Perhaps never before has a Tour de France course been as hilly as this year. All five mountain regions of the country are passed through. The start is in the cycling-mad Basque country, and highlights such as the Col d’Aspin and Tourmalet await in the Pyrenees in the first week. It goes up the Puy de Dôme, through the Jura, the Alps – and at the end the decision about the overall victory has to be made in the Vosges.
When San Sebastián was bursting at the seams at a party in honor of the Tour de France in March – 100 days before the start of the 110th Tour de France – the organizers got an idea of what they had in store for July: The Basque Country will be upside down when the tour starts in their region for the first time in 35 years. Pride, excitement and enthusiasm of the population on an enormous scale will accompany the pros for three days.
Classic profiles on the first two days
That will be exciting and fascinating – but it certainly wouldn’t have been necessary to focus the drivers on this year’s tour on their sporting highlight of the year right from the first day. Just looking at the course and the profile of the tour causes the greatest tension: There is no warming up, leisurely rolling or short presentations – the first two stages around Bilbao and San Sebastián are long, difficult tours. They definitely have what it takes to be ridden as one-day classics based on their difficulty.
| characteristics of the stages | |
|---|---|
8 mountain stages | |
4 mountain arrivals | |
6 hilly stages | |
6 flat stages | |
1 individual time trial |
After fast-paced all-rounders like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and local hero Julian Alaphilippe fought for the yellow jersey for two days and the sprinters came into their own on the third and fourth day of the stage, the peloton has arrived in France. And not just anywhere, but in the middle of the Pyrenees. What will call the aspirants to the overall victory on the plan from the 5th stage.
Pyrenees – short but crisp
On July 5th, between Pau and Laruns, the first real mountain stage is on the agenda, where Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Co. can exchange blows towards the 2023 Tour crown. Only to be asked for a second time the next day. And properly. With a mountain stage and the legendary combination between Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet. At the very end of this great Pyrenean stage, the first mountain finish in Cauterets-Cambasque awaits, where the favorites should fight for important seconds.
The route of the 2023 tour
Because one thing is certain about the Tour 2023: It will be a matter of seconds. Which also has to do with the fact that the organizers only included one individual time trial – a team time trial, where there used to be minute gaps between the teams, is long gone.
Mountains, mountains, mountains – off to the Massif Central
It will take until July 18th for the individual time trial – which is 22 kilometers long and also has a mountainous character. Then the drivers are already thick and fat in the Alps. But by then they will have experienced a lot. The overall classification will have a clear character, the fight for the special jerseys will be in full swing.
Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at the 2022 tour
Contenders for the mountain jersey should have marked an absolute highlight of the route, among other things: July 9th with a mythical mountain finish on the Puy de Dôme near Clermont-Ferrand, for example. The most famous volcano in Auvergne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is well protected in a nature reserve. As a result, the riders will have to tackle the last steep four kilometers to the summit all by themselves – spectators will not be allowed here.
Through all five mountain regions of France
Before the peloton is led from the central massif into the Alps with the help of a few transitional stages, there is a highly interesting next mountain stage in the Jura on July 14th. Short and sweet over 137 kilometers, that’s what the road book says, at the end a mountain finish of the superlative awaits with the Grand Colombier: Over 17.4 kilometers can be climbed, with an average gradient of 7.1 percent. Here the favorites for overall victory will have to reveal their cards.
Mountains, mountains, mountains: This is how it continues in the mega-heavy second half of the tour. On July 15th and 16th, two classic climbing days are coming up in the Alps. With the Col de Joux Plane and a descent to the finish in Morzine on Saturday, as well as a mountain finish on Sunday, when after five difficult climbs and again over 4,000 meters in altitude the finish is placed high up in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc.
A individual time trial with discussion potential
The riders will have to use the following rest day to get back on track to some extent – and to discuss: What to do on Tuesday when the 22 km individual time trial with two mountainous parts at the beginning and at the end of a rouleur passage is cut up, which you should actually complete on a time trial machine. Wheel change in between – yes or no? That will be the question.
After the Alps, the classification should be reasonably stable – but one day before the end of the day, there is a part of the day where you can really attack, attack and hope for a late weakness of the competitor: On July 22nd, the 20th and penultimate stage leads over six heavy mountains through the Vosges. It will be the showdown of the favorites when the finish line is up in Le Markstein after a good 133 kilometers. Only then is it really done – and the tour will be able to choose its winner after a total record number of 30 mountains in the three highest categories.