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Tour de France 2023

Tour de France 2023 race news, previews, results, tour map, race tech, analysis, and photos.

Dates: July 1 - July 23
Stages: 21
Rest days: 2
Start: Bilbao, Spain (Basque Country)
Finish: Paris, France

The 2023 Tour de France will take place between July 1-23. The 110th edition of the race starts in Bilbao, Spain before crossing back into France on stage 3. In total there are 21 days of racing, two rest-days, and the final stage in Paris on July 23.

The complete race route for the 2023 Tour de France was unveiled in Paris on October 26 with Mark Cavendish, Tom Pidcock and Tadej Pogačar all in attendance.

Also read: The full 2023 Tour de France race route.

Tour de France 2023 overview

The 2022 Tour de France final podium in Paris. (Photo: Getty Images)

Where does the 2023 Tour de France start: In Bilbao, Spain on July 1.
How long is the 2023 Tour de France? 3,404km
How many sprint stages are in the 2023 Tour de France?
8 flat stages
How many mountain stages are in the 2023 Tour de France: 8 with four summit finishes.
How many time trials are in the 2023 Tour de France: 1 consisting of 22km.

Tour de France 2023 news stories

Tour de France 2023 contenders

Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) has not yet confirmed his participation in the 2023 Tour de France but it's increasingly likely that the Danish rider will be on the startline on July 1. He will go up against two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), who won the race in 2020 and 2021.

EF Education-EasyPost are likely to send new signing Richard Carapaz to the race, while Ineos Grenadiers have options in Tom Pidcock, Dani Martinez, and former winner Egan Bernal. The latter has already hinted that he would like to race the Tour de France in 2023 after returning from injury.

Other riders who are set to be on the start line include Romain Bardet, Simon Yates, David Gaudu, Jai Hindley, and Ben O'Connor. 

Also read: Tour de France Hommes 2023: Analyzing the possible GC contenders

Tour de France 2023 route

The 2023 Tour de France features four summit finishes – and a heap of other climbing tests besides – and just a single time trial, which is also an uphill test at Combloux in the northern Alps, where most of the critical mountain action will be focused.

The race contains one 22km time trial from Passy to Combloux, eight stages in the mountains, four of which conclude with summit finishes. The race starts on July 1 in the Basque Country and concludes in Paris on July 23.

The Grand Départ in the Basque Country sets the tone from the start. The two typically beefy stages through the region’s valleys and over its hills will draw the yellow jersey contenders to the forefront of the action. The final day on Spanish soil will herald a change of tempo, the focus switching to the sprinters as the Tour heads into Bayonne in French territory, where it will stay right to the finish in Paris. The sprinters should get another chance to go elbow to elbow the next day on the Nogaro motor-racing circuit near Auch.

Also read: 2023 Tour de France full race route unveiled

Tour de France 2023 sprinters

There are between 7 and 8 stages suited to the sprinters in the 2023 Tour de France. Mark Cavendish is hoping to return to the race after a year's absence as he looks to break Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins.

Jasper Philipsen, Sam Bennett, Caleb Ewan, Fernando Gaviria, Dylan Groenewegan and Fabio Jakobsen, are all likely to take part. Although not a pure sprinter, Wout van Aert is set to race as he looks to defend his crown in the points classification.

Also read: Mark Cavendish eyes ‘ample’ sprint opportunities at Tour de France

Tour de France 2023 route map

Tour de France 2023 route map
Tour de France 2023 route map (Photo: ASO)

Tour de France bikes and tech

Tour de France 2023 stages

1 July – Stage 1: Bilbao – Bilbao (Spain)
2 July – Stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz – San Sebastian (Spain)
3 July – Stage 3: Amorebieta-Etxano (Spain) – Bayonne
4 July – Stage 4: Dax – Nogaro
5 July – Stage 5: Pau – Laruns
6 July – Stage 6: Tarbes – Cauterets Cambasque
7 July – Stage 7: Mont-de-Marsan – Bordeaux
8 July – Stage 8: Libourne – Limoges
9 July – Stage 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat- Puy de Dôme
10 July – Rest day 1: Clermont-Ferrand
11 July – Stage 10: Vulcania (St-Ours-les-Roches) – Issoire
12 July – Stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand – Moulins
13 July – Stage 12: Roanne – Chiroubles ou Belleville-en-Beaujolais
14 July – Stage 13: Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne – Grand Colombier
15 July – Stage 14: Annemasse – Morzine
16 July – Stage 15: Les Gets – St-Gervais Mont-Blanc
17 July – Rest day 2: St-Gervais Mont-Blanc
18 July – Stage 16: Passy – Combloux (TT)
19 July – Stage 17: St-Gervais Mont-Blanc – Courchevel
20 July – Stage 18: Moûtiers – Bourg-en-Bresse
21 July – Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne – Poligny
22 July – Stage 20: Belfort – Le Markstein
23 July – Stage 21: St-Ouentin-en-Yvelines – Paris Champs-Élysées

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Latest Tour de France News

14 years ago

Astana says money problems solved

The Astana team announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement with its Kazakh sponsors that will ensure its continued operation through the year. In a release issued Thursday, the team credited productive meetings between Johann Bruyneel and intermediary Rinus Wagtmans, who served as a representative of Kazakhstan’s government for an accord, “which gives riders and staff of the Team sufficient guarantees for the operation and functioning of the Team for the remainder of the season.”


