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2023 Tour de France route rumors

Why has the Belles Filles become so prominent in recent years? They pay the most money to ASO? It bloody well sucks and I don’t recall it being raced so many times in the 90’s and early/mid 2000’s. Recently it seems like a yearly stage finish.
It is absolutely the money. It was introduced in 2012 and the ski station is promoting itself through cycling. Since then it has appeared almost every year in some form or another in the Tour, the women's Tour, the Route de France, the Tour d'Alsace. In fact this year, the Super-Planche is being used in all of the Tour, the Tour d'Alsace and the Tour Femmes in the space of three weeks. The latter two are taking place just two days apart, this Friday and Sunday.
 
In the Pyrenees, it will probably be much of the same as always.
Very likely a stage finish around Bagneres de Luchon/Saint Lary Soulan. Last year it was Portet, this year Peyragudes. Portet (or Pla d'Adet) again, or perhaps a descent finish to Bagneres.
A mountain stage further west is also likely. Luz Ardiden again? Cauterets? A big descent finish or something centered around Tourmalet.
The most interesting in the Pyrenees is if there will be a big mountain stage in Ariege like the Pailheres - Plateau de Bonacre combo.

In the Alps there are lot more options, but we hopefully won't see AdH. Also hope there none of these 20 km, 6 % MTFs like Tignes, La Rosiere or La Toussuire.

Besides this, I hope for a couple of proper Massif Central stages. And something new/innovative that isn't a ramp on the of an existing climb.
 
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I somehow just can't imagine them just passing by the Pyrenees in the first week and returning to them again later in the race, especially since the last two Tours had the Pyrenees as the final mountain range. Therefore my personal guess is, some early high mountain stages probably around stage 5 or 6, but nothing too extreme. Then later an extended stay in the Alps, and hopefully some mountain stages in the massif central and the Jura. Also maybe we will finally have another Ventoux mtf after 10 years without a proper one.

So now that I've written this, fully expect the Tour to completely ignore the Pyrenees in week 1 to return there for week 3.

On another note, at some point in this Tour the German Eurosport commentators were talking about a possible return of Puy de Dome (although after searching for it that news is supposedly about 2024). How credible is that or was that just unnecessary hyping something thats never gonna happen?
 
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I somehow just can't imagine them just passing by the Pyrenees in the first week and returning to them again later in the race, especially since the last two Tours had the Pyrenees as the final mountain range. Therefore my personal guess is, some early high mountain stages probably around stage 5 or 6, but nothing too extreme. Then later an extended stay in the Alps, and hopefully some mountain stages in the massif central and the Jura. Also maybe we will finally have another Ventoux mtf after 10 years without a proper one.
Isn't it likely they could do a loop north after Grande Depart and then back south and enter the Pyrenees at the end of the first week?
 
Maybe ASO will finally get it and feature more climbs that riders don't know well enough to pace themselves to perfection: in the Pyrenees, Lac de Cap de Long https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/CapDeLong or Cirque de Troumouse https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Troumouse or early in the Pays Basque something involving Arnosteguy or Burdincurrutcheta from the hard side.

...and a real Jura stage. And again, forget La Planche, with minimum expenses you can get Le Mont Poupet. https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Poupet
 
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Maybe if they go light on the Pyrenees then we can have some Massif Central stages at the end of the first week, although Mende was used this year. Col du Béal/Chalmazel or something, or maybe something like the Col de la Mûre stage from the 2011 Paris-Nice. Probably more likely to just be Super-Besse again or maybe a return to the steep finale at Puy Mary.

And the Col de la Lusette is still there, still waiting to be raced in Le Tour.
 
So now that I've written this, fully expect the Tour to completely ignore the Pyrenees in week 1 to return there for week 3.

Some really good suggestions here but I hope this crap doesn’t happen. They‘ll be right there at the start! Why swing back around when they could do something new and have the Pyrenees climbs very early in the race. Of course knowing the ASO all bets are off.
 
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And the Col de la Lusette is still there, still waiting to be raced in Le Tour.
Yes please, but I feel like they have to include it relatively late in the Tour. I suppose they'll never finish the third week with a massif central stage but maybe a stage 15? One can hope.

I just want a good big stage in the high Maritime Alpes. Bonnette or Moutiere
Yes please again. Although, just because I think it makes for even better racing I'd love to see Bonbette - Lombarde - Sant Anna.

If I get to make a wish too, I'd love to see them properly use the Col de la Loze. The Tour has always had the huge issue that none of the high passes in France are quite hard enough to force a selection no matter what. The Galibier might be the closest to it but the descent both to the west and to the east is so long that usually everything comes back together after the climb. Now finally the Col de la Loze could be the Tours answer to the mighty passes of the Italian Alps and so far they have only used it as a mtf, where you could have used any other somewhat difficult climb instead. Something like Madeleine - Loze - Pralognan la Vanoise, as the finish, would be absolutely amazing.
 

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