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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

15 years ago

Stage 8 – By the numbers

Stage 8, Figeac to Toulouse, 172.5km Weather: Light rain in morning, turning to heavier showers in afternoon, temperatures in the 60s Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia) won his second stage of this Tour with a brilliant finishing kick to fend off such experienced sprinters as Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Jimmy Casper (Agritubel). The “Cannonball” finished off great work by Columbia, with teammate Gerard Ciolek coming across the line second ahead of third-place Casper.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 8

WHAT MAKES CAV SO FAST? It looks like Mark Cavendish was born to win. Despite losing the wheel of his lead-out man Gerard Ciolek after riding cautiously through the final bend with just over one kilometer to go to avoid crashing on wet roads, Great Britain’s “Cannonball” was still able to blast across the line with apparent ease to win for the second time in a week. At 23, Cavendish is using his raw finishing speed and tenacious personality to make up for any lack of experience he might have in what is his third grand tour start.


15 years ago

Frank Schleck says he’s happy to see Kirchen in yellow

CSC-Saxo Bank’s national Luxembourg champion Frank Schleck dismissed statements made by race leader Kim Kirchen Friday that there was no love lost between the compatriots. Following Friday’s difficult stage, which saw the CSC team of brothers Frank and Andy Schleck set a high tempo that nearly shattered Kirchen’s Columbia team, the race leader insinuated that the tactic had, at least in part, intended to shed the first Luxembourgian maillot jaune in 50 years.


15 years ago

Beltrán case casts pall over Tour

One week. That’s all it took before a doping scandal erupted on the 2008 Tour de France. Photos of Spanish veteran Manuel “Triki” Beltrán doing a perp walk as French police hauled him away in handcuffs from the Liquigas team hotel Friday evening pushed the Tour back into the type of headlines the race is trying to avoid. Perhaps it was appropriate that clouds and rain greeted riders in Figeac before the start of the eighth stage as the pall of cycling’s troubled past reared its ugly head after a week of titillating racing seemingly pushed scandals off the headlines.


15 years ago

Police take Beltran for questioning following positive test

French police have taken Spaniard Manuel Beltran away for questioning in the wake of the first doping scandal to emerge at this year's Tour de France. Beltran, best known for helping Lance Armstrong to the last three of his seven Tour de France wins, tested positive for the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) on the Tour's opening stage, according to top anti-doping officials on Friday.


15 years ago

Kim Kirchen and the Schleck brothers are all from Luxembourg …

The first skirmishes in the battle for the Tour de France yellow jersey left damage in their wake during the tumultuous seventh stage to here on Friday. But the biggest souvenir from the second day of climbing in the 'medium' mountain stages was the full exposure of the existing rivalry between three of Luxembourg's most talented bike riders. In one corner is Kim Kirchen, the Columbia team leader who has been wearing the yellow jersey since the end of Thursday's sixth stage.


15 years ago

One week in to the 2008 Tour de France — a status report

After seven stages, the 2008 Tour de France is one-third over and starting to take shape, even with the Monday’s first high-mountain stage looming in the distance. Four of the first week’s six road stages have seen separation on the day’s final climb, with the race’s GC contenders coming to the fore to show their cards and limit their losses. And in an unusual twist, the race has seen only one field sprint, won by Columbia’s Mark Cavendish, and its first solo breakaway victory, won Friday by Caisse d’Epargne’s Luis-Leon Sanchez.


15 years ago

Friday’s semi-mountain stage was another tough day in a Tour with no easy stages

There are no easy days in this very different Tour de France. This was especially true on Friday when stage 7 was raced more like a one-day classic than a semi-mountain stage of the Tour. One man who knows a thing or two about the classics (and the Tour!), George Hincapie, had this to say about a stage where his Columbia was stretched to the limit in defending the yellow jersey of Kim Kirchen.


