonus points seconds up here too, before a short descent down to the finish at Courchevel.

A breakaway will probably form, but can they last the distance? Whatever happens up the road, the fight for the yellow jersey will be fierce – only the strongest handful of riders will be able to stand the pace and this will likely be the day that the 2023 winner is effectively crowned.

Stage 18: Moutiers to Bourg en Bresse, 186km

After a potentially explosive stage 17, stage 18 is classified as “hilly” but is really a relatively sedate 185km which the sprinters are likely to contest if their teams can haul in the inevitable breakaway. The big question is whether there will be many sprinters left in the peloton after such a demanding set of stages in the Alps. For those fast men still in the race, the descent into Bourg-en-Bresse precedes a technical finish, with roundabouts and a sharp corner before a swinging right-hand turn on to the home straight where the stage will be won and lost.

Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny, 173km

Another flat day gives a further opportunity for those sprinters left in the field, as the peloton travels 173km from Moirans, near Grenoble, north to Poligny. The general classification contenders will be happy to rest their legs before one final push to Paris.

Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein, 133km

The final competitive stage of the Tour is a 133km ride from Belfort to Le Markstein ski resort in the Vosges mountains, and it offers just enough for one final attack to steal the yellow jersey, should the overall win still be on the line. The last two climbs of the day are both steep category one ascents: first the Petit Ballon (9.3km, 8.1%) followed by the Col du Platzerwasel (7.1km at 8.4%). Whoever is wearing yellow just needs to hang on to the wheel of their fiercest rival here, and that should be enough to see them home.

Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris Champs-Elysees, 115km

As is tradition, the peloton will transfer to Paris and ride a truce to the Champs-Elysees. The stage will start at France’s national velodrome, home of cycling for the 2024 Paris Olympics. It will finish with one final sprint: Cavendish has won four times in Paris and it would be a fitting way to end the race that has defined his career if he were to repeat the feat one last time. And once the race is done, the winner of the 2023 Tour de France will be crowned.

Tour de France 2023 : TOUR Tech briefing for Stage 1

Robert Kühnen

 ·  01.07.2023

Tour de France 2023 - Stage 1: Bilbao - Bilbao | 182 Kilometres

Should, contrary to expectations, an athlete be able to break away earlier, the aero card would sting in this case as well.

*) The calculations are based on the bikes tested by TOUR in the laboratory and wind tunnel. The bikes at the Tour de France may differ in details. Of course, we have not yet been able to examine last-minute prototypes either.

giro d’italia underdog alert: bardet, thomas, and dark horses lurking to surprise pogačar.

Analysis: A relatively thin GC start list could tempt Pogačar and Co. to drop their guard, and that would be a mistake UAE cannot afford.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/tour-de-france/tour-de-france-2024-stages/stage-1-preview/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Tour de France Stage 1: The Hilliest-Ever Opening Stage of the Tour"}}'> Tour de France Stage 1: The Hilliest-Ever Opening Stage of the Tour

A dramatic opener to this year's Tour with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters. Will the bunch fragment like last year?

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/prize-money-at-the-classics-who-cleaned-up-and-how-it-compares-to-the-tour-de-france/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Prize Money at the Classics: Who Cleaned Up and How it Compares to the Tour de France"}}'> Prize Money at the Classics: Who Cleaned Up and How it Compares to the Tour de France

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/van-poppel-relegated-at-tour-of-turkey-mark-cavendish-mia-in-sprints-so-far/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Van Poppel Relegated at Tour of Turkey, Mark Cavendish MIA in Sprints So Far"}}'> Van Poppel Relegated at Tour of Turkey, Mark Cavendish MIA in Sprints So Far

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/van-aert-back-on-bike-after-devastating-crash-evenepoel-confirmed-to-be-on-track-for-tour-de-france/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Van Aert Back on Bike after Devastating Crash, Evenepoel Confirmed to Be on Track for Tour de France"}}'> Van Aert Back on Bike after Devastating Crash, Evenepoel Confirmed to Be on Track for Tour de France

Sources confirm Evenepoel will train at altitude next month, while the future for Van Aert is less clear with no hints of a return to the Tour this summer.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/thumbs-up-jonas-vingegaard-cleared-to-leave-hospital-12-days-after-brutal-basque-crash/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Jonas Vingegaard Cleared to Leave Hospital 12 Days after Brutal Basque Crash"}}'> Jonas Vingegaard Cleared to Leave Hospital 12 Days after Brutal Basque Crash

Race program remains unknown for two-time Tour de France champion after he suffered broken ribs, fractured collarbone, collapsed lung.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/geraint-thomas-better-than-last-year-and-bullish-for-giro-tour-double-at-tour-of-the-alps-tune-up/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Geraint Thomas ‘Better Than Last Year’ and Bullish for Giro-Tour Double at Tour of the Alps Tune-Up"}}'> Geraint Thomas ‘Better Than Last Year’ and Bullish for Giro-Tour Double at Tour of the Alps Tune-Up

Welsh veteran buoyed by solid spring training in advance of Tour of the Alps and a summer of swinging at Pogačar at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/emergency-operation-for-eddy-merckx-cyclings-greatest-ever-rider/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Emergency Operation for Eddy Merckx, Cycling’s Greatest Ever Rider"}}'> Emergency Operation for Eddy Merckx, Cycling’s Greatest Ever Rider

The Belgian cycling great is recovering at home after recent surgery.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/sean-kelly-tadej-pogacars-giro-tour-double-prospects-have-leaped-forward/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Sean Kelly: Tadej Pogačar’s Giro-Tour Double Prospects Have Leaped Forward"}}'> Sean Kelly: Tadej Pogačar’s Giro-Tour Double Prospects Have Leaped Forward

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/pogacar-vs-froome-in-his-prime-who-would-have-won-it-would-have-been-interesting/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Chris Froome ‘Comes to Reality’ that Winning a Fifth Tour de France is ‘Very, Very Difficult’"}}'> Chris Froome ‘Comes to Reality’ that Winning a Fifth Tour de France is ‘Very, Very Difficult’

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/rogue-attacks-to-force-majeure-can-anything-deny-tadej-pogacar-at-the-giro-ditalia/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Rogue Attacks to ‘Force Majeure’: 5 Things That Might Stop Tadej Pogačar at the Giro d’Italia"}}'> Rogue Attacks to ‘Force Majeure’: 5 Things That Might Stop Tadej Pogačar at the Giro d’Italia

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-training/ketones-cycling-superfuel-or-marketing-hype-visma-lease-a-bike-study-seeks-to-dispel-the-doubts/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Ketones: Cycling Superfuel or Marketing Hype? Visma-Lease a Bike Study Seeks to Dispel the Doubts"}}'> Ketones: Cycling Superfuel or Marketing Hype? Visma-Lease a Bike Study Seeks to Dispel the Doubts

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/jonas-vingegaard-undergoes-surgery-in-spain-with-recovery-time-not-yet-clear/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Jonas Vingegaard Undergoes Surgery in Spain, with Recovery Time ‘Not Yet Clear’"}}'> Jonas Vingegaard Undergoes Surgery in Spain, with Recovery Time ‘Not Yet Clear’

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/grand-tour-smashing-ds-zeeman-to-leave-visma-lease-a-bike/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Confirmed: Grand Tour-Smashing Lead Sport Director to Leave Visma-Lease a Bike"}}'> Confirmed: Grand Tour-Smashing Lead Sport Director to Leave Visma-Lease a Bike

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/mark-cavendish-hits-another-pothole-in-path-to-tour-de-france-as-racing-return-delayed/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Mark Cavendish Hits Another Pothole in Path to Tour de France as Racing Return Delayed"}}'> Mark Cavendish Hits Another Pothole in Path to Tour de France as Racing Return Delayed