14 years ago

León Sánchez ready to lead Caisse d’Epargne at Tour

Luis León Sánchez says he’s ready to lead Caisse d’Epargne if star Alejandro Valverde isn’t allowed to race. Valverde is appealing a decision by Italian authorities to ban him for two years for what they say is clear evidence linking him to the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal. If Valverde isn’t allowed to race the Tour, his Caisse d’Epargne team will lean heavily on the 25-year-old León Sánchez during the season’s most important race.


14 years ago

Japanese rider likely for Tour

It’s looking more likely that a Japanese rider will be at the Tour de France for the first time in more than a decade. Bbox Bouygues Telecom has named Yukiya Arashiro as one of the riders assured to start the 2009 Tour on July 4 in Monaco. The others include Thomas Voeckler, Pierrick Fédrigo, Pierre Rolland and William Bonnet. Bouygues team boss Jean-René Bernaudeau had high praise for Arashiro, a former Japanese national time trial and road champion who’s racing in Europe for the first time this season.


14 years ago

Valverde’s Tour future uncertain

Alejandro Valverde could barely enjoy his victory Sunday at the Dauphiné Libéré when the questions started again: will he or won’t he be at the start line in Monaco on July 4 for the 2009 Tour de France? Since May, Valverde is banned for two years from racing in Italy for what authorities say is clear evidence linking him to the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal. The year’s Tour dips into Italy for about 80km during stage 16, enough to likely torpedo Valverde’s hopes for a shot at the Tour podium despite being arguably in the best form of his career.


14 years ago

Tour de France 101 – Helpful tips for new Tour fans

Bike racing is quite unlike the mainstream “stick-and-ball” sports that most Americans grew up playing, and can often be confusing, or a even a complete mystery. Even other endurance sports, such as marathon running or triathlon, lack the complexities and tactics of professional road cycling. In those sports, the person that is in the front of the race is usually the one that wins. That’s seldom always the case in cycling. In fact, it’s possible to win the Tour de France without crossing the line first on any of the 21 stages.


14 years ago

McQuaid promises heavily tested Tour

Potential drugs cheats at the 2009 Tour de France will face the biggest anti-doping army ever seen at a major sports event next month, UCI president Pat McQuaid warned on Wednesday. McQuaid, speaking at an anti-doping conference in Paris, also officially welcomed the French National Anti Doping Agency (AFLD) back to the race after their muddy relationship last year.


14 years ago

UCI says Boonen can race Tour

Quick Step’s Tom Boonen has been given the green light from the UCI to compete in next month's Tour de France despite a recent, second positive test for cocaine. Boonen, the winner of major one-day classics and Tour de France stages, sparked controversy last month when it was revealed he had tested positive for cocaine for the second time in a year. It led to immediate calls for him to be banned from this year's showcase event, and the UCI is set to launch disciplinary proceedings against Boonen for bringing the sport into disrepute.


14 years ago

Graham Watson’s Tour de France Travel Guide on shelves now

PRESS RELEASE Each July millions of cycling fans head to France to experience the world’s greatest bike race or dream of the day they’ll make the trip. Unless they’ve planned carefully, they’ll arrive to find full hotels, blocked routes, overpriced food, chaotic roads, and endless frustration as they try to get close to the race they’ve come to see.


14 years ago

Boonen still hoping to compete in the Tour de France

Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen still hopes to ride in the Tour de France in July, contradicting officials who said he would not race after he tested positive for cocaine earlier this year. "I hope to take part in the Tour and we are attempting to reach agreement with the organizers as we want to avoid legal proceedings," the 28-year-old told reporters at a cycling festival at Gullegem in Belgium on Tuesday.


14 years ago

A quitter last year, Cav’ eyes the green jersey in this year’s Tour

British rider Mark Cavendish wants to make amends for his premature exit from last year's Tour de France by claiming the green sprint jersey in Paris next month. Cavendish pulled out of the 2008 Tour after the 14th stage after four stage wins because of a combination of fatigue and his desire to concentrate on the Beijing Olympics. But the 24-year-old Columbia-Highroad sprinter regrets that decision and wants to become only the second cyclist from Great Britain to win a jersey in the Tour following the King of the Mountains title won by Scot Robert Millar in 1984.


14 years ago

McQuaid: Boonen could still ride Tour

Belgian rider Tom Boonen could still take part in the Tour de France despite his recent positive test for cocaine, according to UCI president Pat McQuaid. "There is no reason to ban Tom Boonen from the Tour. From the point of view of sporting regulations, nothing can stop Boonen. He has committed no fault in his capacity as a rider," McQuaid told Belgium’s De Standaard newspaper.


14 years ago

The Tour de France announces its team selection for the ’09 race

Twenty teams have been selected for the 2009 Tour de France, but Fuji-Servetto won’t be among them. 20 teams for 2009 Tour de France France: Ag2r-La Mondiale, Agritubel, Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, FDJeux Belgium: Quick Step, Silence-Lotto Spain: Caisse d’Epargne, Euskaltel-Euskadi USA: Columbia-Highroad, Garmin-Slipstream Italy: Lampre, Liquigas


14 years ago

Spotted at the Tour

Garmin announces Mac compatibilityThe Garmin Forerunner 405 is now compatible with Apple computers, so Mac users can now wirelessly download to Garmin Connect. The Forerunner 405 is a watch-sized GPS unit that in addition to tracking routes, has 35 customizable data fields including heart rate, speed, time, cadence, and more. [nid:88233]It also has a touch-sensitive bezel around the face of the unit, so that most functions can be accessed without having to find buttons. For more information, visit www.garmin.com.