15 years ago

Stage 7 – By the Numbers

Stage 7, Brioude to Aurillac, 159km Weather: Sunny in morning, building clouds on climbs, cooler, late showers, strong cross and headwinds, highs in 60s. Stage winner: Luís León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne) worked into a four-man breakaway that was neutralized by a lead pack of GC favorites only to counter-attack to victory six seconds clear. He saluted to the heavens for his fallen brother, who died in a quad accident a few years ago, as he crossed the line winner of a Tour stage for the first time of his career.


15 years ago

A conversation with Christian Vande Velde: Vande Velde: ‘The strongest I’ve ever felt’

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle) has been one of the revelations so far in the first week of the Tour de France. Through the first opening seven stages, Vande Velde has ridden with consistency and strength to slot into fourth overall at just 44 seconds out of the yellow jersey. After years in the service of others, Vande Velde is finally getting a crack at being a team leader, and he’s making the most of it. VeloNews spoke to Vande Velde ahead of Thursday’s stage to gauge his first week. Here are excerpts from the interview:


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 7

MILLAR TIME OVER David Millar officially gave up the chase for the yellow jersey after a give-all raid that ran out of air early in Thursday’s hilly course across Massif Central. Despite struggling up Super-Besse in Wednesday’s stage, the Garmin-Chipotle captain was still dreaming of the yellow jersey in one last, final shot. Milllar started the day fifth overall at 47 seconds arrears and worked into a promising five-man breakaway that also included German marauder Jens Voigt in the opening 50km.


15 years ago

What’s Garmin-Chipotle on, anyway?

“Phew! That’s not even one of my farts! I told you, I’ve got four farts. My Heineken fart, my broccoli fart, my rice-pudding fart and my dairy-creamer fart. And the fart I’m smellin’ right now is definitely not one of mine.”—the late, great George Carlin, from “Napalm and Silly Putty”


15 years ago

French agency dismisses doping claim

The agency charged with carrying out anti-doping controls at this year's Tour de France has played down a report that 10 riders are about to be issued warnings for "suspect" blood samples. A report in the French newspaper Le Monde on Friday suggested that the riders were being specifically targeted by the AFLD, France's national anti-doping agency, because of suspected doping. However a statement by the AFLD, later in the day, dismissed those claims as speculation.


15 years ago

Tour Tech – The leading edge

Belgian-based frame builder Ridley has completed two new models in time for this year’s Tour de France with the goal of putting Silence-Lotto's top rider on the top step of the podium in Paris on July 27. Anyone can hope, of course, but Ridley has the technological chops to back it up. Aside from Team Columbia's prototype Giant, which we’ll look at in another piece, Ridley’s Dean and Noah are the big tech stories of this year’s Tour. And, unlike Columbia's new time-trial bike, both Ridley models are slated for 2009 production.


15 years ago

Hail Columbia

While the spectacular battle for stage 6 unfolded on the erratic climb to Super-Besse on Thursday, I was standing at the finish line next to Bob Stapleton, the owner-manager of Team Columbia. As we watched, we speculated whether his team leader Kim Kirchen could make up the 12 seconds by which he trailed Stefan Schumacher and take the yellow jersey. Right then, as Kirchen and the other race contenders were about to start their sprint for the line, Schumacher fell off his bike.


15 years ago

Millar: “I can’t do this!”

Britain's David Millar has all but given up hope of finally ending his eight-year wait to wear the Tour de France yellow jersey again. However, the Garmin team leader said his encouraging performance on the race's first foray into the hills on Thursday can now boost his second objective of a stage win at this year's race. Millar began the first medium mountain stage of the race, a 195.5km hilly ride from Aigurande to Super-Besse in the Massif Central, in third place overall at 12 seconds behind Stefan Schumacher of Germany.


15 years ago

Live Coverage – Stage 6 Tour de France, 2008

12:57 PM: Good day and welcometo VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the sixth stage of the 95th edition of the Tour de France, a 195.5-kilometer ride from Aigurande to Super-Besse.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, Stage 6

RICCO A LA PANTANI? Will Riccardo Riccò pull a page from the playbook of his childhood hero, Marco Pantani, and surprise everyone at this Tour de France? Riccò insists he’s here only for stage victories, but his impressive pop in Thursday’s stage could betray his public declarations.