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/wheres-cav-mark-cavendish-and-his-tour-de-france-dream-hits-nightmare-spring/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Where’s Cav? Mark Cavendish and His Tour de France Dream Hits Nightmare Spring"}}'> Where’s Cav? Mark Cavendish and His Tour de France Dream Hits Nightmare Spring

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/his-signing-raises-the-level-of-everyone-how-primoz-roglic-is-transforming-bora-hansgrohe/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘His Signing Raises the Level of Everyone’: How Primož Roglič Is Transforming Bora-Hansgrohe"}}'> ‘His Signing Raises the Level of Everyone’: How Primož Roglič Is Transforming Bora-Hansgrohe

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/will-the-closing-day-time-trial-decide-the-2024-tour-de-france-evenepoel-gets-sneak-preview/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Will Final-Stage Time Trial Decide the 2024 Tour de France? Evenepoel Gets Sneak Preview"}}'> Will Final-Stage Time Trial Decide the 2024 Tour de France? Evenepoel Gets Sneak Preview

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/all-options-are-open-out-of-contract-jasper-philipsen-kick-starts-peloton-wide-chase-for-worlds-fastest-sprinter/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘All Options Are Open’: Out-of-Contract Jasper Philipsen Kick-Starts Peloton’s Chase for Tour de France Sprint King"}}'> ‘All Options Are Open’: Out-of-Contract Jasper Philipsen Kick-Starts Peloton’s Chase for Tour de France Sprint King

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/tour-de-france-big-four-report-card-questions-for-roglic-crushing-from-vingegaard-the-pogacar-puzzle/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Tour de France ‘Big Four’ Report Card: Questions for Roglič, Crushing from Vingegaard, the Pogačar Puzzle"}}'> Tour de France ‘Big Four’ Report Card: Questions for Roglič, Crushing from Vingegaard, the Pogačar Puzzle

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/reports-bora-hansgrohe-to-launch-red-bull-era-for-2024-tour-de-france/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Reports: Bora-Hansgrohe to Launch Red Bull Era for 2024 Tour de France"}}'> Reports: Bora-Hansgrohe to Launch Red Bull Era for 2024 Tour de France

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/its-driven-by-emotion-visma-lease-a-bike-slams-uci-review-on-radical-new-time-trial-helmets/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘It’s Driven by Emotion’: Visma-Lease a Bike Slams UCI Review of Radical New Time Trial Helmets"}}'> ‘It’s Driven by Emotion’: Visma-Lease a Bike Slams UCI Review of Radical New Time Trial Helmets

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/is-remco-evenepoel-part-of-pro-cyclings-big-four/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Is Remco Evenepoel Part of Pro Cycling’s ‘Big Four’? Paris-Nice Will Provide Pointers"}}'> Is Remco Evenepoel Part of Pro Cycling’s ‘Big Four’? Paris-Nice Will Provide Pointers

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/race-to-the-sun-showdown-at-paris-nice-as-primoz-roglic-remco-evenepoel-cross-swords/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Race to the Sun Showdown at Paris-Nice as Primoz Roglič, Remco Evenepoel Cross Swords"}}'> Race to the Sun Showdown at Paris-Nice as Primoz Roglič, Remco Evenepoel Cross Swords

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/manx-on-a-mission-is-mark-cavendish-on-track-for-record-tour-de-france-success/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Manx on a Mission: Is Mark Cavendish on Track for Record Tour De France Success?"}}'> Manx on a Mission: Is Mark Cavendish on Track for Record Tour De France Success?

The UAE Tour didn’t quite go to plan, but modest stage places there don’t give the full picture.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/how-tadej-pogacar-will-wreck-a-visma-lease-a-bike-rout-of-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Antagonist, Antithesis: How Tadej Pogačar Will Wreck a Visma-Lease a Bike Rout of 2024"}}'> Antagonist, Antithesis: How Tadej Pogačar Will Wreck a Visma-Lease a Bike Rout of 2024

Pogačar's wildest season yet will drive a narrative through 2024 that will oppose any Visma victory parade.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/african-trailblazer-biniam-girmay-back-on-track-its-time-to-test-the-legs/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "African Trailblazer Biniam Girmay Back on Track: ‘It’s Time to Test the Legs’"}}'> African Trailblazer Biniam Girmay Back on Track: ‘It’s Time to Test the Legs’

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/racing-for-the-win-tadej-pogacar-braces-to-blow-the-doors-off-at-strade-bianche/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘Racing for the Win’: Tadej Pogačar Braces to Blow the Doors off at Strade Bianche"}}'> ‘Racing for the Win’: Tadej Pogačar Braces to Blow the Doors off at Strade Bianche

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/jonas-vingegaard-hints-a-giro-tour-double-is-in-his-future/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Taking Notes from Tadej: Jonas Vingegaard Hansen Hints a Giro d’Italia-Tour de France Double Is in His Future"}}'> Taking Notes from Tadej: Jonas Vingegaard Hansen Hints a Giro d’Italia-Tour de France Double Is in His Future

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>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/tour-de-france/different-paths-to-the-tour-de-france-jonas-vingegaard-debuts-primoz-roglic-stays-high/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Different Roads to the Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard Debuts, Primož Roglič Stays High"}}'> Different Roads to the Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard Debuts, Primož Roglič Stays High

The former teammates will clash at Basque Country and Dauphiné ahead of battle for yellow jersey: 'The best one will win.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/a-tale-of-two-chainrings-remco-evenepoel-and-his-big-gear-blitz-on-the-algarve/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "A Tale of Two Chainrings: Remco Evenepoel and His Big-Gear Blitz on the Algarve"}}'> A Tale of Two Chainrings: Remco Evenepoel and His Big-Gear Blitz on the Algarve

Evenepoel forged his GC advantage at Volta ao Algarve on a 62T time trial chainring, and nearly lost it a day later when his derailleur died.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/should-teams-be-allowed-replacements-at-the-tour-de-france/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Game Changer or Unfair Advantage: Should Teams Be Allowed to Replace Riders at the Tour de France?"}}'> Game Changer or Unfair Advantage: Should Teams Be Allowed to Replace Riders at the Tour de France?

Face-Off: Should rules allow that injured riders be swapped out of grand tours? Our editors argue out the 'replacement' theory.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/ratcliffes-reboot-can-ineos-grenadiers-recapture-its-tour-de-france-throne/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Ratcliffe’s Reboot: Can Ineos Grenadiers Recapture its Tour de France Throne?"}}'> Ratcliffe’s Reboot: Can Ineos Grenadiers Recapture its Tour de France Throne?