14 years ago

France bans Schumacher

The French Anti-doping Agency AFLD on Thursday handed German cyclist Stefan Schumacher a two-year ban from racing in France after failing a doping test at the 2008 Tour de France, his lawyer said. The decision issued by the AFLD applies only to events contested on French soil, said Schumacher's attorney Michael Lehner. That ruling, however, may be extended globally if the German cycling federation or the UCI pursue the case. Schumacher said he would fight the ban.


14 years ago

2010 Tour de France starts in Rotterdam

The 2010 Tour de France will open with a nine kilometer individual time trial through the streets of Rotterdam, race director Christian Prudhomme announced in Rotterdam on Thursday. It will be the first time that the Tour will have started from the Dutch port city, but four other cities in the country — Amsterdam (1954), Scheveningen (1973), Leiden (1978) and 's-Hertogenbosch 1996) have previously enjoyed the honor. The 2009 race kicks off from Monaco.


15 years ago

France bans Beltran over Tour positive

Spanish cyclist Manuel Beltran has been banned from racing in France for two years after testing positive for the banned blood booster EPO at this year's Tour de France. France's national anti-doping agency (AFLD) made the announcement Tuesday.


15 years ago

Valverde to focus on Tour in 2009

Alejandro Valverde has won just about everything he’s wanted in his productive career, except a grand tour. Prolific in one-day classics and smaller stage races, Spain’s “Balaverde” has struggled in GC in three-week grand tours. With two podium finishes in the Vuelta a España, Valverde still believes he can win a major tour.


15 years ago

2010 Tour departing from Rotterdam

The Tour de France is heading back to Holland in 2010. Tour officials announced Thursday that the 2010 Tour will start in Rotterdam. More details will be provided in an official ceremony on Dec. 11 in the Dutch port city, officials said. “Rotterdam is an important metropolitan area with assurance of success,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme told AFP. “It’s doing everything so that people can get around on the bike. It’s in this spirit that the city wants the grand départ.” The Dutch city was picked ahead of Utrecht, Holland, and Dusseldorf, Germany.


15 years ago

Piepoli wants B-sample tested

Leonardo Piepoli, one of seven riders to fail drug tests at the Tour de France, has demanded a counter-test, according to the French national anti-doping agency (AFLD) on Wednesday. Piepoli, one of four who tested positive for a new strain of a banned blood booster EPO called CERA, will be controlled in the coming weeks AFLD said, without giving further details. Last month Austria's Bernhard Kohl became the seventh positive doping case after being controlled retroactively for CERA, joining Italians Piepoli and Riccardo Ricco and Germany's Stefan Schumacher.


15 years ago

TV exec says German broadcasters committed to airing Tour

German public broadcaster ARD has been told it has no basis on which to bring a premature end to its contract with Tour de France organizers to televise the race during 2009-11. A spate of recent doping scandals, some of which involved German and Austrian riders, prompted ARD and fellow German broadcaster ZDF to announce their intention to stop broadcasting the world's biggest bike race.


15 years ago

Leipheimer on Tour: ‘Anything can happen on Ventoux’

Levi Leipheimer couldn’t be in Paris last week to watch the official unveiling of the route of the 2009 Tour de France, but he was certainly following the news. Like just about everyone, the Astana captain was keenly waiting for details of the 96th Tour. VeloNews caught up with Leipheimer while he was in Utah this week to gauge his reaction to the route. Here are excerpts from the interview: VeloNews: What was your first impression after seeing the route?


15 years ago

Ventoux: ’09 Tour saves best for last

Mont Ventoux could play judge, jury and executioner in the 96th Tour de France in what some are already calling a climber’s course. For the 2009 Tour, officials saved the best and hardest for last, with the mighty Ventoux poised in the penultimate day of the 21-stage, 3445km route from Monaco to Paris. Tour officials, who unveiled the course to rave reviews in a ceremony in Paris on Wednesday, are hoping the race will be so tightly packed that almost anything could happen on the storied steeps of the géant de Provence.


15 years ago

2009 Tour will reward consistency, team strength

What’s most clear from Wednesday’s announcement of the 2009 Tour de France is that the winner will have to maintain top form from the very first day in Monaco on July 4 to the finish in Paris on July 26.


15 years ago

Lance Armstrong: ’09 Tour de France route is “interesting”

Lance Armstrong says the 2009 Tour de France route, unveiled Wednesday, is "innovative and very interesting" and he said he looks forward to negotiating with Tour officials about "a mutually beneficial future together." In the statement released Wednesday afternoon, Armstrong appeared to be a bit ambivalent about whether he would ride the Tour next year.


