2023 Tour de France route rumors

[Andy schleck]

looks like a junior TDF course

Cannot believe Prudhomme keeps Gouvenou employed

Better route than the route of the giro and the route of la vuelta 2022.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

I like it. Actually worth watching more than the final km for 5 of the first 9 stages. Keep the TT down to a single stage (throw the dogs a bone).
Middle week is OK. Last week is Vuelta-esque, tho, with only 2 stages worth watching. Better than expected.

 

[KOM]

Route seems like a 9/10 if especially Pogacar continues to be absolutely relentless, if he isnt and the racing in general is alot more conservative this year its more like a 5/10 with almost no stages where big action is almost guaranteed by being super tough.

I guess this is a twisted way of saying "the riders make the race"!?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogacar is the more versatile of the duo of favourites. Is there anything (except gaining bonus seconds due to his sprint) that can be done to utilize it? Maybe using his hilly-races super strength? Not sure if any stage really suits this profile (maybe stage 1?) and obviously Vinge has shown in the past that he's very good on shorter climbs as well.

 

[Rob5091]

The first three stages all end the same - a hill of varying difficulty followed by a descent to the line . If Pogacar comes 100% fit to the Tour he could be 20 seconds up after 3 stages.

 

[pman]

Great looking Tour route. I'd love more ITTks but beyond that, I like the route. Personally, I think the race really hinges on two things 1) Does 2022 Vingegaard show up and 2) Is Pog 100%. Really, Vingegaard is the key. If he is anywhere near as good as last year, this could be Froome esque, Sky train type of Tour.

On a separate note, much like someone else said, I am intrigued by Stage 12. Like they said, it'll probably be a breakaway stage simply because of what is ahead of them in terms of mountain stages. Personally, it reminds me of a similar stage to that of Stage 7 of the 21 Tour, where Carapaz attacked only to have Movistar bring him back.

Both stages were tough classics type stages before a series of tough mountain stages. I think the key difference is the stage from 21 was relatively soft at the start with the hills backloaded. Stage 12 this year is relentless for a classics type of stage. It looks like the middle part is soft but even that part has hills in it. What intrigues me about it is that time bonus at the peak of the final climb. If I am UAE, I am keeping the race together to launch Pog on that climb if for no other reason than to get those bonus seconds. Perfect placed bonus seconds on that stage. We've seen a few examples of these types of stages being softer than they need to be (Stage 18 and 19 for example in this year's route). They've nailed Stage 12. The main guys might just let the break get 8 minutes on them or it might be just too hard to not race. I love it. The middle part of this race has the potential to be brutal. I definitely have warmed up to this rather unique route.

 

[pman]

I do have two questions:
1) Are the stage profiles up yet on the actual Tour website because I can't see them. Usually the 21 profiles are up there by now.
2) Has anyone ever gone to a finish in a small city/ large town, non mountain stage finish. Like Belleville en Beaujolais? Are the crowds insane or are they smaller than a mountain/big city finish?

 

[Max Rockatansky]

That's the arrival on the race track in Nogaro.

 

[Mayomaniac]

That's the arrival on the race track in Nogaro.

On a flat sprint stage without any categorized climbs? Looks like a potential crashfest to me...

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The finish of stage 14 is also a thing, the final 50 metres are a chicane.

For stage 17, it looks like they've constructed a new ramp onto the runway, so that will be a Peyragudes-style wall to end the stage. Quite like that off the back of Loze.

 

[Mayomaniac]

The finish of stage 14 is also a thing, the final 50 metres are a chicane.

Yeah, but at least it's at the end of a hard mountain stage (the Disneylandis stage), that makes it a lot less dangerous than at the end of a bunch sprint.

 

[Rackham]

On a flat sprint stage without any categorized climbs? Looks like a potential crashfest to me...

On a race track? No way. There's no street furniture, the road is wide & the surface should be excellent. Rain could change that of course but by the looks of it that finish is as safe as they get.

By & large the Tour 2023's biggest standout features are A/its few ITT km's & B/its few km's full stop, i.e. its stages are really short for the most part.

No idea what material impact this will have on the race (whether riders are fresher & punchier, or not, which is clearly the intent of Prudhomme & co).

