Tour de France

The 2023 Tour de France marks the 110th edition of cycling's flagship race. Starting in Bilbao, Spain, the route traces a path eastwards across France, through the Pyrenees mountains, into the Alps, before heading north for a customary final day in Paris. 

The three-week event is the second of the trio Grand Tours, coming after the Giro d'Italia and before the Vuelta a España. 

TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 – WEEK ONE SUMMARY AND STAGE REPORTS 

Stage 1, Saturday 1 July: Adam Yates pips twin brother Simon to stage win and yellow jersey

The hardest opening stage of the Tour de France in recent memory was won in scintillating fashion by Adam Yates. The UAE Team Emirates rider broke clear with his twin brother Simon (Jayco-AlUla) with 9km to go.

After Adam had ridden clear to take his first stage win on the Tour, his teammate Tadej Pogačar threw his arms in the air as he crossed the line in third, the best of a select group of GC favourites. 

Stage 2, Sunday 2 July: Victor Lafay wins Stage 2 thanks to a brilliantly timed attack

A fairly slow day that turned hectic. After Wout van Aert was forced to wear himself out chasing down every attack, Victor Lafay took his chance with 1km to go and stayed clear to win the stage.

Thanks to time bonuses, Tadej Pogacar moved up to second overall while his teammate Adam Yates stayed in yellow.

Stage 3, Monday 3 July: Jasper Philipsen triumphs in the first sprint finish of the race

This stage, which saw the riders cross from Spain and into France, was always predicted to end in a bunch sprint. Neilson Powless took the opportunity to scoop all the KoM points and then allowed breakaway partner Laurent Pichon to go ahead.

Inevitably they were both caught by the sprinters' teams well ahead of the finish, which was a tricky one. In the end it was Jasper Philipsen, led out by Mathieu Van Der Poel, who timed it best, winning ahead of Phil Bauhaus and Caleb Ewan.

The GC didn't change a jot, with Adam Yates retaining yellow.

Stage 4, Tuesday 4 July: Jasper Philipsen stamps his authority on Tour de France as Mark Cavendish loses out in chaotic sprint

A pedestrian day for the peloton ended in chaos at the motor racing circuit in Nogaro. 

Despite three separate crashes in the finale Jasper Philipsen came through to win his second stage in a roe and claim his place at the top of sprinting's hierarchy.

Mark Cavendish, chasing a historic 35th Toru stage win, said he "gambled" in the final and it didn't pay off as he picked Mads Pedersen's wheel and he never really launched his sprint.

Stage 5, Wednesday 5 July: Jai Hindley makes the break and ends up detonating the GC battle, winning the stage and the yellow jersey

Today could have seen the race ease into the mountains gently – but then GC hopeful Jai Hindley made the (big) early breakaway.

Still away on the day's final climb, he went solo, prompting defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to attack out of the peloton behind. Vingegaard dropped Pogačar but couldn't catch Hindley, who took yellow and the stage win in Laruns.

Stage 6, Thursday 6 July: Tadej Pogačar triumphs and Jonas Vingegaard takes Tour de France lead on stage six

After and aggressive day of racing Jonas Vingegaard and his Jumbo-Visma team succeeded in distancing all of their rivals bar Tadej Pogačar, who dropped the Dane to win the stage. 

The race for yellow now has only three real contenders in the Dane, the Slovenian and Australian Jai Hindley.

Stage 7, Friday 7 July: Jasper Philipsen wins stage seven of the Tour de France ahead of charging Mark Cavendish

It was always going to be a sprint day on stage seven of the Tour de France to Bordeaux, and so it proved, with Jasper Philipsen triumphing.

However, Mark Cavendish came close, and later said that gear problems prevented him from putting all his power out; the Manxman finished second, behind Philipsen, who has proved that he is the fastest man at the race.

Stage 8, Saturday 8 July: Mads Pedersen powers to victory on stage eight of the Tour de France 2023

On a slightly uphill kick to the finish in Limoges, Mads Pedersen was the best, as he had the strength to stop Jasper Philipsen from winning a fourth stage of the race.

Pedersen, the Lidl-Trek rider, now has two Tour stage wins to his name, in a finish which mixed pure sprinters and punchier riders. Alpecin-Deceuninck's Philipsen was third, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in third. To prove how mixed the top ten was, however, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished behind the likes of Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).

Stage 9, Sunday 9 July: Michael Woods triumphs on Puy de Dôme as Tadej Pogačar narrows gap to Tour de France lead

In a north American showdown it was Canada that came out on top as Michael Woods beat American rival Matteo Jorgenson to the win atop the legendary Puy de Dôme.

In the final kilometre, of what had been a blisteringly hot day with temperatures north of 30 degree Celsius, Tadej Pogačar managed to drop Jonas Vingegaard but the Jumbo-Visma captain dug deep to minimise his losses and came across the line eight seconds down.