15 years ago

VeloNews’ European Correspondent Andrew Hood examines the 2009 Tour de France route

Call the 2009 Tour de France a race of innovation and originality. Unwinding like a corkscrew from Monaco on July 4 to the finale into Paris three weeks later, the 21-stage race will be one hard to control and full of room for riders who dare to defy traditional tactics. Mont Ventoux is back, and so is the team time trial, but what makes the 2009 Tour route so interesting is that organizers were not afraid to throw convention to the wind.


15 years ago

2009 Tour route revealed

The men favored to contest for the yellow jersey in the 2009 Tour de France applauded the route revealed in Paris on Wednesday, calling it “difficult, but interesting.” The 96th edition of the Tour de France will begin on July 4 in the Mediterranean Principality of Monaco, race director Christian Prudhomme announced at the Palais des Congrès of Paris on Wednesday.


15 years ago

VeloNews.com to stream 2009 Tour de France presentation

VeloNews.com will live stream Wednesday's presentation of the 2009 Tour de France route. The presentation will begin at 11:30 a.m. Paris time (5:30 a.m. EST). You can watch the stream here.


15 years ago

’09 Tour route will be revealed on Wednesday

Tour de France organizers will finally end months of waiting on Wednesday by unveiling the route that they hope will provide another exciting, albeit cleaner, race for the famous yellow jersey. In the months since Spaniard Carlos Sastre claimed overall victory, seven riders - including KOM winner Bernhard Kohl and stage winners Ricardo Riccò, Leonardo Piepoli and Stefan Schumacher - have been exposed as drugs cheats. However a bigger question on the minds of some fans will be whether seven-time champion Lance Armstrong will take part.


15 years ago

L’Equipe: No more Tour positives

Austria's Bernhard Kohl will be the "seventh and last" positive doping case from this year's Tour de France, according to sports daily L'Equipe on Tuesday. Kohl, the best climber at this year's race where he finished third overall, has become the fourth rider to test positive for CERA, a new generation of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin). In all seven riders tested positive at this year's race, which was won by Spaniard Carlos Sastre of the CSC team.


15 years ago

CONI: Piepoli doped at the Tour

Former Saunier Duval climber Leonardo Piepoli is facing a ban from the sport after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) announced Monday he had tested positive for banned substances twice at this year's Tour de France. Piepoli, who won a stage and helped former Saunier Duval teammate Riccardo Ricco win two stages at the race, will now come before a CONI commission on Friday in connection with the failed tests on July 4 and 15.


15 years ago

New ASO boss to unveil ’09 Tour route

During last week’s press conference at Interbike in Las Vegas, in revealing details of his comeback to racing, Lance Armstrong blurted out that he was “looking forward to the Mont Ventoux” stage in the 2009 Tour de France.


15 years ago

CONI seeks 20-month ban for Ricco

Prosecutors at the anti-doping tribunal of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) have asked that rider Riccardo Ricco be handed a 20-month ban after he tested positive for a new variant of EPO during the Tour de France. Ricco, 24, was suspended from riding by CONI in July after admitting to using the banned blood-booster. He was kicked off the Tour de France and sacked by his Saunier Duval-Scott team after testing positive following the fourth stage time-trial. The team itself subsequently lost both of its title sponsors.


15 years ago

Tour de France in Barecelona in 2009

Next year's Tour de France is set for a two-stage incursion to Barcelona, according to the Catalan city's Mayor Jordi Hereu on Tuesday. "This is important for the city, but also for the Tour, for cycling and sport in general," said Hereu. The city's top sports coordinator, Pere Alcober, said Barcelona would host a stage finish on July 8 and the start of a stage on July 9. Dates for next year's race, which is scheduled to start in the principality of Monaco, have yet to be confirmed by race organizers.


15 years ago

The audacity of Lance, Part 1

Whatever the reasons for Lance Armstrong deciding to make a comeback to the Tour de France after a three-year absence — whether to raise awareness of a worldwide cancer initiative, to lay to rest the decade-old doping accusations that still hound him or simply for the heck of it — he knows that the eyes of the world will be on him.


15 years ago

A source says Manuel Beltran’s B-sample from the Tour de France contains EPO

The second sample provided by Spanish rider Manuel Beltran, who tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) during the Tour de France, has also tested positive for the blood booster, a source close to the dossier said Tuesday. The test on the second sample, known as the "B" sample, was carried out by French anti-doping agency AFLD which also tested the first sample back in July, the source, who does not want to be identified, told AFP. The anti-doping agency is expected officially to announce the results of the testing on the "B" sample shortly.


15 years ago

Coach Neal Henderson visits the Tour’s last day before heading to Beijing

Neal Henderson is the Sport Science Manager at Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. He is a USA Cycling certified coach and works with a diverse clientele at BCSM. He has been Taylor Phinney’s personal coach since 2006 and will is traveling with Phinney and his family in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. "Votre hard-drive ne marche pas ... c'est morte" is something that I didn't want to hear today.


15 years ago

Inside the Tour, with John Wilcockson – Reflections on a break-through Tour

Shortly after the official result sheet of last Saturday’s Tour de France time trial was dropped on my table at the pressroom in St. Amand-Montrond, I made an interesting discovery. All but one of the riders who had just taken the top 15 places in the challenging 53km test either represent teams that have a strong internal anti-doping program (CSC-Saxo Bank, Garmin-Chipotle and Team Columbia) and/or are members of the Movement for Credible Cycling (Gerolsteiner, Rabobank, Garmin and Columbia).


