The 2023 Tour de France is the 110th edition of the Tour de France. It started in Bilbao, Spain on 1 July[1] and will end with the final stage at Champs-Élysées, Paris on 23 July.
The first stage around Bilbao in the Basque Country saw a crash of several riders, which ultimately forced two pre-race favourites, Richard Carapaz (EF Education–EasyPost) and Enric Mas (Movistar Team), to abandon. It was later determined Carapaz had fractured his patella.[2] The race broke into several groups over the two final climbs of the day, with identical twins Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) and Simon Yates (Team Jayco–AlUla) breaking away from a select group on the final ascent. The pair held their advantage to the finish, with Adam Yates taking the stage win and the first leader's yellow jersey ahead of his brother. Two-time winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the sprint in the group behind to finish third, and Neilson Powless (EF Education–EasyPost) took the lead in the mountains classification.[3][4][5]
Stage 2 featured the climb of the Jaizkibel, prominently used in the race Clásica de San Sebastián later in the season. On the climb, a select group of favourites emerged ahead of the peloton, with Pogačar taking eight bonus seconds available at the summit ahead of defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo–Visma). Victor Lafay (Cofidis) broke clear of the leading group within the final kilometre of the stage and managed to keep his advantage to win the stage ahead of defending green jersey winner Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo–Visma), while Yates retained the yellow jersey.[8]
On stage 4, Philipsen won ahead of Caleb Ewan (Lotto–Dstny) and Bauhaus in a sprint finish at the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro.[14] The final part of the stage was marred by several crashes, including Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal–Quick-Step), while Yates retained the yellow jersey for another day.[15] Following two hard opening days and with the high mountains of the Pyrenees to come the day after, the field took a slow tempo during stage 4, with no breakaway forming until 100 km (62 mi) into the race. This led to criticism, with some, such as stage winner Philipsen, describing it as "the most boring Tour de France stage for a long time".[16]
On Stage 5, the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees, a substantial breakaway group of 17 riders emerged, including several pre-race favorites. This breakaway, which included Jai Hindley (Bora–Hansgrohe), his teammate Emanuel Buchmann, Giulio Ciccone, Wout van Aert, former world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal–Quick-Step), and Austrian climber Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën Team), gained an advantage over the main peloton and maintained a consistent lead. The breakaway's maximum lead over the peloton was four minutes, and it remained at around 2:30 minutes as the riders approached the final climb of the day, the Col de Marie-Blanque.
During the ascent of the Col de Marie-Blanque, Gall and Hindley, who had accumulated enough points to secure the mountains classification lead, broke away from the breakaway group. Hindley managed to drop Gall and proceeded to ride solo over the top of the climb and to the finish line in Laruns, securing the stage victory and taking the lead in the general classification.
In the pursuing group of favorites, Vingegaard launched an attack 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the summit of the Marie-Blanque. This move allowed him to distance Pogačar. As Vingegaard caught up to Gall, Buchmann, and Ciccone on the descent, he secured a fifth-place finish on the stage, crossing the finish line 34 seconds behind Hindley. Pogačar tried to limit his losses, waiting for his distanced teammate Adam Yates, and eventually crossed the finish line 1:04 minutes behind Vingegaard, causing him to drop to sixth place overall. Other contenders like Gaudu, Martinez, Rodriguez, and the Yates brothers also finished together with Pogačar. Meanwhile, Ben O'Connor and Romain Bardet lost 1:57 minutes to Hindley.[19][20]
The first mountain finish of the Tour occurred on Stage 6 in Cauterets-Cambasque. A breakaway of twenty riders formed, which included van Aert and Powless. This breakaway enabled Powless to regain the lead in the mountains classification. During the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet, Team Jumbo–Visma picked up the pace in the peloton, led by Sepp Kuss to support Vingegaard. As a result, all riders were distanced except for Pogačar. Vingegaard caught up with van Aert, who had dropped back from the lead group to assist his team leader.
Approximately halfway up the 16 km (9.9 mi) final ascent to Cambasque, a lead-out by Van Aert set the stage for Vingegaard and Pogačar to pull ahead of all other riders. Around 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the finish, Pogačar launched an acceleration that allowed him to distance Vingegaard. Pogačar secured the stage victory, while Vingegaard finished second, 24 seconds behind. Vingegaard's performance granted him the coveted yellow jersey of the race leader, holding a 25-second advantage over Pogačar in the general classification. The previous overnight leader, Hindley, who had fallen behind on the Tourmalet climb, experienced a significant time loss and dropped to third place overall, trailing Vingegaard by 1:34 minutes.[23][24]
Stage 7 was a flat stage ending in a bunch sprint in Bordeaux. The sprint was won by Philipsen again, narrowly beating Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team), whose bicycle gears slipped within metres of the finish line.[27]
Stage 8 put an end to Cavendish's attempt to break the record for most stage wins, as an injury sustained in a crash forced him to abandon the Tour; the stage was won in a sprint by Mads Pedersen.[30]
The Tour returned to the Puy de Dôme for the first time since 1988, with a summit finish. A 14-man breakaway emerged early; late in the stage, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team) broke away from the breakaway and led the race alone for most of the last 47 km before being overtaken in the last 500 metres by Michael Woods (Israel–Premier Tech), who won the stage at the top of the Puy de Dôme. Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey, but lost time to Pogačar, who crossed the finish line eight seconds ahead of him.[33]
After the first rest day, stage 10 had a chaotic beginning, with many groups of riders—at one point including Vingegaard and Pogačar—attempting to break away before being caught by the peloton; a stable breakaway emerged around the halfway point of the stage. Krists Neilands (Israel–Premier Tech), attacked the breakaway group and was solo leader for much of the last section of the stage, but was eventually caught by other breakaway riders including Pello Bilbao (Team Bahrain Victorious), who went on to win the stage. Bilbao dedicated his victory to his late teammate Gino Mäder, who had died after a crash in the Tour de Suisse the previous month.[34][35]
^Farr, Stephen (27 October 2022). "Tour de France 2023 route revealed – mountainous profile, only 22km of time trialling and four summit finishes". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
^"EF Education-EasyPost fight back after Richard Carapaz Tour de France crash". cyclingnews.com. 2 July 2023.