15 years ago

Stage 6 – By the numbers

Stage 6, Aigurande to Super-Besse, 195.5km Weather Partly sunny, warmer, highs in the 80s, light westerly wind


15 years ago

A conversation with Garmin executives at the Tour de France

Sponsoring a bike team makes good business sense, especially if you’re Garmin and one of the largest companies in the fast-growing, highly competitive GPS market. Garmin unveiled its high-profile deal with Slipstream sports at the start of the 2008 Tour de France as the first step of a title sponsorship contract that continues through the 2010 season. VeloNews spoke with Jon Cassat, vice president of communications with Garmin, about the details of how the sponsorship deal came about and why the company decided to bet on cycling. Here are excerpts from the interview:


15 years ago

Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 6

Today was the first stage in this year's race where we hit some hills. After traversing Brittany we're now down into the heart of France and the mountains of the Massif Centrale.


15 years ago

Tour de France tech: Cancellara’s tricked out bike

CSC is not a Shimano-sponsored team. Instead, it buys the Shimano components it uses. You might be surprised that a team like CSC pays for its drivetrain components, but there are multiple reasons why it pays. The primary reason is because of other sponsor obligations, namely to FSA. But it has always been the team’s practice to pick and choose the parts its director Bjarne Riis feels are the best. A byproduct of not being tied to a certain manufacturer’s parts is the ability to experiment.


15 years ago

Inside the Tour with John Wilcockson

The French fans finally saw a real sprint finish Wednesday — resulting in a superbly confident first Tour stage win for Team Columbia’s young Manxman Mark Cavendish — but his well-placed GC teammates, along with the other race favorites, are already looking ahead to the next three stages through the low mountains of the Massif Central. Besides heading into the hills Thursday, the riders will be racing into summer temperatures as the Tour now heads south before arriving in the Pyrenees on Sunday.


15 years ago

Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 5

Sun and a screaming tailwind made for what was one of the easiest days on a bike this year. We'd all prepared mentally for a hour-plus head smashing today before the break would go clear, especially after the relatively quick launches the past few, but people once again seemed content to relax. Twenty minutes of flying down wide open roads and when a few guys got a small gap the field was quick to sit up, yells to chill all around. A few minutes slow, a huge "nature break" as they call it on the radio here, and we settled in for a long one.


15 years ago

Stage 5 was a day of firsts at the 2008 Tour de France

Wednesday’s 232km stage from Cholet to Chatearoux might have been the fifth stage of this 2008 Tour de France, but in many respects it was a day of firsts. It was the first hot, sunny day of a Tour that began in the rain and cold winds of Brittany — weather that seemed to follow the peloton wherever it traveled. Stage 5 was the first day spent in the malliot jaune for Gerolsteiner’s Stefan Schumacher, an unlikely hero who seems as surprised as everyone else to find himself leading the world’s biggest bike race.


15 years ago

2008 Tour de France: Stage 5, by the numbers

Stage 5, Cholet to Châteauroux, 232km Weather: Partly cloudy in the morning, warm and sunny in afternoon, moderate westerly breeze with 20kph, highs in the low 80s


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, Stage 5

Valverde scare: It looked innocuous on the medical report, just cuts and scrapes, but Alejandro Valverde’s Tour de France was nearly short-circuited Wednesday in a pileup. Valverde, 28, flipped over his handlebars and landed on the same collarbone he broke in the 2006 Tour when his front tire slipped on a small, cat-eye road reflector. It was too close for comfort for the stage-1 winner.


15 years ago

Casey Gibson shares behind the scenes photos of the Garmin-Chipotle team

Photographer Casey Gibson has been given full access to shoot behind the scenes with the Garmin-Chipotle team at the Tour. He will share some of his best shots from the first four days.