15 years ago

Mr. Rogers’ Tour – Evans remains a star … on YouTube

A video clip showing Australian Cadel Evans snap at a broadcast journalist following the Tour de France’s stage 10 finish at Hautacam has become a minor YouTube sensation, with the clip garnering near 100,000 views and hundreds of comments by race’s end. After taking the yellow jersey, Evans was walked through customary post-stage TV interviews when a microphone windscreen tapped his injured left shoulder, wounded in his race threatening stage 9 crash.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook – Sastre’s Tour: Can we dare to believe?

Now that the champagne has lost its fizz and the podium girls are back to their day jobs, the cycling world now waits with bated breath until that last anti-doping control winds through the labyrinth of syringes, gyroscopes, laser prisms and other weapons in the arsenal at the labs. Until the final sample comes back clean, no one can afford to breathe easy. Anyone who loves the Tour is desperate to avoid that final-hour “worst-case scenario” that could once again send cycling to its knees.


15 years ago

The Doping Report: Tour chief Christian Prudhomme says deterrents are working

Increased suspense, a boom in television ratings and happy sponsors left Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme in a buoyant mood two days prior to the end of this year's race. But with the ever-present threat of cheats lingering, the Frenchman knows it is far too early to talk of a definitive turnaround for the sport. After years of controversy the reputation of the race was tarnished by a minority of drugs cheats. But compared to recent scandals, this year's Tour got off comparatively lightly.


15 years ago

Evans dismisses knee injury talk as “rumor”

Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans (Silence-Lott) dismissed as “unfounded rumor” speculation he has suffered a knee injury that could threaten his participation in next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing. Evans, 31, finished second in Tour de France for the second straight year and on Sunday night joined his Silence Lotto team mates for the traditional post-Tour dinner in Paris. Evans said he did slip on a wet floor but it was no more than that.


15 years ago

Cadel Evans relieved as Tour ends

For Australia's Cadel Evans, the Olympic road race in Beijing is already too far on the horizon. For the immediate future, the 31-year-old wants to concentrate on winding down at the one-day criteriums which follow the end of the Tour de France — and then put his bike to rest. Evans' overriding feeling was one of "relief" on Sunday after he finished his fourth Tour campaign with an impressive fourth top ten finish. Yet his second consecutive runner-up spot, a year on from losing the yellow jersey by 23 seconds to Spaniard Alberto Contador, must have hurt.


15 years ago

Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 21

Here's a picture that reflects the amazing day now behind me. It was amazing. The feeling riding onto the Champs was unlike anything I've ever felt on a bicycle before in my life. Tired legs turned into a feeling of nothing but excitement. And now we're in the middle of a celebratory dinner and I've already consumed far too much bubbly. Thanks everybody for following the past few weeks!


15 years ago

Stage 21 – By the numbers

Stage 21 stats Stage 21, Étamps to Paris, 143km WeatherHot and humid with partly cloudy skies and moderate wind, temperatures in the mid 80s Stage winnerQuick Step’s Gert Steegmans salvaged a disappointing Tour for his Belgian team by winning one of the most prestigious sprints in cycling along the Champs Elysees. Yellow jerseyRace leader Carlos Sastre held his overall lead, with no major change on classification.


15 years ago

Carlito’s Way: The Tour’s Improbable Winner

Carlos Sastre has a reputation of being a cool customer under pressure. After 11 seasons as a pro, nothing rankles the 33-year-old veteran too much. From doping scandals that nearly toppled his CSC team after captain Ivan Basso was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping scandal to the death of his brother-in-law, José María “El Chaba” Jiménez in 2003 at just 32, he’d seen it all.


15 years ago

How Garmin-Chipotle keeps its riders fresh for the Tour

Anyone can attest it’s hard to sleep when you’re hot. It's a fact that Garmin-Chipotle physiologist Allen Lim knows well. It’s why, among other things, regulating his riders’ temperatures on and off the bike is key to keeping them as fresh and fast as possible. This concept plays into both short-term and long-term performances; the former being a stage performance and the latter being the whole of the three-week race like the Tour de France.


15 years ago

Credit Agricole’s Dmitri Fofonov tests positive for banned stimulant

Kazakhstan's Dmitri Fofonov has tested positive for a banned stimulant, his Credit Agricole team said on the final day of the Tour de France. Fofonov finished the race in 19th overall, 28:31 behind race winner Carlos Sastre. Credit Agricole manager Roger Legeay said Fofonov told the team he bought a product over the Internet to fight cramps. He has been suspended and may be fired, Legeay said.


15 years ago

Sastre: the seventh Spanish Tour winner

Carlos Sastre became the seventh Spaniard to win the Tour de France yellow jersey when he wrapped up overall victory on Sunday, taking his country's total to 11 wins. Wins by country after 95 editions 36: France 18: Belgium 11: Spain 10: United States 9: Italy 4: Luxembourg 2: Netherlands, Switzerland 1: Germany, Denmark, Ireland


15 years ago

Stage 20 — by the numbers

Stage 20: Cérilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond, 53km Weather: Hot and humid with partly cloudy skies and moderate wind, temperatures in the mid 80s. Stage winner: Gerolsteiner’s Stefan Schumacher proved he was the strongest time trialist at this Tour, winning both the 29km stage 4 TT and Saturday’s 53km effort. World time trial champion Fabian Cancellara finished second, 21 seconds back.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 20

Stage winner Stefan Schumacher was more surprised than anyone to be back on the Tour de France podium after claiming victory in Saturday’s time trial. Schumacher’s win in the first time trial at a distance of 29.5km wasn’t a complete surprise because he’s done well in shorter distances, but his 21-second victory ahead of Olympic favorite and two-time world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara wasn’t expected by many.