TOUR DE FRANCE 2023: WEEK TWO SUMMARY AND STAGE REPORTS

Stage 10, Tuesday 11 July: Pello Bilbao reignites GC bid with Tour de France stage 10 victory

A chaotic start to the day left the peloton strewn out on the road to Issoire. The breakaway finally formed, before Krists Neilands tried his luck solo over the final climb. In the final 3km, the Latvian was caught by a chasing group containing Pello Bilbao, who sprinted to victory on the hottest day of the race so far.

Stage 11, Wednesday 12 July: Jasper Philipsen makes it four in Moulins

After a difficult previous day that was hot and hilly, the bunch allowed the break to go very quickly, with Andrey Amador, Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss quickly gaining three minutes. They were kept on a tight leash though, with the sprinters' teams eyeing a bunch finish. And this they delivered, with Jasper Philipsen winning a fourth stage after a tricky finale.

Stage 12, Thursday 13 July: Ion Izagirre solos to Tour de France stage 12 victory

Just like stage ten, Thursday's stage 12 was a fast and frenetic affair on the road to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. A strong group of puncheur type riders eventually got up the road after the breakaway took more than 80 kilometres to form. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) came out on top at the finish, soloing to the line after a big attack on the final climb of the day. 

Stage 13, Friday 14 July: Michał Kwiatkowski grabs victory on the Grand Colombier on stage 13 of the Tour de France

Michał Kwiatkowski took an impressive solo victory on the summit finish of the Grand Colombier. The Polish rider caught and passed the remnants of the day's breakaway which included Great Britain's James Shaw to grab his second-ever Tour stage win. Behind the Ineos rider, Tadej Pogačar attacked and took eight seconds back on Jonas Vingegaard in the fight for the yellow jersey. 

Stage 14, Saturday 15 July: Carlos Rodríguez wins Tour de France stage 14 as Pogačar and Vingegaard battle for seconds

In the hotly anticipated mountain battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, the winner was a rider nobody expected: Carlos Rodríguez.

Dropped on the final climb of the Col de Joux Plane as overall first and second duelled for bonus seconds, the 22-year-old Spaniard caught up and pushed on alone on a fast and technical descent to claim a stage win in his debut Tour and a second victory in two days for Ineos Grenadiers. Victory in Morzine catapulted Rodríguez into third on the GC; Jonas Vingegaard added one second to his lead over Tadej Pogačar in the fight for the overall Tour.

Stage 15, Sunday 16th July: Wout Poels wins Stage 15 of the Tour de France as the GC battle ends in a grinding stalemate

A hectic day finally saw a breakaway get clear, unfortunately that was partly influenced by a spectator-caused crash back in the peloton. In the end, Wout Poels went away to a solo stage win while Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard finished together for no change in the top two or the time gap between them.

Tour de France 2023: Week three summary and stage reports

Stage 16, Tuesday 18th July: Jonas Vingegaard powers closer to Tour de France title with dominant stage 16 time trial victory

The sole individual time trial at this year's Tour de France promised GC drama and delivered. The 10-second gap that separated Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar at the start of the day was blown out to 1-48 after the Dane executed a perfect race against the clock. "I even surprised myself," he said afterwards.

Stage 17, Wednesday 19th July: Felix Gall takes stunning stage win in Courchevel on stage 17 of the Tour de France

The Queen stage brought a career-defining victory for Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën), but all eyes were on the GC battle, and the demise of Tadej Pogačar. The UAE Team Emirates rider cracked on the slopes of the Col de la Loze, losing almost six minutes to Jonas Vingegaard, and slipping to 7-35 in the overall standings.

Stage 18, Thursday 20 July: Kasper Asgreen grabs victory from the breakaway on stage 18 of the Tour de France in Bourg-en-Bresse

Denmark's Kasper Asgreen put in one of the best performances of the race to grab his first-ever Tour victory. The Soudal Quick-Step rider was part of a four man breakaway that managed to hold on all the way to the line by just a handful of seconds ahead of the peloton. 

Stage 19, Friday 21 July: Matej Mohorič outsprints Kasper Asgreen and seizes Tour de France stage 19 victory in Poligny

Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious took an emotional victory in Poligny after a chaotic day of racing. The Slovenian rider launched an attack with Kasper Asgreen and Ben O'Connor on the final climb of the hilly stage before beating his breakaway compatriots in a three-up sprint for the line. It was Mohorič's third-ever Tour victory.

Tour de France 2023: Overview

Tour de France 2023: key information

Where did the Tour de France start in 2023?

Tour de France 2023 Grand Depart information

Bilbao, Spain

Saturday 1 July 2023

Following 2022's hugely successful Grand Départ in Denmark, the Tour de France once again started away from home soil in 2023. The 2023 Tour de France kicked off in Spain - more specifically in Bilbao, in the country's Basque region.

It was the first time the race had started in Spain since 1992, with the first stage a 185km hilly coastal loop which was won by UAE Team Emirate's British rider Adam Yates, ahead of his twin brother Simon (Jayco-AlUla).

Day two was a tough 210km from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastián, while stage three will began in Amorebieta-Etxano, where there were 80km of coast roads before the Tour re-entered France. 