Analysis: Nearly five years since its last yellow jersey, major restructuring at the British 'super team' reveals that billionaire team owner Jim Ratcliffe is pushing for return on his investment.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/could-remco-evenepoel-win-the-tour-of-flanders-bring-him-to-the-kwaremont-you-never-know/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Could Remco Evenepoel Win the Tour of Flanders?: ‘Bring him to the Kwaremont, You Never Know’"}}'> Could Remco Evenepoel Win the Tour of Flanders?: ‘Bring him to the Kwaremont, You Never Know’

'Flanders is now a climber's race': Cobbles guru Wilfried Peeters believes Belgian superstar will race De Ronde when the time is right.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/mark-cavendish-faces-most-competitive-sprint-season-in-years/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "A Challenge to Mark Cavendish: 2024 Will Be the Most Competitive Sprint Season in Years"}}'> A Challenge to Mark Cavendish: 2024 Will Be the Most Competitive Sprint Season in Years

Sprinting in spring will set the tone as a phalanx of fast-finishers line up to derail Cavendish's chase for Tour de France history.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/im-still-beating-my-pbs-how-geraint-thomas-keeps-competitive-into-his-18th-season/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘I’m Still Beating My PBs’: How Geraint Thomas Keeps Competitive into His 18th Season"}}'> ‘I’m Still Beating My PBs’: How Geraint Thomas Keeps Competitive into His 18th Season

37-years-young Welshman believes he's still got more to give ahead of his Giro d'Italia-Tour de France 2024.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/tom-pidcocks-unusual-unconventional-approach-a-mtb-win-days-before-the-volta-a-algarve/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Tom Pidcock Chooses a Mountain Bike Race to Prepare for the Volta a Algarve"}}'> Tom Pidcock Chooses a Mountain Bike Race to Prepare for the Volta a Algarve

British rider Pidcock continues jumping between disciplines in what is a key season in his evolution as a pro road rider.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/adam-yates-eyes-vuelta-a-espana-leadership-as-tadej-pogacar-chases-the-giro-tour-double/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "No Drama for Adam Yates in Career Sweet Spot: ‘I Train Hard, I Show Up, I Try to Win.’"}}'> No Drama for Adam Yates in Career Sweet Spot: ‘I Train Hard, I Show Up, I Try to Win.’

Tadej Pogačar's double Giro-Tour dare opens up road to Vuelta a España for favored wingman: 'I'm the last man in the mountains.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/mark-cavendish-seals-win-at-colombia-tour-to-set-tone-for-tour-de-france-glory/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘I’m Speechless’: Mark Cavendish Seals Win in Colombia to Set Tone for Tour de France Quest"}}'> ‘I’m Speechless’: Mark Cavendish Seals Win in Colombia to Set Tone for Tour de France Quest

The season-opener success will only heighten expectation for his season-long chase to better Eddy Merckx's all-time Tour stage win record.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/when-racing-less-means-winning-more-why-visma-lease-a-bike-goes-off-grid-in-the-winter/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "When Racing Less Means Winning More: Why Visma-Lease a Bike Went off-Grid This Winter"}}'> When Racing Less Means Winning More: Why Visma-Lease a Bike Went off-Grid This Winter

Why isn't the WorldTour topper to be seen in the early season? Jonas Vingegaard's crew is already on Teide and tuning for the the Tour de France.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/coming-off-the-bench-movistar-boss-floats-idea-of-replacement-riders-during-tour-de-france/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘Why Not Replacements?’: Movistar Boss Floats Radical Idea of Substitutes During Tour de France"}}'> ‘Why Not Replacements?’: Movistar Boss Floats Radical Idea of Substitutes During Tour de France

Unzué confirms Movistar's participation in 'Super League' talks: 'The sport hasn't changed in 40 years.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/i-want-to-create-history-meet-henok-mulubrhan-the-african-phenom-on-a-mission/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘I Want to Create History’: Meet Henok Mulubrhan, the African Phenom on a Mission"}}'> ‘I Want to Create History’: Meet Henok Mulubrhan, the African Phenom on a Mission

The WorldTour rookie is already making waves as new hot prospect from Eritrea: 'I will not sleep, now is the time to work even harder.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/can-cyclocross-and-classics-co-exist-mathieu-van-der-poels-most-daring-season-will-determine-the-direction-of-modern-multi-disciplinarians/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Can ‘Cross and Classics Co-Exist? Mathieu van der Poel’s Most Daring Season Will Set Tone for Modern Multi-Disciplinarians"}}'> Can ‘Cross and Classics Co-Exist? Mathieu van der Poel’s Most Daring Season Will Set Tone for Modern Multi-Disciplinarians

To 'cross or not to 'cross? The outcome of MVDP's far-stretching 2024 season could crush or confirm the multi-discipline dream.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/its-a-good-day-for-us-lidl-trek-comes-out-swinging-in-show-of-intention-for-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘It’s a Good Day for Us’: Lidl-Trek Comes Out Swinging in Show of Intention for 2024"}}'> ‘It’s a Good Day for Us’: Lidl-Trek Comes Out Swinging in Show of Intention for 2024

Mads Pedersen fastest in France, and Jonathan Milan hits out in Spain for debut wins in sneak preview of the team's ambitions: 'It’s a huge confidence boost for what’s to come.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/we-found-the-method-for-him-to-perform-at-the-biggest-moments-new-ambition-same-structure-for-sepp-kuss-in-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘We Found the Method for Him to Perform at the Biggest Moments’: New Ambition, Same Structure for Sepp Kuss in 2024"}}'> ‘We Found the Method for Him to Perform at the Biggest Moments’: New Ambition, Same Structure for Sepp Kuss in 2024

Kuss carries winning high-volume training framework into boosted role with the Visma-Lease A Bike WorldTour bulldozer in 2024.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/i-had-nothing-to-lose-can-giro-ditalia-breakaway-sensation-derek-gee-do-it-again/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘The Gap is So Big to the Best Guys’: Can Giro d’Italia Breakaway Sensation Derek Gee Do it Again?"}}'> ‘The Gap is So Big to the Best Guys’: Can Giro d’Italia Breakaway Sensation Derek Gee Do it Again?

The unknown Canadian burst into prominence with no less than seven breakaways in the 2023 Giro d'Italia: 'That left me hungry for more.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/i-was-so-close-last-year-simon-yates-targeting-podium-at-the-tour-de-france/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘It’s So Hard to Race Against the Super Teams:’ Simon Yates Targeting Podium in Tour de France Rematch"}}'> ‘It’s So Hard to Race Against the Super Teams:’ Simon Yates Targeting Podium in Tour de France Rematch

Jayco-AlUla star on racing as an underdog: 'I am still hungry to do more, to improve, and to do better.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/dylan-groenewegen-changes-script-to-beat-philipsen-a-different-plan-for-the-tour-de-france-this-year/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Dylan Groenewegen Changes Script to Beat Philipsen: ‘A Different Plan for the Tour de France This Year’"}}'> Dylan Groenewegen Changes Script to Beat Philipsen: ‘A Different Plan for the Tour de France This Year’

With a stage in the AlUla Tour his next goal, Dutch sprinter is aiming to reach July in giant-killing form: 'Hopefully my fastest legs are in the Tour.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/its-not-like-we-disappeared-ben-swift-insists-ineos-grenadiers-still-at-top-of-peloton/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘It’s Not Like We Disappeared’: Ben Swift Insists Ineos Grenadiers Still at Top of Peloton"}}'> ‘It’s Not Like We Disappeared’: Ben Swift Insists Ineos Grenadiers Still at Top of Peloton

Veteran rider says UK super team isn't resting on laurels: 'We are still there, we are still challenging. We want to win the Tour de France.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/red-bull-era-begins-officials-approve-deal-with-bora-hansgrohe/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Red Bull Gives You Wins? Officials Approve Deal with Bora-Hansgrohe"}}'> Red Bull Gives You Wins? Officials Approve Deal with Bora-Hansgrohe

Officials signed off on the high-profile partnership between energy drinks giant and German-backed WorldTour team that could transform professional cycling: 'We have cleared an important hurdle.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/two-golds-is-the-dream-inside-filippo-gannas-double-olympic-ambition/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘Two Golds is the Dream’: Inside Filippo Ganna’s Double Olympic Ambition"}}'> ‘Two Golds is the Dream’: Inside Filippo Ganna’s Double Olympic Ambition

