It is from Bilbao (Basque Country) that team Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert will start its sixth Tour de France in July. The parcours of the Tour 2023, which was revealed this Thursday October 27th in Paris, will reach the Champs-Elysées on Sunday July 23rd after 3404 kilometer of racing via the five mountain ranges of the country.
In total, the 110th edition contains eight mountain stages among which four mountain top finishes, eight stages suited for sprinters, only one 22 kilometer time trial and three days out of the French territory in the Basque Country to start with.
The first yellow jersey will be distributed after a hilly stage around Bilbao with more than 3000 meters of climbing, followed the next day by another hilly stage with the Alto de Jaizkibel 20 kilometer before the finish. The peloton then heads to France for two opportunities for sprinters, followed by a first fight in the Pyrenees towards Laruns on day five.
Ski station Cauterets-Campbasque will be the theatre of the first mountain top finish on day six, preceded by the Col d’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet. After two new opportunities for sprinters, the peloton will return to the Puy de Dôme for the first time in 35 years, with a summit finish in the Massif Central to conclude the first week.
The rest day in Clermont-Ferrand will be followed by three days for the strong riders, before reaching the Jura for a finish on top of the Grand Colombier on July 14th. Then, two stages with over 4000 meter of climbing in the Alps await the riders, with the first one finishing in Morzine after the downhill of the Col de Joux-Plane and the second one on top of Saint-Gervais – Mont Blanc, where the peloton will start the second restday.
The only time trial opens the third week in the Haute-Savoie, containing the Côte de Domancy (2.5 km at 9.4%) as final part of the 22 kilometer stage. The next day, the seventeenth stage contains four major difficulties among whom the Col de la Loze, which is with its 2304 meters of altitude the roof of this edition, and the final climb to the Altiport de Courchevel to conclude this queen stage with more than 5000 meters of climbing.
The sprinters can then benefit of two opportunities before a final fight for the climbers in the Vosges on day twenty, a 133 kilometer stage finishing with the Col du Platzerwasel. Following the tradition, the 110th edition is concluded with a 21st stage on the Parisian circuit on the Champs-Elysées.
Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager) :
« This course is what we were hoping for, taking into account the roster we had in mind for the Tour de France 2023. On the one hand, it will be three challenging weeks through the mountain ranges with a limited number of time trial kilometers, which matches perfectly with the profile of our GC leader Louis Meintjes. Second, I’m pleased with the hilly stages in the beginning of the Tour. This increases the opportunities for Biniam Girmay compared to the pure sprinters, who will battle for stage wins in the second half of the event. After finishing in the top eight of the final classification and taking to three podium finishes in key stages to Arenberg, Alpe d’Huez and in Paris in last July, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert will keep chasing a precious first stage win in its sixth participation to La Grande Boucle. »