Tour de France 2023 rumeurs

It will be the second time the Tour de France starts in the Basque Country. In 1992, Miguel Indurain won the prologue in San Sebastián.

Stage 1 will be a race of 185 kilometres with five classified ascents, three of which inside the last 45 kilometres. The steep Côte de Pike – 2.2 kilometres at 9.9% – marks the finale before a flying descent into Bilbao. After the flamme rouge the road kick up to 5.4% in the last kilometre.

The 2nd stage is also promising for fast descenders. The 210 kilometres route takes in five classified climb. After the Jaizkibel – 6,9 kilometres 6.2% – the riders plunge down into San Sebastián for a flat run-in to the line.

Stage 3 kicks into gear in Amorebieta to travel to a location that will be revealed on Thursday 27 October. A bunch sprint in Bayonne is the most likely scenario.

The rest of the first week is still obscure, although some reports mention the racing circuit of Nogaro as a possible finish for stage 4, while Pont d’Espagne in the mountains above Cauterets is said to be the end station of stage 5 after a race featuring the Col du Tourmalet. Start and finish of stage 6 are completely unknown, while Bordeaux is a very likely candidate to host the stage finish of stage 7.

The 8th stage reportedly runs from Libourne to Limoges, where Marcel Kittel outsprinted Bryan Coquard and Peter Sagan in 2016, before stage 9 seems to be heading to the Puy de Dôme department – possibly even the volcano with the same name in Massif Central.

Week 2
More volcanos are expected to be on the menu after the first rest day, as stage 10 is supposed to set off from amusement park Vulcania in Saint-Ours-les-Roches and travel through the Auvergne region, possibly to finish in Issoire. Stage 11 could see a first ever Tour de France stage finish in Moulins, where Sam Bennett outsprinted Caleb Ewan and Fabio Jakobsen in Paris-Nice 2019.

Another ‘remake’ of a Paris-Nice finale could happen on stage 13 – that is, if the race finishes, as some sources mention, in Chiroubles. Two years ago Primoz Roglic brought a late attack home amidst the Beaujolais vineyards during the Race to the Sun.

What to expect on Bastille Day then? On Friday 14 July the Grand Colombier is rumoured to be the focal point of the 13th stage of La Grande Boucle. Three editions ago Tadej Pogacar took the spoils on the climb in the Jura Mountains, besting Primoz Roglic in a two-up sprint, while the other GC contenders finished close behind.

Morzine is said to return as a stage finish on Saturday 15 July. In 2022 it was a starting venue, while Ion Izagirre took the win in the ski resort in 2016 after a daring and rain soaked descent from the Joux Plane.

Week 3
The day before that Ion Izagirre win in 2016 the Tour finished in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. Romain Bardet soloed to victory that day. The ski resort could return on Le Tour in 2023. If so, the riders will face a finish climb of 9.8 kilometres at 8% with the first quarter solely double digit material.

The 17th stage is supposed to tackle the Col de la Loze – 21.5 kilometres at 7.8% – in the finale, but not, like in 2020, as the finish climb. That could be the nearby altiport of Courchevel.

The stages 18 and 19 are expected to finish in the Bourgogne region before the penultimate – and possibly decisive – stage finish will take place in the Vosges Mountains. The exact location is uncertain, although the Grand Ballon and Le Markstein have been mentioned.

As always, the Tour de France will finish on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

This Thursday, the full route of the 2023 Tour de France will be revealed in Paris from 11:30 local time.

Tour de France 2023: route, profiles, more

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