'It's too bad to miss the Tour, but the Olympics are the Olympics': Ganna puts gold medal quest ahead of Italian start of the Tour de France in 2024.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/why-is-tom-pidcock-still-racing-three-disciplines/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Why Is Tom Pidcock Still Racing Three Disciplines? ‘It Fits into the Bigger Picture of Trying to Win the Tour’"}}'> Why Is Tom Pidcock Still Racing Three Disciplines? ‘It Fits into the Bigger Picture of Trying to Win the Tour’

Pidcock's coach is convinced a multi-discipline approach is no waste of time as the Brit wrecking ball quests for Tour de France fame.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/a-new-card-to-play-heres-whats-new-as-sepp-kuss-kicks-off-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘Now We Have Two Cards to Play’: Here’s What’s Next as Sepp Kuss Kicks Off 2024"}}'> ‘Now We Have Two Cards to Play’: Here’s What’s Next as Sepp Kuss Kicks Off 2024

The Vuelta a España champion returns to action with a pair of one-days and the Volta ao Algarve: 'That Vuelta victory did something to him. He gained so much confidence.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/coz-you-only-live-once-geraint-thomas-targets-career-first-giro-ditalia-tour-de-france-double/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Geraint Thomas Targets ‘Only Live Once’ Giro d’Italia-Tour de France Double in 2024"}}'> Geraint Thomas Targets ‘Only Live Once’ Giro d’Italia-Tour de France Double in 2024

'A massive challenge': Soon-to-be-retired warhorse to make Strade Bianche debut and join Pogačar in targeting cycling's most troubling double in 2024.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-training/is-it-time-to-reconsider-fasted-training/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Is It Time to Reconsider ‘Fasted Training’? New Study Calls into Question the Craze for Low Carb"}}'> Is It Time to Reconsider ‘Fasted Training’? New Study Calls into Question the Craze for Low Carb

Team Sky caused a stir with its fasted and low-carbohydrate training strategies, but new findings add fuel into the high-carb revolution that's shifting pro cycling.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/joe-dombrowski-confirms-he-will-retire-from-professional-cycling/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Joe Dombrowski Retires from Professional Cycling: ‘I Did Everything I Dreamed of, and Even More’"}}'> Joe Dombrowski Retires from Professional Cycling: ‘I Did Everything I Dreamed of, and Even More’

The popular American climber raced 14 grand tours and won a stage in the Giro d'Italia during his 11-year pro career.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/ineos-grenadiers-bullish-about-tour-de-france-in-post-brailsford-era-we-plan-on-winning-it-again/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘We Plan on Winning It Again’: Ineos Grenadiers Bullish about Tour de France in Post-Brailsford Era"}}'> ‘We Plan on Winning It Again’: Ineos Grenadiers Bullish about Tour de France in Post-Brailsford Era

New CEO John Allert insists GC racing remains the squad's North Star as he kick-starts mission to catch up to Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Emirates.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/confirmed-magnus-sheffield-in-line-for-grand-tour-debut-in-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Confirmed: Magnus Sheffield in Line for Grand Tour Debut in 2024"}}'> Confirmed: Magnus Sheffield in Line for Grand Tour Debut in 2024

'It's part of the plan': The 21-year-old American could be heading to the Giro d'Italia in what could be a breakout season.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/tour-de-france/remember-when-tour-de-france-wild-card-selection-was-a-surprise-uno-x-totalenergies-return-for-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Remember When Tour de France Wild-Card Selection was a Surprise? Uno-X, TotalEnergies Return for 2024"}}'> Remember When Tour de France Wild-Card Selection was a Surprise? Uno-X, TotalEnergies Return for 2024

Analysis: Points and rankings dictate the Tour de France wild-card selection process that's now almost devoid of drama and intrigue.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/reports-bora-hansgrohe-hunts-wout-van-aert-remco-evenepoel-for-rampage-into-red-bull-era/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Reports: Bora-Hansgrohe Hunts Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel for Rampage into Red Bull Era"}}'> Reports: Bora-Hansgrohe Hunts Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel for Rampage into Red Bull Era

Will the new Red Bull-Bora superteam get wings with the arrival of Van Aert and Evenepoel in 2025?

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/patrick-lefevere-quick-step-is-strong-enough-for-evenepoels-tour-de-france-ambitions/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Patrick Lefevere: Quick-Step Is Strong Enough for Evenepoel’s Tour de France Ambitions"}}'> Patrick Lefevere: Quick-Step Is Strong Enough for Evenepoel’s Tour de France Ambitions

'We have a team that can deliver him in the best way. I know many doubt that, but I like to be underestimated.' Quick-Step vows to come out swinging in Evenepoel's Tour debut.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/the-sports-too-small-to-hold-grudges-caleb-ewan-fine-with-tour-de-france-pause-in-jayco-alula-comeback/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘The Sport’s Too Small to Hold Grudges:’ Caleb Ewan Accepts Tour de France Pause in Jayco-AlUla Comeback"}}'> ‘The Sport’s Too Small to Hold Grudges:’ Caleb Ewan Accepts Tour de France Pause in Jayco-AlUla Comeback

Despite an acrimonious split in 2018, Jayco-AlUla always had an eye on bringing back the Aussie sprinter: 'I always stayed in touch with him.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/the-cherry-on-the-cake-primoz-roglic-ready-to-pluck-his-tour-de-france-finisher/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘The Cherry on the Cake’: Primož Roglič Convinced He Can Clinch His Tour de France Finisher with Bora-Hansgrohe"}}'> ‘The Cherry on the Cake’: Primož Roglič Convinced He Can Clinch His Tour de France Finisher with Bora-Hansgrohe

Roglič to see stripped-back schedule and heavyweight backing in an all-out push for the victory that would complete his palmarès.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-culture/origin-story-michael-morkov-son-of-tv-repairman-to-olympic-champion-i-had-to-fight-for-everything/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘I Had to Fight for Everything:’ Son of TV Repairman to Olympic Champion, the Origin Story of Michael Mørkov"}}'> ‘I Had to Fight for Everything:’ Son of TV Repairman to Olympic Champion, the Origin Story of Michael Mørkov

First bike, first win, first contract: Mørkøv's unlikely rise to become the peloton's most dangerous leadout man and Madison gold medalist.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/project-tour-de-france-inside-quick-steps-full-transformation-for-remco-evenepoel/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Project Tour de France: Inside Quick-Step’s ‘Full Transformation’ for Remco Evenepoel"}}'> Project Tour de France: Inside Quick-Step’s ‘Full Transformation’ for Remco Evenepoel

'We'll always be important in the classics, but we’re making a transformation for grand tours': The Wolfpack shifts identity for Evenepoel's bold ambitions.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/egan-bernal-continues-comeback-from-near-fatal-crash-i-just-want-to-perform-to-be-the-best-version-of-myself/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Can Egan Bernal Ever Win the Tour De France Again? Even He Doesn’t Know"}}'> Can Egan Bernal Ever Win the Tour De France Again? Even He Doesn’t Know

'I just want to perform.' Two years after catastrophic accident, former Tour de France winner talks about his 2024 goals.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/from-the-wolfpack-to-lidl-trek-behind-tim-declercqs-surprise-move/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "From the ‘Wolfpack’ to Lidl-Trek: Behind Tim Declercq’s Surprise Move"}}'> From the ‘Wolfpack’ to Lidl-Trek: Behind Tim Declercq’s Surprise Move

'The Tractor' saw the writing on the wall with Evenepoel's GC rise at Quick-Step: 'I would have never thought I'd change teams.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/how-quinn-simmons-nearly-quit-racing-after-gino-maders-tragic-death/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "How Quinn Simmons Nearly Quit Racing After Gino Mäder’s Tragic Death"}}'> How Quinn Simmons Nearly Quit Racing After Gino Mäder’s Tragic Death