15 years ago

Schumacher’s time-trial win caps strong Tour for Gerolsteiner

Gerolsteiner’s Stefan Schumacher surprised a few observers when he won the stage-four time trial in this year’s Tour de France. Then, he stunned them on Saturday by winning the Tour’s second race against the clock, beating two-time world champion Fabian Cancellara (CSc-Saxo Bank) by 21 seconds on the 53km course. "I did a perfect race,” said the 27-year-old German. “The course was a little bit rolling, which is perfectly suited to me. I got into a good rhythm straight away. There was a tailwind at the start, and afterwards I just kept my head down and focused on the job."


15 years ago

Sastre honors late brother-in-law, teammates, after securing the yellow jersey

Carlos Sastre is poised to become the seventh Spanish rider in history to win the Tour de France. Barring catastrophe, the Team CSC-Saxo Bank rider will ride into Paris on Sunday as the third consecutive Spanish Tour winner. The 33-year-old surprised many after he fended off the time trial threats of Cadel Evans and Denis Menchov to retain the leader’s jersey. Sastre spoke with reporters after Saturday’s stage. Here’s a sampling of what he had to say. Question: What are you feeling now with the yellow jersey?


15 years ago

Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 20

It’s been three weeks since we left Brest for the start of this thing and after today’s TT stage we find ourselves back in a Campanile, a hotel that takes the cookie-cutter room model to the max. The feeling of déjà vu is out of control, at least until you step outside. It’s strangely fitting however, in an odd sort of way. Tomorrow we head to Paris for one of the grandest sporting spectacles in the world, a slick hotel, huge dinner and evening out to follow, but tonight we’re off in the middle of nowhere, relaxed as can be, and feeling like it’s any another day.


15 years ago

Inside the Tour, with John Wilcockson – It all comes down to this

Saturday dawned cool and cloudy in Cérilly, central France, where the podium of the 95th Tour de France is being decided in a 53km time trial. Favorite to come out on top is Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto), who rode the course a few months ago. He says the hills on the zigzagging course are power climbs suited to a strong time trialist like himself rather than the more lightly built Carlos Sastre, the race leader, who starts the day with a 1:34 advantage on the Australian.


15 years ago

Sunderland hopes Sastre proves fresher than Evans in final time trial

Australian Scott Sunderland has spent three weeks trying to make sure compatriot Cadel Evans loses the Tour de France. Now Sunderland, a co-team manager with CSC-Saxo Bank, is preparing for the distinct possibility that Evans will upset his race leader, Carlos Sastre, in Saturday's penultimate stage time trial. Sastre goes into the 53km race against the clock with a lead of one minute and 34 seconds on Silence-Lotto’s Evans, and with the yellow jersey on his back.


15 years ago

Dog Breath: The men who shot Liberty Evans

“You got a choice, Dishwasher. Either you get out of town, or tonight you be out on that street alone.”—Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance in


15 years ago

Inside the Tour, with John Wilcockson – Sastre vs. Evans showdown the talk of the Tour

The upcoming time-trial battle between Carlos Sastre and Cadel Evans that will decide this 95th Tour de France is the talk of the race — much more than Thursday’s excellent stage victory for Columbia’s Marcus Burghardt in St. Étienne or Friday’s likely bunch finish in Montluçon. Obviously, there’s much speculation whether Evans can overcome his 94-second deficit on the race leader in the 53km time trial from Cérilly to St. Amand-Montrond on Saturday. But the media are also looking at any angle they can to predict the protagonists’ performances.


15 years ago

Burghardt’s power meter file, stage 18

It looked like Columbia's Marcus Burghardt put in a huge ride on stage 18, and his SRM power meter data confirms it. Burghardt was super aggressive and obviously wanted the win bad. He was in the initial breakaway, and when that was caught he escaped again wth Feillu. He dropped Feillu on the Col De Parmenie, and caught Barredo on the descent.


15 years ago

Nothing found in search of Schlecks’ father’s car

A car driven by the father of Tour de France stars Andy and Frank Schleck (CSC-Saxo Bank) was searched by French customs during the 18th stage, which began in Bourg d'Oisans on Thursday. An official source in Grenoble later said that "no doping products or banned substances" were found during the long search, which took place at Vizille in the Isere region of the Alps. Andy Schleck suggested "jealousy" may have been behind the search.


15 years ago

Stage 18 – By the numbers

Stage 18, Bourg-d’Oisans to Saint-Etienne, 196.5km WeatherSunny and warm, clear skies, temperatures in the low 80s. Stage winnerOn a day destined to see a winner come from a breakaway, Columbia’s German Marcus Burghardt took his first-ever Tour stage win out of a two-man breakaway, ahead of Quick Step’s Spaniard Carlos Barredo.