15 years ago

Staying out of yellow is key for Cadel

This Tour de France couldn’t be going any better for Cadel Evans. In four days of racing he and his Silence-Lotto team have ridden conservatively, largely out of the spotlight — just like the modest Aussie wants it. He showed his form was coming along nicely on opening day, losing by just one second to the explosive Alejandro Valverde on the uphill finish at Plumelec. On stages 2 and 3, his team kept him near the front of the peloton all day, well away from the crashes that were all too common.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 4

Garmin party: Garmin-Chipotle was in a good mood today. The riders raced with a yellow dossard because they stood atop the team GC while Will Frischkorn raced with a red background on his number after winning Monday’s most aggressive rider’s prize. Frischkorn said he felt Monday’s effort in his legs, but admitted he didn’t go too hard in Tuesday’s TT.


15 years ago

2008 Tour de France stage 4 – By the numbers

Stage 4, Cholet-Cholet, 29.5km (individual time trial) Weather: Mostly sunny, with building clouds in afternoon, no rain. Strong SW winds up to 35kph, highs in upper 60s Stage winner:


15 years ago

Evans pleased with Tour time trial results

While Gerolsteiner’s Stefan Schumacher scored an impressive ? and surprising ? win in Tuesday’s 29.5km individual time trial in Cholet, he’s still not ranked among the favorites to wear the yellow jersey in Paris on July 27.


15 years ago

Schumacher has his own out-of-competition positive to explain

Germany's Stefan Schumacher pulled on the Tour de France yellow jersey here Tuesday, and was then forced to defend himself quickly over a positive test for amphetamines last year and explain why he was invited to race the Tour, while Tom Boonen was not. Schumacher, who denies taking the stimulant, tested positive after a police stop while returning from a disco. The incident reminds some of Boonen's out-of-competition positive test for cocaine this spring, which resulted in Boonen being denied a Tour start.


15 years ago

Live Coverage – Stage 4 Tour de France, 2008

05:35 AM: Tune in Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. EDTfor live coverage of stage 4 02:06 PM: Good day and welcometo VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the fourth stage of the 95th edition of the Tour de France, a 29.5km individual time trial in Cholet.


15 years ago

Tour Tech – The new Volt

You’ve already seen the new Bell Volt helmet, even if you didn’t recognize it as new. Thor Hushovd put the Volt in the spotlight of victory at the end of Sunday’s stage two. The new model will slot in as the top road and cross-country race helmet from Bell.


15 years ago

Mr. Rogers’ Tour – Will power

Oh so close. Garmin Chipotle’s Will Frischkorn, out ahead of the peloton in a four-man breakaway from the first 10 kilometers of the Tour’s third stage from Saint-Malo to Nantes, came within a wheel’s length of winning a stage in his first grand tour. Not a bad ride for a rider who only learned he was heading to the Tour de France a week before the start, on a team that earned a wildcard invitation to the world’s biggest bike race.


15 years ago

Echelons, rain showers, crashes — and now a time trial

When I was an amateur racer in Brittany a few decades ago, one event I did was the local classic, Nantes-St. Nazaire. We raced on some of the same flat roads that the Tour de France peloton covered Monday; and the weather was similar: heavy rain showers and a strong southwest wind. Although I usually enjoyed racing in the rain, that classic was the first time I encountered fast-moving echelons, angled into the wind. It was all I could do to grovel in the gutter, trying to hang on to the thin line of riders stuck at the back. It’s not a pleasant memory.


15 years ago

Stage 3 – By the numbers

Stage 3, Saint Malo to Nantes, 208km Weather Intermittent showers, southwesterly winds, gusts up to 60kph, highs in 60s Stage winner Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) won out of the winning four-man breakaway featuring American Will Frischkorn (Garmin-Chipotle), the Tour’s first winning break this year. The diminutive Dumoulin, one of the smallest riders in the peloton, played it perfectly in the final 1.5km. Tour-rookie Frischkorn came within a wheel length of victory as Dumoulin became the first French winner of the 95th Tour. (5h05:27 at 40.857kph)


15 years ago

Valverde has his eye on Tuesday’s time trial

Yellow jersey hopeful Alejandro Valverde willingly gave up the Tour de France lead on Tuesday, but admitted he had raced the hectic third stage with more of an eye on the crucial fourth stage.