US national champ stunned by tragedy: 'I was pretty convinced I was never going to race a bike again.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/the-quiet-american-brandon-mcnulty-poised-for-breakout-in-2024-he-can-win-everything/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "The Quiet American: Brandon McNulty Poised for Breakout in 2024 – ‘He Can Win Everything’"}}'> The Quiet American: Brandon McNulty Poised for Breakout in 2024 – ‘He Can Win Everything’

UAE patiently grooming the 25-year-old to be one of the team's future GC anchors: 'Brandon has no limits.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/we-are-more-and-more-performers-romain-bardet-misses-human-side-of-pro-cycling/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "‘We Are More and More Performers’: Romain Bardet Misses ‘Human’ Side of Pro Cycling"}}'> ‘We Are More and More Performers’: Romain Bardet Misses ‘Human’ Side of Pro Cycling

French climber says that winning the Giro d’Italia is a big dream, limits his future Tour de France ambitions.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/how-uae-emirates-is-going-all-in-on-artificial-intelligence-for-its-tour-de-france-fight/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Is Artificial Intelligence the Next Maximal Gain? How UAE Emirates Is Betting on ‘Big Data’"}}'> Is Artificial Intelligence the Next Maximal Gain? How UAE Emirates Is Betting on ‘Big Data’

A.I. has been creeping into pro cycling for years. Tadej Pogačar's team is taking it a step further: 'A.I. analysis could reveal anything.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/morkov-and-cavendishs-last-chance-at-history-from-botched-sprint-to-reunion/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Mørkøv and Cavendish Reunited: ‘The day after he crashed, my phone was ringing’"}}'> Mørkøv and Cavendish Reunited: ‘The day after he crashed, my phone was ringing’

A botched sprint in the final stage of the 2021 Tour de France put the wheels in motion for the Danish leadout ace to return for last chance at history.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/from-paris-roubaix-to-the-tour-de-france-matteo-jorgenson-to-pack-a-five-star-calendar-in-2024/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "From Paris-Roubaix to the Tour de France, Matteo Jorgenson to Pack a Five-Star Calendar in 2024"}}'> From Paris-Roubaix to the Tour de France, Matteo Jorgenson to Pack a Five-Star Calendar in 2024

From mud of Belgium to the Alps of France, Matteo Jorgenson's debut season with Visma-Lease a Bike is a race calendar brimming with quality.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/will-srams-1x-group-bring-primoz-roglic-and-bora-hansgrohe-the-winning-gearing/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Will SRAM’s 1X Group Bring Primož Roglič and Bora-Hansgrohe the Winning Gearing?"}}'> Will SRAM’s 1X Group Bring Primož Roglič and Bora-Hansgrohe the Winning Gearing?

Bora-Hansgrohe hops onto the 1X hype-train as German team undergoes Visma-Lease a Bike-inspired overhaul in 2024.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/winters-hotspot-why-the-worlds-best-pro-cyclists-flock-to-spain/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Winter’s Hotspot: Why the World’s Best Pro Cyclists Flock to Spain"}}'> Winter’s Hotspot: Why the World’s Best Pro Cyclists Flock to Spain

Gear tests and team bonding: Sunny Spain is everyone's choice for the WorldTour's off-season training camps.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/can-tadej-pogacar-win-everything-in-2024-uae-team-emirates-is-planning-on-it/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Pogačar’s Grand Slam Dream in 2024: ‘Tadej will Focus on Winning Every Race’"}}'> Pogačar’s Grand Slam Dream in 2024: ‘Tadej will Focus on Winning Every Race’

UAE star is targeting the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, but it doesn't stop there: 'Tadej will focus on winning his first race of the season, and the last.'

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/velos-predictions-for-2024-the-year-cyclings-record-books-will-be-rewritten/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Velo’s Predictions for 2024: The Year Cycling’s Record Books will be Rewritten"}}'> Velo’s Predictions for 2024: The Year Cycling’s Record Books will be Rewritten

In this latest installment of Velo's predictions for 2024, European editor Andrew Hood looks into cycling's crystal ball for sweeps, doubles, triples, and other new historic markers.

>", "path": "https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/primoz-roglic-i-have-greater-opportunities-at-bora-hansgrohe-than-visma-lease-a-bike/", "listing_type": "archive", "location": "list", "title": "Primož Roglič: ‘I have greater opportunity at Bora-Hansgrohe than Visma-Lease a Bike’"}}'> Primož Roglič: ‘I have greater opportunity at Bora-Hansgrohe than Visma-Lease a Bike’

Slovenian ace says intra-team tensions at Vuelta a España not the cause of Visma exit as his Tour de France quest becomes priority.

Tour de France 2023 start list: All the teams' riders for the Grande Boucle

The full list of teams and riders competing at the 110th edition, which begins 1 July

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Jumbo-Visma

1 Jonas Vingegaard (Den) 26

2 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) 29

3 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) 32

4 Sepp Kuss (USA) 28

5 Christophe Laporte (Fra) 30

6 Wout van Aert (Bel) 28

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7 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) 31