15 years ago

Cunego injuries force him to drop out of Tour

After battling his way through the 18th stage of the Tour de France Thursday, despite sustaining potentially serious injuries in a crash, Lampre's Damiano Cunego has pulled out of the race, according to team sources. "It's a miracle I finished this stage," said the Lampre rider, who came over the finish line with blood dripping from a wound under his chin and injuries to his chest and thorax.


15 years ago

Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 18

After yesterday’s insanity on the climb, today’s came at the start area. As we drove down the Alpe, thankfully in cars with the bus waiting at the bottom, there were still hundreds of people camped out roadside.


15 years ago

Duenas denies ‘knowingly’ doping, blames team doctor

Spanish cyclist Moises Duenas, who was kicked out of the Tour de France after failing a drugs test, on Thursday denied knowingly taking any banned substance during the race. Duenas was charged last week in France with "use and possession of plants and poisonous substances,” and dropped by his British-registered team Barloworld. He risks a two-year jail term and a 3750-euro fine.


15 years ago

Tough Tour, but worth it, says O’Grady

Stuart O'Grady finally came through one of his "toughest" Tour de France campaigns as the peloton headed out of the Alps and steadily towards Paris on Thursday. However, the Australian admitted he almost never made it as far as the second mountain range of this year's race after finding out he was carrying a virus three days into the race, "I didn't know it at the time but I was a bit crook. It turned out it was pretty serious," O'Grady told AFP. "When the results came through it was actually a relief."


15 years ago

Roche: No marker in new EPO drug

Swiss pharmaceutical giant F. Hoffman-La Roche issued a statement Thursday disputing a recent claim by World Anti-Doping Agency chief John Fahey that it had inserted a “marker” in its new anti-anemia drug Micera. The drug has been the focus of recent attention after Ricardo Riccò, Saunier Duval’s top GC hope at the Tour de France, tested positive for the drug following the stage 4 time trial at Cholet.


15 years ago

Inside the Tour, with John Wilcockson – Sastre has ridden the perfect Tour — so far

From virtually every aspect, Carlos Sastre has ridden a perfect Tour de France. As soon as the route for this year’s Tour was announced last October, he said that the race would be decided in the final week, and probably at L’Alpe d’Huez. That’s why he focused his whole season on being at his very best right now, using races as training all season long, and trying to remain anonymous through the first two weeks of the race itself.


15 years ago

Who won: Sastre or Evans?

CSC-Saxo Bank’s Carlos Sastre took both the stage win atop L’Alpe d’Huez and the race lead following Wednesday’s massive 210km queen stage of this year’s Tour — but who was the day’s biggest winner? Following this Tour’s final mountain stage, one minute and 34 seconds separate stage 17 winner Carlos Sastre and pre-race favorite Cadel Evans of Silence-Lotto with just four stages remaining. Of greatest interest, of course, is Saturday’s rolling 53km time trial, where the final classification will certainly be determined.


15 years ago

Scott to take over team sponsorship from Saunier Duval

Bike manufacturer Scott, the second sponsor of the Saunier Duval team, announced on Wednesday that it would step in and rescue the Spanish outfit. Saunier Duval announced earlier on Wednesday that it had pulled out of cycling immediately in the wake of the drug scandal that engulfed its team at the Tour de France. Italian rider Riccardo Riccò tested positive for a new version of the banned blood booster EPO after the fourth-stage time trial, prompting the team to pull out of the race last week.


15 years ago

Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 17

That was a day; long, hard and completely covered by some amazing fans. The Alpe was what it is built up to be: crazy. As far as the climb itself goes, it's hard, but was the easiest of the day by far. The fans however ... well, that's a whole other story. The drunk Dutch corner; the unruly Basque section; the crazy Germans; the Frenchies that always yell "ce n'est pas loin" no matter how long you have to go, and seemingly always cheer for the French rider who happens to be the most annoying at the time.


15 years ago

Evans finds stress of yellow-jersey battle tough on head, too

Fighting for the yellow jersey puts as much pressure on the head as on the legs, as Cadel Evans is learning at the Tour de France. After the second of two days in the Alps on Tuesday, the Silence-Lotto rider boosted his bid to win the final yellow jersey by surviving the CSC-Saxo Bank team's efforts to shake him off on the difficult Cime de la Bonette-Restefond climb.


15 years ago

Inside the Tour, with John Wilcockson – D-day on the Alpe

I’m writing these words on the road to L’Alpe d’Huez where, at the end of this glorious Wednesday in the French Alps, the 95th Tour de France could be decided. The infamous 21-turn mountain climb concludes a gigantic stage 17 after the riders have already crossed the mighty Col du Galibier and Col de la Croix de Fer climbs.


15 years ago

Drug maker cooperated with WADA

The World Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday Italian rider Riccardo Riccò tested positive at the Tour de France after a secret molecule was planted in the blood booster EPO during its manufacture. Riccò, 24, upset the big names of the sport to win two stages of this year's Tour before he was kicked off after testing positive for EPO (erythropoietin). Revealing the now high-tech nature of the fight against drugs in sport, WADA chief John Fahey said his organization worked with drugs giant Roche on the newest version of EPO (erythropoietin).