^Whittle, Jeremy (1 July 2023). "Adam Yates pips twin Simon to Tour de France stage one win and yellow jersey". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^Puddicombe, Stephen (July 1, 2023). "As it happened: Adam Yates victorious in Bilbao Tour de France opener". Cycling News. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
^Jumbo’s Death Star, Pidcock’s dog and Basque pride: Inside the Tour de France’s Grand Depart, Lawrence Ostlere, The Independent, 2 July 2023
^ abRyan, Barry (1 July 2023). "Tour de France stage 1: Adam Yates wins ahead of twin brother Simon in Bilbao". Cycling News. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France – 1 – Bilbao". Tissot Timing. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
^Whittle, Jeremy (2 July 2023). "Tour de France: Victor Lafay wins stage two but Adam Yates keeps overall lead". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^ abRyan, Barry (2 July 2023). "Tour de France: Victor Lafay gives Cofidis their first win since 2008 on stage 2". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 2 - Vitoria-Gasteiz > Donostia Saint-Sébastien | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
^Lowe, Felix (3 July 2023). "Jasper Philipsen storms to first stage win as Wout van Aert edged out again". Eurosport. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^ abAlasdair, Fotheringham (3 July 2023). "Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen wins stage 3 after impressive lead-out from Mathieu van der Poel". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 3 - Amorebieta-Etxano > Bayonne | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
^"Jasper Philipsen wins again after chaotic finish to stage four". BBC. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^Whittle, Jeremy (4 July 2023). "Jasper Philipsen wins stage four of Tour de France after 'carnage' on track". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^Hood, Andrew (4 July 2023). "Chats, naps, crashes, and relegations: Inside the 'most boring stage at the Tour de France'". Outside. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^ abAlasdair, Fotheringham (4 July 2023). "Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen wins two in a row in crash-marred stage 4". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 4 - Dax > Nogaro | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
^"Tour de France: Jai Hindley wins stage five to take yellow jersey". BBC. July 5, 2023.
^Ryan, Barry (5 July 2023). "Tour de France: Jai Hindley wins stage 5 as Vingegaard drops Pogacar in Pyrenees". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^ abRyan, Barry (5 July 2023). "Tour de France: Jai Hindley wins stage 5 as Vingegaard drops Pogacar in Pyrenees". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 5 - Pau > Laruns | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
^"Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar beats Jonas Vingegaard to win stage six after thrilling finale". BBC. July 6, 2023.
^Lowe, Felix (6 July 2023). "Tadej Pogacar Strikes Back on Stage 6 as Jonas Vingegaard Sneaks into Yellow at the Tour de France". Eurosport. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^ abRyan, Barry (6 July 2023). "Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar claws back time with victory at Cauterets". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 6 - Tarbes > Cauterets | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
^"Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen denies Mark Cavendish outright stage wins record". BBC. July 7, 2023.
^ abWeislo, Laura (7 July 2023). "Tour de France: Philipsen denies Cavendish, completes hat-trick in Bordeaux". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 7 - Mont-de-Marsan > Bordeaux | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^"Tour de France: Mark Cavendish breaks collarbone in Tour-ending crash". BBC. July 8, 2023.
^ abStuart, Peter (7 July 2023). "Tour de France: Mads Pedersen beats Jasper Philipsen to win crash-marred stage 8". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 8 - Libourne > Limoges | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
^"Tour de France 2023: Michael Woods claims first stage win on summit finish for stage nine". BBC. July 9, 2023.
^"Tour de France: Pello Bilbao dedicates victory to Gino Mader after winning stage 10". BBC. July 11, 2023.
^Weislo, Laura (July 11, 2023). "Tour de France: Pello Bilbao scorches sprint from breakaway to win stage 10". Cycling News.
^ abWeislo, Laura (11 July 2023). "Tour de France: Pello Bilbao scorches sprint from breakaway to win stage 10". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 10 - Vulcania > Issoire | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
^"Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen sprints to fourth stage victory of 2023 edition". BBC. July 12, 2023.
^ abMoultrie, James (12 July 2023). "Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen flies to fourth sprint victory on stage 11". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
^ ab"Tour de France - 11 - Clermont-Ferrand > Moulins | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