8 Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) 27

UAE Team Emirates

11 Tadej Pogačar (Slo) 24

12 Mikkel Bjerg (Den) 24

14 Felix Großchartner (Aut) 29

15 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) 34

16 Rafał Majka (Pol) 33

17 Marc Soler (Esp) 29

18 Matteo Trentin (Ita) 33

19 Adam Yates (GBr) 30

Ineos Grenadiers

21 Egan Bernal (Col) 26

22 Jonathan Castroviejo (Esp) 36

23 Omar Fraile (Esp) 32

24 Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) 33

25 Dani Martínez (Col) 27

26 Tom Pidcock (GBr) 23

27 Carlos Rodríguez (Esp) 22

28 Ben Turner (GBr) 24

Groupama-FDJ

31 David Gaudu (Fra) 26

32 Kevin Geniets (Lux) 26

33 Stefan Küng (Sui) 29

34 Olivier Le Gac (Fra) 29

35 Valentin Madouas (Fra) 26

36 Quentin Pacher (Fra) 31

37 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) 33

38 Lars van den Berg (Ned) 24

EF Education-EasyPost

41 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) 30

42 Andrey Amador (CRC) 36

43 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) 29

44 Esteban Chaves (Col) 33

45 Magnus Cort (Den) 30

46 Neilson Powless (USA) 26

47 James Shaw (GBr) 27

48 Rigoberto Uran (Col) 36

Soudal - Quick-Step

51 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) 31

52 Kasper Asgreen (Den) 28

53 Rémi Cavagna (Fra) 27

54 Tim Declercq (Bel) 34

55 Dries Devenyns (Bel) 39

56 Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) 26

57 Yves Lampaert (Bel) 32

58 Michael Mørkøv (Den) 38

Bahrain Victorius

62 Mikel Landa (Esp) 33

63 Nikias Arndt (Ger) 31

64 Phil Bauhaus (Ger) 28

65 Pello Bilbao (Esp) 33

66 Jack Haig (Aus) 29

67 Matej Mohorič (Slo) 28

68 Wout Poels (Ned) 35

69 Fred Wright (Gbr) 24

Bora-Hansgrohe

71 Jai Hindley (Aus) 27

72 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) 30

73 Marco Haller (Aut) 32

74 Bob Jungels (Lux) 30

75 Patrick Konrad (Aut) 31

76 Jordi Meeus (Bel) 24

77 Nils Politt (Ger) 29

78 Danny van Poppel (Ned) 29

81 Giulio Ciccone (Ita) 28

82 Tony Gallopin (Fra) 35

83 Mattias Skjelmose (Den) 22

84 Alex Kirsch (Lux) 31

85 Juan Pedro Lopez (Esp) 25

86 Mads Pedersen (Den) 27

87 Quinn Simmons (USA) 22

88 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) 31

AG2R Citroën

91 Ben O'Connor (Aus) 27

92 Clément Berthet (Fra) 25

93 Benoît Cosnefroy (Fra) 27

94 Stan Dewulf (Bel) 25

95 Felix Gall (Aut) 25

96 Oliver Naesen (Bel) 32

97 Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra) 27

98 Nans Peters (Fra) 29

Alpecin-Deceuninck

101 Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) 28

102 Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) 34

102 Silvan Dillier (Sui) 32

103 Michael Gogl (Aut) 29

104 Quinten Hermans (Bel) 27

105 Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) 28

106 Jasper Philipsen (Bel) 25

107 Jonas Rickaert (Bel) 29

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty

111 Biniam Girmay (Eri) 23

112 Lilian Calmejane (Fra) 30

113 Rui Costa (Por) 36

114 Louis Meintjes (RSA) 31

115 Adrien Petit (Fra) 32

116 Dion Smith (NZl) 30

117 Mike Teunissen (Ned) 30

118 Georg Zimmerman (Ger) 25

121 Guillaume Martin (Fra) 30

122 Bryan Coquard (Fra) 31

123 Simon Geschke (Ger) 37

124 Ion Izagirre (Esp) 34

125 Victor Lafay (Fra) 27

126 Anthony Perez (Fra) 32

127 Alexis Renard (Fra) 24

128 Axel Zingle (Fra) 24

131 Enric Mas (Esp) 28

132 Ruben Guerreiro (Por) 28

133 Alex Aranburu (Esp) 27

134 Gorka Izagirre (Esp) 35

135 Matteo Jorgenson (USA) 23

136 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) 29

137 Nelson Oliveira (Por) 34

138 Antonio Pedrero (Esp) 31

Team DSM-firmenich

141 Romain Bardet (Fra) 32

142 John Degenkolb (Ger) 34

143 Matthew Dinham (Aus) 23

144 Alex Edmondson (Aus) 29

145 Nils Eekhoff (Ned) 25

146 Chris Hamilton (Aus) 28

147 Kevin Vermaerke (USA) 22

148 Sam Welsford (Aus) 27

Israel-Premier Tech

151 Michael Woods (Can) 36

152 Guillaume Boivin (Can) 34

153 Simon Clarke (Aus) 36

154 Hugo Houle (Can) 32

155 Krists Neilands (Lat) 28

156 Nick Schultz (Aus) 28

157 Corbin Strong (NZl) 23

158 Dylan Teuns (Bel) 31

Jayco-AlUla

161 Simon Yates (GBr) 30

162 Lawson Craddock (USA) 31

163 Luke Durbridge (Aus) 32

164 Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) 30

165 Chris Harper (Aus) 28

166 Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den) 33

167 Luka Mezgec (Slo) 34

168 Elmar Reinders (Ned) 31

Team Arkéa-Samsic

171 Warren Barguil (Fra) 31

172 Jenthe Biermans (Bel) 27

173 Clément Champoussin (Fra) 25

174 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) 33

175 Simon Gugliemi (Fra) 25

176 Matis Louvel (Fra) 23

177 Luca Mozzato (Ita) 25

178 Laurent Pichon (Fra) 36

Lotto Dstny

181 Caleb Ewan (Aus) 28

182 Victor Campernaerts (Bel) 31

183 Jasper De Buyst (Bel) 29

184 Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) 26

185 Frederik Frison (Bel) 30

186 Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) 35

187 Maxim van Gils (Bel) 23

188 Florian Vermeersch (Bel) 24

Astana Qazaqstan

191 Mark Cavendish (GBr) 38

192 Cees Bol (Ned) 27

193 David De La Cruz (Esp) 34

194 Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz) 23

195 Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) 30

196 Gianni Moscon (Ita) 29

197 Luis León Sánchez (Esp) 39

198 Harold Tejada (Col) 26

201 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) 35

202 Jonas Abrahamsen (Nor) 27

203 Anthon Charmig (Den) 25

204 Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) 23

205 Rasmus Tiller (Nor) 26

206 Torstein Træen (Nor) 27

207 Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) 23

208 Jonas Gregard (Den) 26

TotalEnergies

211 Peter Sagan (Fra) 29

212 Edvald Boasson-Hagen (Nor) 36

213 Mathieu Burgaudeau (Fra) 24

214 Steff Cras (Bel) 27

215 Valentin Ferron (Fra) 25

216 Pierre Latour (Fra) 29

217 Daniel Oss (Ita) 36

218 Anthony Turgis (Fra) 29

The 120th Tour de France begins on the 1 July in Bilbao, Spain, before travelling into France, finishing in Paris 21 stages later on 23 July. You can take a look at our guide to the route of the race here , and find out how to watch the biggest cycling event of the year here .

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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. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. 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.

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Tour de France 2023: our selection of the most beautiful mountain stages

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Cycling Tourism Nature and Outdoor Activities Sporting Activities Mountains

Reading time: 0 min Published on 4 December 2023, updated on 15 April 2024

The most famous cycle race in the world, the Tour de France will be taking to the skies once again this year, as the 3,404km and 21 stages will take in all 5 of France's mountain ranges! The Pyrenees, the Auvergne volcanoes, the Jura mountains, the Alps and the Vosges massif... The peloton has plenty of pedalling to do and plenty of climbing to do. The grandiose landscapes, the high altitude finishes and the dizzying descents promise to be emotional highs. To experience the highs (and lows) of the Grand Loop, saddle up with our selection of the most beautiful mountain stages.

From Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque, the Pyrenees take centre stage

After 3 stages on the Spanish side, welcome to the French Pyrenees! First there's Bayonne and the Basque country, Dax and its thermal baths, Pau and its beautiful castle where King Henry IV was born. And then there's Tarbes, with its breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, its palm-lined streets (yes, yes!) and its gourmet markets. The riders of the 2023 Tour de France will need a lot of courage to tear themselves away from this gentle way of life and tackle the climbs of the Aspin and terrible Tourmalet cols . The reward for all this climbing is a finish on the Cambasque plateau, overlooking the charming resort of Cauterets, in the heart of the Pyrenees National Park, where the Pic du Midi is enthroned. Want to cool off? Try the hike to the peaceful Lac d'Ilhéou . In a green setting with magnificent views and waterfalls, picnics and swimming...

The Puy de Dôme, a feast for the eyes in Auvergne

The ascent of Puy de Dôme, the undisputed star of the Auvergne, will be one of the highlights of the 2023 Tour de France! The youngest and highest volcano in the Puys chain has not featured on the itinerary for 35 years. Taking on this fearsome and majestic peak and finishing with a 360° view over the gentle rolling hills of the Parc naturel régional des Volcans d'Auvergne is sure to motivate many a rider! But did you know that you can also climb this peaceful giant by mule track or on board the Panoramique des Dômes, a picturesque little cogwheel train? In just 15 minutes, you'll be transported to an altitude of 1,465 m, with the 80 volcanoes of the Puy range and the Limagne fault (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site at your feet. To complete a stage that's full of fireworks, the Vulcania Park is not far away! Who can beat that?

Breathtaking escapes in the Jura

Expect to fall under the spell of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne! Just 1 hour from Lyon and the Monts du Beaujolais, this small town in the Ain département, from which the Tour de France 2023 peloton will set off on 14 July, is a delightful medieval town. With its pink stone houses, flower-bedecked bridges and old market hall housing one of France's most popular traditional markets, it is also the gateway to the Dombes region, a paradise for fish farmers and birdwatchers with its landscapes of water and ponds. Take advantage of this area on foot, by boat or, ideally, by bike (it's flat!), before taking to the heights of the Montagnes du Jura , just a stone's throw away. The Pyramide du Bugey, from the top of which you can see Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva, is a must-see. The Tour de France riders attack it via the Col du Grand Colombier. At top speed. Take your time, the panorama is well worth it!