15 years ago

The peloton looks ahead to L’Alpe d’Huez

The Tour de France yellow jersey is set to be decided on the final alpine stage of the race on Wednesday after a dramatic 16th stage which left CSC still in control of the race. Luxembourg's Frank Schleck finished the 157km stage from Cueno in Italy to here with his 7-second lead on Austrian Bernhard Kohl intact, with Australian Cadel Evans in third at 08. Spaniard Carlos Sastre, Schleck's teammate at the CSC team, is fourth at 49 while Denis Menchov, one of the day's biggest losers, is now at 1:13behind Schleck after losing time on the day's final descent.


15 years ago

German Tour could do without Saunier Duval

The Saunier Duval cycling team look set to be excluded from the Tour of Germany because of doping, race organisers revealed on Tuesday. The elite team withdrew from the Tour de France last week after Italian rider Riccardo Ricco failed a dope test - they subsequently sacked both him and compatriot Leonardo Piepoli, who had won the prestigious stage on July 14. However that move has failed to placate the Tour of Germany chiefs, whose race runs from August 29 to September 6.


15 years ago

A conversation with Johnny Schleck about his sons, Frank and Andy.

According to their father, CSC duo Frank and Andy Schleck rarely talk of the sport that has put them into the global spotlight. But when they do get round to talking of their profession in the Schleck household, it usually centers on the Tour de France yellow jersey. On Sunday, Frank realized one of his boyhood dreams when he pulled on the yellow jersey with a seven second lead on Austrian Bernhard Kohl of the Gerolsteiner team, with former leader and last year's runner-up Cadel Evans just one second further off the pace.


15 years ago

Bernhard who?

Bernhard Kohl sat in the sunlit conference room of the mountain resort hotel Navize Te in the Italian Alps on the rest day of the Tour de France for more than hour, patiently answering questions from nearly 100 international reporters. It was a new experience for both sides. Never before in his career had the 26-year-old Austrian been the focus of so much attention and before last Sunday, when he rode his way to within seven seconds of the maillot jaune, no one, except for the most avid Austrian cycling fans, had ever even heard of … Bernhard who?


Tour de France Writers

Andrew Hood

Andrew Hood, aka “EuroHoody,” is the VeloNews European editor. Since joining VeloNews in 2002, he’s been chasing bike races all over the world. He’s covered dozens editions of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España, as well as numerous world championships in road, track, and mountain biking. He’s also covered five Olympic Games and traveled across six continents. Beyond the Outside cycling network, his work’s appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Outside, SKITraveler Magazine, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, and Denver Post. He’s appeared on CNN, NBC, NPR, and BBC. Chances are if there’s a bike race, EuroHoody’s been to it, or will be going soon.

Betsy Welch

Betsy is a senior editor at VeloNews. Before that, she was a Spanish teacher and most recently, a Registered Nurse working in community health. She’s been freelancing about bikes and other outdoors and health-related topics for over a decade. When she’s not riding or writing, Betsy adores traveling. In 2016, she started, and will one day finish, bikepacking the length of the Baja Divide.

Sadhbh O'Shea

Based in the cycling haven of the Isle of Man, Sadhbh O’Shea has been writing about cycling for almost 10 years. She has covered too many bike races to count, including all three grand tours and a whole host of monuments.

Jim Cotton

Jim is a UK-based editor and reporter. With experience on the ground at the Giro d’Italia, Paris-Roubaix, Strade Bianche, road worlds, UAE Tour and many others, Jim has worked some of the biggest races in the world. Like any aspirational WorldTour rookie, he knows that a Tour de France debut is around the corner. Jim covers a lot of race reports while also focussing on deep dives into the dynamics, personalities and training at the top of the sport. And where are many of those story ideas dreamed up? While out training for trail running races – but don’t hold that against him.

Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson is the Editor in Chief at VeloNews.com. Before that, he was the EIC at Cyclingnews between 2008 and 2022. Originally from Ireland but based in the UK, he has reported from over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several world championships across Europe, three editions of the Tour Down Under, the Spring Classics, the London 2012 Olympic Games, and numerous other major cycling events. Daniel plans the global race and news coverage for VeloNews and works alongside the rest of the excellent editorial team in ensuring that the site’s reporting delivers to its loyal and respected readership. Rides: Pinarello, Cinelli, and Cannondale.

Dan Martin

Dan Martin was one of the most successful riders of his generation with the Irishman winning stages in all three grand tours, and finishing inside the top-ten in all of them too. Also a winner of Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia, he was a consistent winner throughout his career. Having retired at the end of 2021, Martin has started a number of new projects, including regular contributions for.

How to watch the Tour de France in 2023

For 2023: GCN+ is showing the Tour de France in North America. Those of you in Europe have more options.

Inside the United States and Canada

Cycling fans in the U.S.A. and Canada can watch the Tour de France streamed through GCN+. The $49 annual subscription will allow you to watch via a web browser, the mobile app, or a smart tv app.

Daily coverage begins as early as 5:00 a.m. EDT daily. You’ll want to check the specific broadcast time for each stage, since there is some variability in the start times of the daily broadcast.

Outside the United States and Canada

GCN+ will show the race in Europe, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Eurosport will show the race in Europe. Other options include Rai Sport in Italy, L'Equipe TV in France, and Sporza in Belgium.