15 years ago

Menchov gets gapped

Rabobank’s Denis Menchov became the of the Tour de France's top yellow jersey contenders to lose a significant amount of time Monday when he got caught napping in a hectic run to the finish of a 208km stage. Menchov, a two-time Vuelta a España winner, found himself in a group that had been left trailing by some furious accelerations at the front of the peloton and a mid-field crash as sprinters’ teams ramped up an ultimately futile pursuit of a four-man break.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 3

BADGER STILL BITES: Don’t say the Bernard Hinault has lost any of his punch with old age. Just as Samuel Dumoulin was stepping atop the podium to accept his prize as the day’s winner, a protester dressed in a neon yellow vest jumped in front of the pint-sized Dumoulin and raised his arms in defiance. Hinault — who works with the Tour organization and appears daily on the podium to present the day’s awards — quickly sprung into action and shoved the hapless protester off the front of the stage. Tour goons swarmed and shuttled him out of the way.


15 years ago

Evans to wear a shorter TT lid

There is what’s best theoretically, and then what’s best in practical application. As applies to time trial aerodynamics, riders and engineers are always struggling to balance the very best position and design with what’s realistic out on the road. This year, Specialized tweaked the design of its TT3 helmet to better match how its sponsored riders like Cadel Evans actually ride.[nid:79530]


15 years ago

Live Coverage – Stage 3 Tour de France, 2008

12:44 PM: Good day and welcometo VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the third stage of the 95th edition of the Tour de France, a 208km race from St. Malo to Nantes.


15 years ago

A conversation with Ryder Hesjedal

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Chipotle) is the first Canadian riding the Tour de France since Gord Fraser rode in 1997 with the small French team, La Mutuelle de Seine et Marne. The former mountain biker is the fourth Canadian to start the Tour. Along with Fraser, Alex Stieda and Steve Bauer have participated.


15 years ago

It’s the wind (and the hill), stupid!

Anyone who follows American politics knows that in the build-up to the 1992 presidential elections, Arkansas governor Bill Clinton had the message “It’s the economy, stupid!” pinned to a wall in his campaign headquarters. By keeping that mantra in mind, Clinton came from behind to win the Democratic nomination, and then the Presidency. In these opening days of the 2008 Tour de France, the message to would-be winners is: “It’s the wind, stupid!”


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 2

A SECOND IS A MILE: Alejandro Valverde’s one-second grip on the yellow jersey might seem slim, but it should keep him in the maillot jaune going into Tuesday’s first time trial. Because the Tour eliminated time bonuses in this year’s race, Valverde simply had to follow the wheels in Sunday’s rush to the line into Saint-Brieuc. Monday’s easier profile should assure another bunch sprint and another day in yellow for Valverde.


15 years ago

Tour de France leader Alejandro Valverde’s custom Pinarello Prince

When Caisse D’Epargne superstar Alejandro Valverde stormed past Columbia’s Kim Kircken in the last 200 meters of the opening stage of the 2008 Tour de France he did it on a brand new bike. The winning bike wasn’t new in the sense of a new design — it is the same bike as his teammates ride, a Pinarello Prince — but it was new to Valverde. In fact, it was his first ride on the new bike.


15 years ago

Stage 2, by the numbers

Stage 2, Auray to Saint-Brieuc, 164.5km Speed 43.7 kmh (27.2 mph) Weather Mostly cloudy skies, strong southwest, westerly winds, gusts up to 60kph, intermittent showers, highs in mid-70s. Stage winner Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) made up for the absence of an opening prologue thanks to a great lead-out from Mark Crenshaw. The Thunder God held off the fast-charging Columbia duo of Kim Kirchen and Gerald Ciolek to claim his sixth Tour victory in six Tour starts.


15 years ago

How do Tour de France teams deal with rainy stages?