In the Alps, between lakes and legendary passes

It's doubtful that the riders will enjoy the view of Lake Geneva as they take their first pedal to the metal in the Alps at Annemasse on stage 14 of the Tour de France 2023. We recommend this one, though, as well as the view of Lake Annecy and its turquoise waters. Then it's time for a series of twists and turns and climbs to the legendary passes of the Alps, including the famous Col du Feu, an unprecedented climb for the peloton. At an altitude of 1,000 metres, in the heart of the Portes du Soleil ski area, the stage finish in Morzine won't dampen the spirits of those who love nature. In summer, the little village resort in the Alps is an ideal playground for lovers of outdoor activities : a stroll along the Dérêches river, swimming in Lake Montriond, canyoning or via ferrata... the hardest thing will be to choose.

From Gets to Saint-Gervais, Mont Blanc in your sights

For the first time since its creation, the Tour de France will start from Les Gets. Well-known to mountain bikers (the World Championships were held there in 2022), the pretty Alpine resort will kick off a 15th stage during which you'll need to have plenty of breath. The Col de la Forclaz-Montmin is on the programme. So allow yourself a break at its belvedere for a bird's-eye view of Lake Annecy before setting off again for Saint-Gervais, at the foot of Mont-Blanc. If you want to reach the highest peak in the Alps, this village resort, with its well-preserved heritage and traditions, is the ideal place to stop. And its thermal baths, renowned for the many benefits of their waters, set the well-being at the summit in a magnificent green setting.

Courchevel, star of the Alps

The regulars call it Courch' and they come and go summer and winter as connoisseurs, just like the Tour de France caravan which is visiting the Savoyard resort for the 4th time. Welcome to the pinnacle of top-of-the-range skiing in the Alps, at the heart of the Three Valleys ski area. Courchevel tops the list not only for the size of its ski area (Méribel and Val Thorens are its famous neighbours) but also for its range of hotels (no fewer than 5 mountain palaces , from the Apogée to the Cheval Blanc, not forgetting the K2 Palace, Airelles and the Hôtel Barrière Les Neiges) and restaurants. So, with its 6 hamlets and the surrounding area, the resort has a lot to offer. Take a selfie at the top of La Saulire, take a stroll down to Lac de la Rosière, cycle down the Bike Park, spend the night in the Lacs Merlet refuge or hike through the heart of the Vallée des Avals... You're going to love it!

Full steam ahead in the Vosges

Between the Lorraine plateau and the Alsace plain, the Vosges massif lives up to its reputation: a perfect blend of nature, wide open spaces, traditions and local produce, crafts and fine cheeses. Between the Grand Ballon d'Alsace and the Petit Ballon, via the famous Col de la Schlucht, the Tour de France 2023 will be taking a break from the normality of the mountains, with a new finish on the slopes of the Markstein, in the welcoming family resort of Marlstein Fellering. In the heart of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park , you can enjoy bucolic hikes, tobogganing in the mountain pastures, paragliding with a view, and mountain biking (or mountain bikes) in a landscape of absolute serenity. And for those with a sweet tooth, July is the peak of blueberry season (and the season for tarts in the farm inns).

And (finally) Paris.... and the Olympics!

Will the riders be in Olympic form for the triumphant finish on the Champs-Elysées on 23 July 2023? Just one year ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris , the route will certainly provide a magnificent prologue to the sporting event. Starting in Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, all the future Olympic venues in the Yvelines département will be on the peloton's final route. A gigantic loop will join the Colline d'Elancourt (where the mountain bike events will take place), the Golf National in Guyancourt and the Château de Versailles , which will host the equestrian events and part of the modern pentathlon competitions. A prestigious line-up of finishers for a Tour de France 2023 that's sure to be at the top of its game!

Find out more:

More information on the route of the Tour de France 2023 and nearby tourist attractions

5 minutes to find out all about the Tour de France 9 mountain skills to discover

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The magazine of the destination unravels an unexpected France that revisits tradition and cultivates creativity. A France far beyond what you can imagine…

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2023 tour de france bikes: a closer look at the peloton's speedsters.

Published on July 13, 2023

The bikes for the Tour de France 2023 are obviously the most powerful on the market. At this level, nothing can be left to chance, and it's only logical that the world's best cyclists should have state-of-the-art equipment at their disposal for the biggest race on the calendar. Every gram counts, so it's hardly surprising to find only carbon frames and  carbon wheels in the peloton. The International Cycling Union imposes a minimum weight of 6.8 kg to avoid overkill, which is detrimental to the solidity of the bikes, and therefore to the safety of the riders. The weight of Tour de France bikes is therefore close to this regulatory limit. Before we take a look at some of the bikes used in the Grande Boucle, let's see how much a Tour de France bike costs, and how you can ride a professional bike at a reduced price.

Tour de France 2023 racing bikes

The Tour de France is the most widely publicized cycling race, broadcast in almost every country in the world. It's a great showcase for brands, and they often go to great lengths to ensure that their new models are ready for the event. This year, there are 19 brands taking part in the race. The average cost of the jewels they offer riders is rather prohibitive: the price of a Tour de France bike varies between €9,000 and €18,000, depending on the team! When you consider that some 1,000 bicycles are present on the Grande Boucle... that's a lot of money criss-crossing France in July! Fortunately for them, the professional teams don't buy these bikes, or not at public price. Most of the time, the brands make the bikes available free of charge. Instead, they rely on the spin-offs for the general public who have seen them race.

Certified Pre-Owned Bikes: professional team equipment at reduced prices

As we've just seen, the cost of a bike for the Tour de France is very high... And it's even more exorbitant when you consider that it's possible to get ride a bike used by the professionals less than 5 years ago for a much lower price. Indeed, in such a short space of time, technology evolves very little. Buying a Certified Pre-Owned bike will give you the pleasure of riding a professional cyclist's bike at a reduced price. Among the selection of Certified Pre-Owned  road bikes from The Cyclist House, you'll find many of the peloton's stars of recent years. To ensure your satisfaction from the very first ride, our bikes are scrupulously checked and cleaned. All our bikes undergo a 114-point inspection by our mechanics. What's more, when you choose The Cyclist House for the purchase of your pre-owned bike, you benefit from a one-year warranty and a 30-day "money-back guarantee".

Ride the bike of a four-time Tour de France winner? It's possible, thanks to the magic of Certified Pre-Owned ! See the bike

⏩ Already own a bike you'd like to sell first? No problem, we'll buy it from you ! 💰

The bikes of the Tour's professional teams

With almost 56,000 meters of ascent and a passage through all of France's major mountain ranges, the Tour de France 2023 is particularly demanding. To adapt to this route, bikes are generally lighter. For some time now, handlebars have also been narrower (under 40 cm) to allow riders to adopt more aerodynamic positions. But these aren't the only changes we've seen in the peloton this year. Each brand took advantage of the event to introduce its latest innovations. The Cyclist House team presents you a small selection of the bikes of the peloton's stars and their main innovations.

The Cervélo R5 and S5 for Jumbo-Visma

You don't change a winning team... After winning 3 of the 4 distinctive jerseys last year, Jumbo is keeping the same Cervélo models this year: the R5 for the mountains and the S5 (with its pretty triangular stem!) for the faster stages, all now equipped by SRAM. On some stages, we saw title-holder Jonas Vingegaard and the redoubtable Wout Van Aert use a 1x groupset, a choice not yet widely available on the road. The advantages of this single-plate configuration are a slight aero gain and a lower risk of chain jump (given that there's one less derailleur...).

