The Spanish triptych
The Tour de France will live in Bilbao its 25th departure from abroad (the second from Spain, after San Sebastian in 1992).
On the program, the 1st stage around Bilbao;
the 2nd stage Vitoria-Gasteiz-San Sebastián;
the 3rd stage starting from Amorebieta-Etxano towards Bayonne.
“
We wanted to show what the Basque Country is, the sea, the coast, the hills, the steep slopes.
There are two stages for punchers, before a stage for sprinters.
That's for the course, the fervor, we're going to have it
, ”presents Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour.
To discover
The general classification of the Tour de France
Tributes
To Luis Ocana.
“
The Tour does not forget its roots.
For the 50th anniversary of his victory in the Tour, a stage will end in Nogaro where Luis Ocana lived the last years of his life and there will also be a start from Mont-de-Marsan in tribute to the Castilian who inherited the nickname ' 'the Spaniard from Mont-de-Marsan'
", reminds Christian Prudhomme who indicates about the start of this 4th stage from Dax: "
Compared to other close candidates, it is clearly André Darrigade who made the difference.
His first Tour was in 1953, this year we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the green jersey he wore in 1959 and 1961. He was world champion, he won 22 stages of the Tour, he was yellow jersey in 18 times.
»
The route of the Tour de France 2023 Letour.fr
Bordeaux returns to the sprint
After the finish in Bayonne, Bordeaux (77 times on the Tour map) will pose as a new opportunity for the sprinters.
For the great return of Bordeaux to the Tour, thirteen years after the last visit and a victory for Mark Cavendish.
Bordeaux, the capital of sprinters, which remains, ahead of Pau (72 times) but behind Paris, the city that has hosted the Grande Boucle the most.
The finish (on the quays of the Garonne, near the Esplanade des Quinconces) will be the same as in 2010 but not from the same origin.
The great return of Puy-de-Dôme
Christian Prudhomme had dreamed of it for a long time.
Le Puy-de-Dôme, burning theater of the legendary explanation which opposed Jacques Anquetil to Raymond Poulidor in 1964 returns to the map of the Tour.
His last visit was in 1988. The stage will be Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat-Puy de Dôme.
"It's Raymond Poulidor.
From where he lived to his most significant stage, even if he did not win that day, did not take the yellow jersey either, Jacques Anquetil managing to keep it to go 48 hours later to win his 5th Tour de France,” recalls Christian Prudhomme.
Puy-de-Dôme, an expected return.
A supervised presence: "
The sine qua none condition being that over the last 4 kilometers there is no one
“, specifies the director of the Tour.
To avoid damaging a protected site, the highest point (1465 m) of the Chaîne des Puys chain.
July 14 at the Grand Colombier
As part of a finish in 2020, the Grand Colombier made its appearance in the Tour in 2012. “
''La Pyramide du Bugey'' is a mountain that you can see from afar, an extraordinary setting.
The switchback climb from Culoz is absolutely sublime.
17 km is very long, with very steep slopes.
It's very beautiful
”, enthuses Christian Prudhomme.
In 2020, Tadej Pogacar won there.
A chrono hung in Domancy
“
In the Alps, we are very largely in Haute-Savoie, it is anything but a coincidence.
This is the first Tour de France after the attribution of the 2027 world championships in all categories to Haute-Savoie.
We will go to Les Gets which is the mountain biking site, with a departure for the first time.
And the time trial of this Tour (22 km) will be between Passy and Combloux and will pass by the Domancy coast, the high point of the 2027 Worlds, whose ambassador is Bernard Hinault, world champion in 1980 in Sallanches
», Plants Christian Prudhomme.
The queen stage
It will lead from Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc to Courchevel via the Col de la Loze, the Toit du Tour (2304 m), which had appeared on the Tour map in 2020 and had instantly seduced with its turns, its percentages, its unique layout.
“
We are going to go up via Courchevel, cross La Tania and we go to the altiport.
The altiport (at 2000 m) is Peyragudes, 18% rather than 16
”, underlines the director of the Tour.
The Vosges the day before the Champs-Elysées
On the eve of the parade on the Champs-Élysées 133 km between Belfort and the Markstein (3500 m drop) and six passes will be on the program: the Ballon d'Alsace (1173 m; 11.5 km at 5.3%), the Col de la Croix des Moinats (891 m; 5.2 km at 7.1%), the Col de Grosse Pierre (944 m; 3.2 km at 8%, including 1.2 km at 12.2% and a maximum slope of 18%), the Col de la Schulcht (1146 m; 4.3 km at 5.5%), the Col du Petit Ballon (1163 m; 9.1 km at 8.1%) and the Col du Platzerwasel (1193 m; 7.1 km at 8.4%).
"The Vosges, even if it's not the Pyrenees or the Alps, it can be very selective," promises Christian Prudhomme.
A nod to the Olympics
In Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, setting for the start of the last stage leading to the Champs-Élysées.
“
We have an agreement with the Yvelines department, we have wanted for a long time, with Pierre Bédier, the president of the department, that it leave from Saint-Quentin, in the wake of the world track championships and before the
Olympic Games in Paris 2024,
knowing that the track events, mountain biking and BMX will take place there
”, details the director of the Tour.
Link to Women's Tour with Zwift ready to take over
As in 2022, there will be common points between the Tour and the Women's Tour.
In Clermont-Ferrand (start of the 11th stage towards Moulins), starting point of the Women's Tour (July 23-30).
In the Pyrenees, in the Aspin and Tourmalet passes.
On the menu of the Women's Tour is Mauriac, a Colonges-la-Rouge-Lascau stage.
Afterwards, a Cahors-Rodez stage will pass through the Château de Cayx, for a nod to the Danish royal family.
Then arrivals in Albi and Blagnac.
Before the Pyrenees (with a Tourmalet finish) and a final time trial in Pau (22 km), "
on a route that takes part of the time won by Julian Alaphilippe in 2019 but upside down in the first part .
The bump at the end will be the same
”, slips Christian Prudhomme while flying over a 956 km event.
Read alsoThe route of the 2023 Women's Tour: from Clermont-Ferrand to Pau, via the Tourmalet
