Berets, wheelies and 'Gora Euskadi': The Tour de France arrives in Bilbao

The team presentation gave an insight into the fervour with which the Tour will be welcomed to the Basque Country

Riders at the Tour de France 2023 team presentation
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As the rain fell on the crowd at the 2023 Tour de France team presentation on Thursday evening, one began to really appreciate how much this event matters to the people of Bilbao, the people of the Basque Country.

Anywhere else, people would have dispersed, gone home, sought cover. In front of the Guggenheim in Bilbao on Friday night, the crowds stayed, the fervour over the Tour built, and the final riders got their chance to say hello to the fans.

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.

Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.