Colnago V4RS for UAE Team Emirates

The other big favorite, Tadej Pogacar, has opted for a Colnago V4RS, now equipped with Shimano's top-of-the-range Dura-Ace drivetrain. This model was already in use last year under the Prototipo name, which was, as we all know, a prototype. As a reminder, UCI regulations require teams to use bikes that are already on the market or will be within the next 12 months.

The new BMC Masterpiece and Teammachine SLR01 for AG2R Citroën Team

At AG2R, not everyone is in the same boat for this Tour de France 2023. Ben O'Connor and Benoit Cosnefroy are benefiting from BMC's prototype: the Masterpiece. A true masterpiece developed jointly by BMC and the Red Bull Formula 1 team. The two are also spoiled for choice when it comes to drivetrains, with the brand-new Campagnolo Super Record Wireless groupset. The rest of the team still uses the BMC Teammachine SLR01.

Canyon Aeroad CFR and Ultimate CFR for Alpecin-Deceuninck and Movistar

Both Jasper Philipsen's team and Spain's Movistar usually ride the Canyon Aeroad CFR with its sophisticated aerodynamics, but they prefer the Ultimate CFR for the mountains. When it comes to equipment, choices differ. Movistar opts for SRAM, while Alpecin opts for Shimano Dura-Ace. It's worth noting that Alpecin-Deceuninck's strongman, Mathieu Van der Poel, has a special livery.

Bora Hansgrohe / Soudal Quick-Step / Total Energies: full house for Specialized

By equipping three teams at the highest level, the American brand Specialized is the best represented brand in the Tour de France. Unsurprisingly, all three teams opted for the very best: the Tarmac SL7 . Indeed, even if there was some suspense about its appearance this July, the SL8 model isn't quite ready yet. However, there's a slight difference for Total Energies, which (due to a lack of resources comparable to the other 2?) is still using a Cassette with 11 speeds, not 12. With 24 professional riders out of 176 equipped, including Julian Alaphilippe and Fabio Jakobsen, Specialized had a strong chance of winning again at the 2023 Tour de France. In the end, it was Jay Hindley who was the first to raise his arms on his Tarmac.

Trek Madone for Lidl-Trek

Lidl-Trek boasts a state-of-the-art bike: the Madone SLR 9 AXS Gen 7. The great feature of this marvel is the cavity above the seat tube, called IsoFlow Technology, which accelerates the flow of air through the frame. This technical innovation, which gives the impression that the seatpost rests on nothing, is said to save one minute per hour compared with the old version! For the mountains, riders use the Trek Emonda SLR 9, less aero but lighter.

Look back on the Tour de France with Cofidis

French brand Look is back at the highest level, equipping the Cofidis men's and women's professional teams. The 795 Blade RS model has been chosen for the Tour de France. Look Combo handlebars Aero Handlebar is particularly well designed, with the possibility of easily changing the stem and the HandlebarIt's also possible to adjust the inclination. The whole unit is fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace, Corima wheels and pedals... from Look, of course!

Lapierre: French top-of-the-range for Groupama-FDJ

Thibaut Pinot, David Gaudu and their team-mates have the right to a rather special bike on the roads of the Grande Boucle. The Xelius SL 10.0 Symbiosis Edition has been designed by the French firm Lapierre, in partnership with the Obvious trio of artists who exploit artificial intelligence. The term is slightly overused these days, so make no mistake: the work of Lapierre and Obvious goes far beyond a simple ChatGPT invention! The idea was to combine creativity, technology and performance to create a unique bike, as beautiful as it is fast. And they succeeded! The frame features multiple references to science fiction, technical progress and dystopia. The gears refer to the bike, and the flowers to the rider who makes the most of it. In terms of performance, we're back to Lapierre's top-of-the-range quality, with a highly polished machine and an incredible weight of just 6.9 kg!

Ineos Grenadiers remains loyal to Pinarello

Winners of 7 of the last 12 Tour de France races, the Ineos-Grenadiers team continues to place its trust in the Italian brand Pinarello, its historic equipment supplier. Once again this year, former yellow jersey Egan Bernal and Tom Pidcock, among others, are riding the Dogma F12 model. Carbon fiber and nanoalloy make this bike one of the best in the peloton. Riders use it on every stage. Only the wheels sometimes change: in the mountains, the team prefers Princeton Carbon Works to Shimano.

German Cube bikes for Intermarché Circus Wanty

The Belgian team, which reached the top 10 of the overall classification for the first time last year thanks to Louis Mentjes, is once again using bikes from the German brand Cube. The models favored by the riders are the Litening Aero C:68 X for the flat and the lightweight Litening Air C:68X SLT for the mountains. The frame of this climber's bike weighs just 800 g! Fully assembled, it is within the 6.8 kg limit authorized by the UCI. That's enough to influence the famous watts/kg ratio!

Team Jayco Alula with Giant Propel Advanced SL

The Australian Jayco Alula team is equipped by one of the world's leading manufacturers: Giant. On this Tour de France, the Taiwanese firm is obviously providing their best bike, the Propel Advanced SL with its truncated ellipse-shaped tubes and D-shaped fork steerer tube... Very aerodynamic indeed! In the mountains, riders generally opt for the lighter TCR Advanced SL. Before finding all these marvels on our site very soon, don't hesitate to discover the previous versions of these models in our road selection. We can't guarantee that you'll knock off Strava's KOM/QOM, but you're sure to find something to please you! 😉

Florian Topin

A lifelong cycling enthusiast, Florian can't stop talking about it! As a web editor, he's free to write for hours about his favorite sport. From Lille, where he lives, he frequently crosses the Belgian border to tackle the Flemish mountains on his Giant TCR Advanced. Cobbled roads, wind, rain... Florian is used to difficult conditions, but he never really shines on the slopes of the dreaded Mount Kemmel. A convinced environmentalist, he is convinced that certified pre-owned bikes are the way of the future!

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Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc 1 Ultegra - 2022, M/L

2.899€ 4.400€

BMC Roadmachine 01 ONE Dura-Ace Di2 - 2022, 56cm

5.499€ 11.500€

Pinarello Paris 501 Think 2 - 2014, 59,5cm

1.899€ 4.700€

Look 795 Blade RS Full Black Mat Glossy - 2021, Large

2.299€ 4.200€

Bianchi Aria Aero 105 Di2 - 2023, X-Large / 59cm

2.999€ 4.350€

Trek Domane SL 6 Gen 4 - 2023, 54cm

3.199€ 5.800€

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Orbea Orca M31eLTD PWR - 2023, 55cm

4.299€ 6.000€

Adris Asphalte - 2023, Large

1.099€ 1.400€

Adris Asphalte Disc - 2023, Large

1.349€ 1.700€

Specialized Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO - 2020, Large

4.099€ 8.500€

Ridley Fenix SLiC Ultegra - 2023, Small

2.699€ 3.950€

Scott Addict Team Issue Ultegra Di2 - 2016, 54cm

2.199€ 6.500€

Adris Asphalte - 2023, Medium

899€ 1.100€

Adris Airline - 2023, Medium

1.299€ 1.700€

Orbea Orca M21eLTD PWR Force eTap AXS - 2023, 51cm

5.299€ 8.000€

Orbea Orca M30iLTD PWR - 2023, 55cm

4.399€ 5.800€

Orbea Orca M21eLTD PWR Force eTap AXS - 2023, 53cm

Specialized roubaix sl4 expert - 2016, 54cm.

1.599€ 3.800€

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