 

[Devil's Elbow]

1) Are the stage profiles up yet on the actual Tour website because I can't see them. Usually the 21 profiles are up there by now.

No, but ASO have evidently sent them out to the media whilst being too lazy to upload them to their own site. You can find the profiles, maps and timetables here: https://www.ledauphine.com/tour-de-...es-les-infos-pratiques-du-tour-de-france-2023

 

[Red Rick]

Gonna need to check all the bonus sprint locations

 

[ashhutch1997]

The finish of stage 14 is also a thing, the final 50 metres are a chicane.

For stage 17, it looks like they've constructed a new ramp onto the runway, so that will be a Peyragudes-style wall to end the stage. Quite like that off the back of Loze.

The finish of stage 14 is the same finish they usually do in Morzine.
Also, where did you find these finish maps?

 

[Netserk]

The finish of stage 14 is the same finish they usually do in Morzine.
Also, where did you find these finish maps?

Isn’t it usually at the Club TDF mark?

 

[Netserk]

On a separate note, much like someone else said, I am intrigued by Stage 12. Like they said, it'll probably be a breakaway stage simply because of what is ahead of them in terms of mountain stages. Personally, it reminds me of a similar stage to that of Stage 7 of the 21 Tour, where Carapaz attacked only to have Movistar bring him back.

They have chosen to omit Mont Brouilly, so instead they go around it. It would have been a GC stage with it.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The finish of stage 14 is the same finish they usually do in Morzine.
Also, where did you find these finish maps?

Could have sworn they did something different in 2016 but can't find a finish map for that stage...

Edit: checked the roadbook and the actual images, you can see Izagirre coming out of a slight left-hander into the finish. By the looks of that and the roadbook, it seems the finish was ~30 metres earlier that year, avoiding the second turn to the right.

Finish maps are here: https://www.letour.fr/fr/montour/acces-plans/etape-1/acces-arrivee

 

[ashhutch1997]

Could have sworn they did something different in 2016 but can't find a finish map for that stage...

Finish maps are here: https://www.letour.fr/fr/montour/acces-plans/etape-1/acces-arrivee

Thanks!
It's finished there since 1997 I think? I know Morzine pretty well, it's in a little town square just left of the road they finish in, but it looks different now because they put in some town centre cobbles.

 

[ashhutch1997]

It's ashame that stage 5 and 6 aren't the otherway round, as I think it would make the racing more aggressive on the Col du Marie Blanque.

 

[saunaking]

This is a brilliant route!! Exciting stages with potential GC racing scattered all throughout the route right from the get-go.
Can't wait.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

It's ashame that stage 5 and 6 aren't the otherway round, as I think it would make the racing more aggressive on the Col du Marie Blanque.

Yes small chance that nobody want to attack on stage 5 with tourmalet next day. Maybe the gc teams let break go for le maillot jaune.

On the other hand guys like pogacar, vinegaard, Landa might attack wehnever they get the chance. Stage 6 is only 145km and not so hard climbs apart from le tourmalet.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Yes small chance that nobody want to attack on stage 5 with tourmalet next day. Maybe the gc teams let break go for le maillot jaune.

On the other hand guys like pogacar, vinegaard, Landa might attack wehnever they get the chance. Stage 6 is only 145km and not so hard climbs apart from le tourmalet.

That's true, but I doubt we'll get anything like the 2020 stage, which was really exciting.

 

[Escarabajo]

They might get lucky and get the best line up in history of cycling:

- Pogacar
- Vingegaard
- Roglic
- Remco
- Bernal
- WVA
- MVDP

As a bonus they might get Pinot, Bardet, Gaudu, Alaphilippe, The Yates, Carapaz, Hindley, TGBM, Uran, Landa, Mas, Froome and Quintana. LOL. Not to mention the Sprinters.

 

[Mayomaniac]

They might get lucky and get the best line up in history of cycling:

- Pogacar
- Vingegaard
- Roglic
- Remco
- Bernal
- WVA
- MVDP

As a bonus they might get Pinot, Bardet, Gaudu, Alaphilippe, The Yates, Carapaz, Hindley, TGBM, Uran, Landa, Mas, Froome and Quintana. LOL. Not to mention the Sprinters.

Wait, Quintana? Am I missing something?