Nothing, inside or past the game of biking, can really examine to the Tour de France. The Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España could, just like the Tour, be annual three-week races, and annually the Monuments and different one-day Classics, just like the Tour, invariably spark big curiosity and intrigue.
However the Tour de France is concurrently the largest annual sporting occasion on the planet, a significant piece of the host nation’s nationwide heritage, and above all, a gruelling, heroic spectacle that captivates a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of viewers internationally: as such, le Tour eclipses all of them.
This yr the Tour’s principal narrative may hardly be extra charming: former double champion Tadej Pogačar, all-conquering within the first half of the 2023 season till a crash and damaged wrist wrecked his last Classics race of this April, will probably be focusing on the third maillot jaune of his profession. However final yr’s Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard represents a colossal impediment for the Slovenian. And having crushed the arch-favourite Pogačar so decisively within the excessive mountains final July, the Danish star will certainly be decided to take action once more.
Past the GC battle, the Tour isn’t missing in subplots, and this yr’s most vital is indubitably Mark Cavendish’s final battle to say a record-breaking thirty fifth stage win.
The best sprinter of his technology, probably of all time, the Briton is aware of he has just one Tour left to realize this previous to imminent retirement. However at 37, Cavendish faces a bunch of youthful, equally formidable, fastmen – all properly conscious that even one stage victory on the Tour immediately etches their identify within the sport’s most outstanding of historical past books.
But this yr’s Tour route is extra daunting than ever. Beginning with three arduous, climb-packed levels simply throughout the southern French border within the Basque Nation, as quickly because the Tour returns to extra acquainted terrain, the mountains kick in with a vengeance. Starting on the Pyrenees, persevering with with a uncommon go to to one of many Tour’s most hallowed summit finishes at Puy de Dome then ending with a nonstop avalanche of climbs within the Alps and Vosges, the 2023 Tour winner, whoever he’s, must grasp a excessive mountain problem of virtually unprecedented problem.
Current on the Tour de France for the thirtieth consecutive yr, Cyclingnews will as soon as once more present unparalleled in-depth reporting and round the clock evaluation of the 21-stage, 3,404-kilometre race. As a result of le Tour, in spite of everything, each calls for and deserves nothing much less.
Our Tour de France protection
5 of the Cyclingnews group will probably be within the Basque Nation and France for the Tour de France this yr, between them our journalists boast many years of expertise on the bottom on the race, capturing the each day information and occasions of every stage. Our world group of journalists will mix to supply full dwell updates of each stage, with 24-hour protection of every little thing that occurs in Italy.
Cyclingnews will even produce common race evaluation options and detailed stage previews, alongside beautiful premium picture galleries and longread ad-lite premium options. In the meantime, Philippa York and different professional columnists will present distinctive perception and context into the racing and enable you to perceive what all of it means.
Our tech journalists will even seize the brand new bike and tools used on the Tour de France, with tech editor Josh Croxton following the beginning of the race in individual. We’re specialists on the #ProTech that the skilled groups use and we’ve damaged the information on new bikes for 2023, new groupsets and even the tyres which modify their very own pressures throughout races.
This July you’ll be able to get pleasure from limitless entry to all of our journalism and content material by subscribing to Cyclingnews. Our content material is initially free to view, however when you’ve considered 5 articles in a one-month interval you’ll be prompted to take out a digital subscription – you’ll be able to learn extra about that right here.
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Go to our Tour de France hub web page for extra data on this yr’s race and please be part of Cyclingnews for the best race within the 2023 biking season.