The first four stages of this year’s Tour take place on the windy, often rain-soaked roads of [nid:79435]northwestern France. The riders don’t truly escape it until the first time trial in Cholet. Because of the conditions, many teams, or individual riders, take special measures to ensure their safety and ability to perform in the less than perfect weather on less than perfect roads. [nid:79433]


15 years ago

2008 Tour de France, Stage 2: Live Updates

01:02 PM: Good day and welcometo VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the second stage of the 95th edition of the Tour de France, covering 164.5km from Auray to St. Brieuc.


15 years ago

A conversation with Greg LeMond at the Tour on Sunday

American legend Greg LeMond believes there have been enough positive changes in cycling that he can believe in the winner of the Tour de France. LeMond, 47, returned to the Tour this week for the first since the late 1990s, when he become so disillusioned with cycling’s doping problems that he refused to even attend the race that he won three times.


15 years ago

Look for more hills, more fans and another frenetic finish

It’s not a coincidence that the front-page photo chosen for Saturday’s edition of L’Équipe, the top-selling French sports newspaper, was a shot from the rear of the Tour de France peloton climbing the Mur de Bretagne, a 10-percent-grade, wall-like climb that marks the midpoint of stage 2. The shot is from the 2004 Tour de France, the last time the race came this way, but it will look much the same on Sunday.


15 years ago

Andrew Hood’s Tour de France Notebook, stage 1

BANG-BAM-BOOM: Tour brass will surely preen with pride at the huge crowds lining the route across the heart of Brittany, but not everyone was happy that the opening prologue was ditched in favor of a hectic, nervous road stage. Since 1967, the Tour started with some form of a time trial. This year, Christian Prudhomme wanted to shake things up and simply decided to let them sprint for the yellow jersey.


15 years ago

Stapleton: Kirchen beaten but we’re not

Team Columbia manager Bob Stapleton is looking to Britain's Mark Cavendish for a Tour de France stage victory after his team missed out on an historic first stage win here Saturday. Stapleton's team have come to the Tour looking to fight on several fronts, but at the start of the 2008 race - being held without a prologue for the first time in 41 years — he was reminded that they'll get nothing for free.


15 years ago

Stage 1 – By the numbers

Stage 1, Brest to Plumelec, 197.5km Weather: Partly cloudy skies, strong southwest winds up to 65kph, temperatures in low 80s Stage winner: Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) won his second career Tour stage with a blistering acceleration in the final right-hander with about 350m to go. “Balaverde” roared past the stalling Kim Kirchen (Team Columbia) to win one second ahead of Philip Gilbert (FDJeux) and Jerome Pineau (Bouygues Telecom).


15 years ago

Robbie McEwen forgoes an 11-speed bike on the Tour’s first stage

Robbie McEwen’s bike was lined up unassumingly, mid-pack, among his teammates' rigs in front of a roped off and guarded Silence-Lotto bus. All of the extra protection was meant to protect the race favorite — McEwen's teammate Cadel Evans — but McEwen’s bike benefited. He was suppose to start the race on Campagnolo’s new 11-speed group, but instead he unassumingly rode away from the team bus on a 10-speed bike. [nid:79347]


15 years ago

Cadel Evans says going from Tour de France favorite to victor won’t be easy

On the eve of his fourth Tour de France, Silence-Lotto’s Cadel Evans told a crowded hotel lobby that though he might be the pre-race favorite heading into the race, due to his second-place finish last year, given this year’s list of contenders, actually winning the race is something else entirely.


15 years ago

Live Coverage – Stage 1 Tour de France, 2008

06:48 PM: Good day and welcomeTo VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 1st stage of the 95th Tour de France, 197.5km race from Brest to Plumec. 180 riders rolled out of Brest this afternoon, exiting the neutral zone at 12:31 and begining a long day in the saddle, an unusual way to start the Tour. This is only the first time since 1966 that the Tour de France has not started with some form of time trial, usually a short sub-8km prologue.


