2023 Tour de France route rumors

[pman]

Épinal is sold out of all hotels July19th which puts stage 17 there.

 

[Green Jersey Mike]

Épinal is sold out of all hotels July19th which puts stage 17 there.

That would likely put at least two days in the Voges. Perhaps we will see the return of Ballon d'Alsace as a summit Finish.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

It's a soft HC, which means that if they make it HC they're probably gimmicking it up, going all for that novelty factor and thus making it the MTF

Agreed. And the second soft HC MTF in the race.

They usually have a low cap on the number of HCs, right? What was it, 6 or 7?

we possibly already have

Tourmalet E (probably)
Puy de Dome
Loze W
Gd Ballon (probably)
Joux Plane (same)
Grand Colombier

Madeleine S?

Soudet W is not unlikely either.

 

[OlavEH]

So now we either confirmed or solid rumours about:
2 hilly stages in Basque country
Tourmalet followed by Cauterets (MTF?)
Puy de Dome MTF
Grand Colombier MTF (or not?)
Col de la Loze - descent - possibly altiport Courchevel finish
Grand Ballon MTF

Unknown:
Other Pyrenee stages.
Route of stage to Morzine, include Joux-Plane?
Other hilly stages/Vosges stages in week 3.

 

[gavia88]

Basque stages are no rumour anymore. Stage profiles are already given by ASO. Especially stage 1 looks promising. Almost impossible to not have some sort of action between GC on that final murito. Second, still hilly, but Jaizkibel is less dificult than the final hills on stage 1.

2nd pyrenees stage (actually the first) could be Laruns, but theoratically this could be a sprinters stage as well. There are some vague rumours about plateau de Beille, but those seems les reliable so far. Another option mentioned is a time trail around Tarbes. Let see.

Unknow still are how the stages around and between the Puy de Dome and Grand Colombier mountain top finishes will look. Most start and finish places are known, but not if they will be a sprint, which seems to be likely. Limoges just before Puy de Dome probably will be a sprinters stage. But it's not impossible to include some small hills coming from the south neither. Finish is always a dificult one for sprinters (sprint uphill, but to easy for puncheurs)). Between Puy de Dome and Grand Colombier it mainly seem to be stages in the valley (Moulins, Villars-les-Dombes / Parc des Oiseaux), but also1 stage seems to be completely unknown yet (can be a TT, sprint, or even slightly hilly)

Morzine seems more than just a rumour as well. Even the tourist events seems to be in Morzine next year. Danger of this stage could be, that it's the best designed staged of the alpes for nest year (Saleve, Ramaz, Joux plaine, JouxVerte), but it will be squeezed between 2 hard HC finishes (Grand Colombier, Loze/ Courchevel airport short after Loze).

Last week is still a lot unknown. Only thing to be sure seems Vogezen (how many stages in the Vogezen seems still unknown 1 or 2), with at least HC version of Grand Ballon. Also mentioned in rumours, a passage in the Jura (not the stage to Grand Colombier, but more to the north) and a possible time trail around Besacon on the last Saterday.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

It's also possible that the stage after Grand Ballon starts from Épinal, in which case they could also be heading away from the Vosges that day. The big question is - where? It seems that stage 20 won't be in the Vosges if they indeed are in Épinal that early, surely they aren't heading back south, so that means they aren't ending with a mountain stage. That leaves us with two options - Épinal is indeed the start of a second Vosges stage, then we have a flat day and a TT (in which case I wouldn't mind the first Vosges stage finishing on Grand Ballon), or (less probably) they're pulling the biggest surprise of all and heading towards Roubaix (or alternatively the Ardennes) for the final weekend. In any case, as long as the potential other Vosges stage isn't SPBF, this could be a really interesting final week concept.

 

[gavia88]

It's also possible that the stage after Grand Ballon starts from Épinal, in which case they could also be heading away from the Vosges that day. The big question is - where? It seems that stage 20 won't be in the Vosges if they indeed are in Épinal that early, surely they aren't heading back south, so that means they aren't ending with a mountain stage. That leaves us with two options - Épinal is indeed the start of a second Vosges stage, then we have a flat day and a TT (in which case I wouldn't mind the first Vosges stage finishing on Grand Ballon), or (less probably) they're pulling the biggest surprise of all and heading towards Roubaix (or alternatively the Ardennes) for the final weekend. In any case, as long as the potential other Vosges stage isn't SPBF, this could be a really interesting final week concept.

I read some Denain rumours. Would be quite a surprise if they pull out some stage with 35k of cobbles in the last weekend. But most likely is that they stay around the Besancon area I guess.

 

[KZD]

The mountain stages seems to be shaping up to be good but I am curious to the stages that we will have in the 2nd weekend? TT, hilly stages in Bretagne/Loire are, Massif Central?