Tour de France 2023 route

The 2023 Tour de France route is set to favour the climbers, counting four summit finishes and just one time trial. Every year there are stages that rise above the rest in terms of drama and impact on the race, and we've picked out six stages that we think will have a big effect on this year's Tour. We'll be updating the Tour de France standings after every stage.

Tour de France jerseys

Much like every year in recent memory, the Tour de France jerseys and classifications are yellow  for the overall leader, green  for the leader in the points standings, polka-dot for the mountain classification, and white  for the best young rider.

Along with the jersey prizes, there is an award for the most combative rider of each stage, with the winner wearing a red number on the following day. This is awarded each day with a 'Super Combativity' award decided by a jury at the end of the race for the most active rider throughout the entire event.

There is also a team classification where the time of the first three riders from each team is put together to create a single time. This is then done in a similar way as the individual general classification.

In addition, there are plenty of bonus seconds up for grabs at the race. There are ten, six and four bonus seconds available at the end of each stage for the first three riders, as well as bonus sprints that are dotted throughout the race on key climbs to try and make the racing more entertaining for spectators.

Of course, there's also prize money up for grabs. For winning the 2022 edition of the race, Jonas Vingegaard collected €610,000 (£526,000/$634,000), a sum which is customarily shared out among the team's riders and staff.

Tour de France 2023 teams

There will be 22 teams of eight riders at the 2023 Tour de France. This includes all 18 UCI WorldTour teams, as well as the two best-ranked UCI ProTeams, and two further squads invited by the organiser, ASO. 

Below is a list of all the participating teams:

AG2R Citroën Team (Fra)

Alpecin Deceuninck (Bel)

Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)

Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger)

EF Education-Easypost (USA)

Groupama-FDJ (Fra)

Ineos Grenadiers (GBr)

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (Bel)

Jumbo-Visma (Ned)

Movistar Team (Esp)

Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)

Team Arkea-Samsic (Fra)

Team Bahrain Victorious (Brn)

Team Cofidis (Fra)

Team DSM (Ned)

Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)

Trek-Segafredo (USE)

UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

Best placed UCI ProTeams: 

Lotto Dstny (Bel) 

TotalEnergies (Fra)

Two teams invited by the organiser:

Israel-Premier Tech (Isr)

Uno-X Pro Cycling (Nor)

Tour de France 2023 general classification riders

Little is currently known as to which general classification riders will appear on the start line in Bilbao on July 1. 

Reigning-champion Jonas Vingegaard will almost certainly make an appearance and said in October that he is "up for the challenge" of defending his title. Meanwhile Tadej Pogačar said that he was looking forward to July at the route announcement. 

The route very much favours climbers such as France's David Gaudu with just 22 kilometres of time trialling on offer. Remco Evenepoel's team boss Patrick Lefevere said that he feels that the Belgian "can do well on every kind of course”, although the world champion is not expected to take the start line in Bilbao. 

British team Ineos Grenadiers are planning a three-pronged attack at this summer's Tour de France, with Carlos Rodríguez, Dani Martínez and 2019 race winner Egan Bernal sharing leadership. 

Tour de France 2023 sprinters

Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck was one of the star men of last year's Tour de France, taking victory on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. If the Belgian returns to the French grand tour in 2023 then he could mount a serious challenge for the green jersey. 

Mark Cavendish missed out on selection last year as his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team went with Fabio Jakobsen, who won stage two. Cavendish, however, will line up this July with Astana Qazaqstan, in the hope of surpassing the all-time stage win record, which he currently shares with Eddy Merckx, tied on 34 victories. 

Wout Van Aert won the green jersey in 2022 and will be tough to beat in the competition if he returns to the Tour in 2023.

Tour de France 2023 on TV

As you'd expect the Tour de France will be avialable to watch in a lot of places this July. It'll be live-streamed on GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport, as well as ITV4, in the UK and in Europe. Subscription costs are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a year.

A Flobikes annual subscription will cost you $209.99 if you want to watch in Canada, while in the USA NBC Sports via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month) will show the race. Australians can can watch the Tour for free on SBS on Demand.

And, of course, if you want to watch your local stream from anywhere in the world you'll need a VPN from a trusted company like ExpressVPN.

Tour de France past winners in the last 10 years

2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
2013: Chris Froome (GBr)
2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita)
2015: Chris Froome (GBr)
2016: Chris Froome (GBr)
2017: Chris Froome (GBr)
2018: Geraint Thomas (GBr)
2019: Egan Bernal (Col)
2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) 
2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)

Tour de France 2022: Jonas Vingegaard crowned the winner in Paris

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) was crowned Tour de France 2022 champion following the traditional processional final stage into Paris, which was won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

As usual, the final stage saw a relaxed peloton sipping Champagne before a frantic few laps around the centre of Paris. Philipsen sprinted to his second win of the 2022 edition of the Tour on the Champs-Élysées ahead of Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Alexandr Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux).

Danish ace Vingegaard finished 2 minutes and 43 seconds ahead of 2021's winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), with Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) third at 7-22.

Pogačar, who would have made it a hat-trick of wins had he been able to defend his title, did win the young riders classification, while Vingegaard's Jumbo-Visma team-mate Wout van Aert claimed the green jersey with a record points haul of 480.