15 years ago

Starting another Tour

Editor’s note: Every day during the 95th Tour de France, VeloNews editorial director John Wilcockson will be writing his “Inside the Tour” column. It will have a more personal slant than most of the pieces he writes. There will be comments on each day’s tactics, insights on what to look for the next day, and stories he has witnessed in the 40 years he has been reporting the race. This first column includes thoughts on the opening stage and what to looking for on the wild roads of Brittany over this first weekend. * * *


15 years ago

Tech at the Tour – Down to the wire

A day before the start of the Tour de France is almost too late to accomplish anything significant. Nonetheless, it’s a frantic time for mechanics and support staff as clock ticks down to the start of the world’s biggest bicycle race. Teams build bikes up to the last minute, busses are stocked and there are always bikes, kits and cars to be washed and shined in last hours before the race kicks off. Instead of diving right into a single piece of equipment for this year’s race, let’s take a look at the frantic activity on the eve of the Tour.


15 years ago

A Tour with many questions, but few answers

When Lance Armstrong was winning the Tour every year, the only real question before the race was not “Who will win?” but “Can anyone get close to him?” Now, after two totally unpredictable Tours, both of them ruined by doping controversies, it looks like we’re about to start on another Magical Mystery Tour. All the same, it’s still fun trying to peek into the crystal ball.


15 years ago

‘Le Tour Toujours,’ warts and all: O’Grady remains a fan, sorta

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!—an exchange between Brian's mum and his followers in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian”


15 years ago

Team Columbia presents Tour squad, new jersey

For the second consecutive day, an American team kicked off its Tour de France by unveiling a fresh jersey design created for a new title sponsor. Team Columbia, the former T-Mobile team referred to as Team High Road for the first half of the 2008 season, presented its new look and new sponsor in front of a packed press conference at the Penfeld Parc des Expositions in Brest, France, where the Tour will start Saturday morning.


15 years ago

Caisse d’Épargne: Valverde aiming for podium

Spain’s Green Bullet isn’t sweating it. Alejandro Valverde says if he doesn’t win the Tour de France this year, he’s got plenty more in his legs. That’s not to say that he’s shying away from a unique opportunity to become the third consecutive Spanish winner, but Spain’s El Imbatido – “the unbeaten one” – is trying to tamp down over-zealous expectations from national media who are hyping his chances in the absence of defending champion Alberto Contador.


15 years ago

2008 Tour de France start list

Silence-Lotto(director: Herman Frison)1. Cadel Evans (Aus) 2. Mario Aerts (B) 3. Christophe Brandt (B) 4. Dario Cioni (I) 5. Leif Hoste (B) 6. Robbie McEwen (Aus) 7. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) 8. Johan Van Summeren (B) 9. Wim Vansevenant (B) CSC-Saxo Bank (director: Kim Andersen) 11. Carlos Sastre (Sp) 12. Kurt-Asle Arvesen (N) 13. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) 14. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) 15. Stuart O'Grady (Aus) 16. Andy Schleck (Lux) 17.


15 years ago

On the eve of the Tour – A Casey Gibson Gallery

There were big crowds at the teams' presentation at the Tour de France Friday afternoon. Photographer Casey Gibson was there, too.


15 years ago

CSC-Saxo Bank ready to roll

Just looking at the faces of Team CSC-Saxo Bank’s nine-man lineup Tour de France squad and it’s obvious that this team means business. With the lone exception of baby-faced Tour rookie Andy Schleck, CSC consists of hard-nosed, bad-asses who intend to impose their will on the race. And maybe even take the overall to boot.


15 years ago

Inside Cycling, with John Wilcockson – Kashechkin’s year in limbo – Part 2

Editor’s Note: After team leader Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for homologous blood doping during last year’s Tour de France, the entire Astana team left the race under a cloud. Vinokourov’s top lieutenant Andrey Kashechkin tried to relax by spending time with his family in Turkey. His time out of the limelight, however, was short-lived as anti-doping testers knocked on his hotel room door and asked for a sample.