Vosges in the 3rd week seems like a good idea but I hope stage 20 is hopefully a hard one with a long TT earlier in the race.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The mountain stages seems to be shaping up to be good but I am curious to the stages that we will have in the 2nd weekend? TT, hilly stages in Bretagne/Loire are, Massif Central?

Hilly(ish) stage into Limoges on stage 8, Puy de Dôme MTF on stage 9.

 

[KZD]

Hilly(ish) stage into Limoges on stage 8, Puy de Dôme MTF on stage 9.

Ok, so it seems like quite a mountainous route with all French mountain ranges on cards. Let's just hope that there is a proper amount of TT kilometers to balance it out.

 

[Netserk]

I do think I approach this a differently than some of you. I don't think anyone who wants an epic, final mountain stage on stage 19 or 20 is going to be happy with anything in the Vosges .

Hard disagreement.

The Vosges offer the terrain needed for a good final mountain stage or two.

 

[houtdffan]

This would be good route with all 5 mountain ranges to have 2 60km flat ITTs

would give the race proper balance

 

[Netserk]

This would be good route with all 5 mountain ranges to have 2 60km flat ITTs

would give the race proper balance

They could also balance it like they did in 2017.

 

[KZD]

This would be good route with all 5 mountain ranges to have 2 60km flat ITTs

would give the race proper balance

We will get lucky if there is 60km of overall TT kilometers and probably there will be two of them to make up that distance.

I wouldn't be surprised if stage 20 ends up similar to stage 7 of this year's Tour de France femmes

 

[OlavEH]

This would be good route with all 5 mountain ranges to have 2 60km flat ITTs

would give the race proper balance

Something like 70-80 km in total would be more than enough. You really don't need that insane amount.

 

[Will4563]

I've used some time (3 hours at least) to read the entire forum, so I could try and make some stages with rumours, suggestions and what I would like. It's probably highly likely the three of the mountain stages would be GC, Loze and Morzine, so I made these three stages.
Lyon > Grand Colombier: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113136
Chambéry > Champagny-en-Vanoise: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113193
Bourg-saint-Maurice > Morzine: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113089

 

[houtdffan]

grand colombier is in the jura, not the alps

 

[houtdffan]

Something like 70-80 km in total would be more than enough. You really don't need that insane amount.

120km of itt is not an insane amount. 2007, a tour with nearly that amount, was still a tour for the pure climbers. The mountain stages were simply quite hard. That is how you balance a route. Not by reducing the TT km

 

[OlavEH]

120km of itt is not an insane amount. 2007, a tour with nearly that amount, was still a tour for the pure climbers. The mountain stages were simply quite hard. That is how you balance a route. Not by reducing the TT km

80 km is as I said more than enough. The rumoured route is far from needing 120 km of ITT to be balanced.

 

[Will4563]

If Epinal has

Épinal is sold out of all hotels July19th which puts stage 17 there.

the start of stage 17, the stages could be like this:
1-3: Grand Depart, Basque country
4: TT
5-6: Pyrenees
7: Flat
8-9: Massif Central
10: TT (Hopefully)
11: Grand Colombier: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113136
12: Loze: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113193
13: Morzine: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113089
14: Jura (Switzerland?): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113408
15: Vosges: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41114333
16: Vosges (Le Grand Ballon): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41114198
17: Start Epinal towards north
18-19: Ardennes
20: Cobbles
21: Champ-Élysées

 

[Will4563]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575062772374589440

View: https://twitter.com/RenaudB31/status/1575062772374589440?s=20&t=NuKdPDjCFM-lOwXXbXieng

 

[pman]

Could you imagine a final ITT over the cobbles for stage 20? I know that Pogačar fans would love that.

 

[YavorD]

I know it won't happen, but I wouldn't even mind having a 2012 route. That would probably incline Remco to start, we'll win some time in the TT's ony for Vingo and Pog to attack like crazy in the (soft) mountains.
I know it's a cliche, but the riders make the race. And with the current crop of riders/favorites, we don't need to be so much worried about the route/balance.
The Giro is much more dependable on it's route IMHO.

 

[Escarabajo]

If Epinal has


the start of stage 17, the stages could be like this:
1-3: Grand Depart, Basque country
4: TT
5-6: Pyrenees
7: Flat
8-9: Massif Central
10: TT (Hopefully)
11: Grand Colombier: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113136
12: Loze: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113193
13: Morzine: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113089
14: Jura (Switzerland?): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41113408
15: Vosges: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41114333
16: Vosges (Le Grand Ballon): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41114198
17: Start Epinal towards north
18-19: Ardennes
20: Cobbles
21: Champ-Élysées

You don't believe that 13 is going to ever going to happen right?

 

[pman]

I still hear rumors of a finish in Switzerland, any word on where? The Vulcania- Issoire stage interests me.