15 years ago

The French federation has its own bike tech rules for the Tour de France

This year’s edition of the Tour de France isn’t sanctioned by the UCI, so VeloNews readers have been curious whether the UCI's somewhat-infamous tech rules still apply. You’ll remember that before last year’s race, official rule clarifications led to frantic refinement of time trial bikes as teams readied them for the London prologue. That controversy centered on the use of the ‘praying landis’ position and whether or not a rider’s forearms touched his aero extensions. Race and stage favorites did modify their positions before stepping up to the start chute of the race.


15 years ago

Absences make the Tour … more interesting?

Pro cycling fans may find themselves unclear who to root for at this year’s Tour de France. The list of familiar faces absent from this year’s race is as long as it is top-heavy. The exclusion of the Astana team of defending champion Alberto Contador and teammates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden means three former podium finishers will sit out this year. It's the first instance in modern history where the previous year’s Tour winner was eligible to race, yet not invited to defend his title.


15 years ago

Team Garmin-Chipotle unwraps its new kit

American pro continental team Garmin-Chipotle presented by H30 made its Tour de France debut Thursday afternoon in Brest with the unveiling of its newly designed jersey. Flanked by Jon Cassat, Garmin’s vice president of communications, team manager Jonathan Vaughters introduced the recently re-branded squad, which has been run as Slipstream-Chipotle since the outset of the 2007 season. The team recently announced a three-year deal with Garmin, a GPS company based in Kansas.


15 years ago

The race for the green jersey

The positive out-of-competition test for cocaine that put defending points champion Tom Boonen out of the Tour de France, and the absence of the top Italian sprinters Alessandro Petacchi and Daniele Bennati, has opened up this year’s green jersey competition; while the decision by exciting newcomer Mark Cavendish to start the Tour rather than focus entirely on his Olympic track preparations gives new interest to the early sprint stages.


15 years ago

Prudhomme: Tour de France cheats are on the way out

Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme is convinced this year's race can take place without the numerous drug-tainted scandals that have left the event fighting for its credibility. The 95th edition of the world's biggest bike race begins Saturday. Ahead of a tough three-week race, devoid of the traditional prologue and with plenty of action promised in an innovative first week, there remain plenty of detractors following the 2007 edition which was blackened by the unceremonious exit of race leader Michael Rasmussen, among others, over suspicions of doping.


15 years ago

Valverde: Locked and loaded

Alejandro Valverde has been a busy man since winning the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré last month.


15 years ago

McQuaid will watch Tour on TV

Pat McQuaid has expressed his wish for a trouble-free Tour de France but says that it was a mistake for the event to have broken away from the International Cycling Union (UCI). "I am saddened by this, but it is the decision of the organizers,” the international cycling chief said. “It is sad but it has to be accepted. In terms of world cycling it is not a good decision." Speaking to AFP four days before the Tour starts on Saturday in the Britanny port of Brest, McQuaid said he would not be attending the race, which finishes on July 27 in Paris.


15 years ago

Lampre says a clean Cunego will lead its charge at the Tour

Damiano Cunego will be brandishing a new look for the Tour de France and it won’t just be a fresh dye-job on his curly locks. The 2004 Giro d’Italia champ and Lampre team leader is supporting a new anti-doping campaign and has had its slogan tattooed on his left arm. It reads: “I’m doping free.”


15 years ago

VeloNews offers a variety of ways to follow the 2008 Tour de France online

It's almost July and the Tour de France season has begun. And this year, you can follow every move of the world's largest bike race, no matter where you are, on VeloNews.com. Say you are in line at your bank, or by the side of the road in St. André-de-la-Marche, with your cell phone handy: you can find out who is ahead with live text updates at mobile.velonews.com


15 years ago

Tour de France: Bouygues eyes stages

Bouygues Telecom will start the Tour de France with a squad loaded with stage-hunters and almost no one for the overall classification. The French team will be headlined by Thomas Voeckler, remembered for his heroic defense of the maillot jaune in the 2004 Tour, and Pierrick Fédrigo, winner of a stage in the 2006 Tour. The team is betting on winning a stage rather than wasting energy in a futile fight for the overall.


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.