Tadej Pogacar was impressed by the route, and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard also expressed his delight at the course setting now revealed in Paris. The 2023 Tour de France, which begins on July 1st in the Spanish Basque Country, is not stingy with altitude gain and this time, unusually, will be finally decided in the Vosges.
There, before the traditional finale in Paris, between Belfort and the Le Markstein mountain finish, the last tough mountain stage takes place. The 110th edition of the Tour of France contains only an individual time trial over 22 kilometers with the 16th stage.
With a total of 30 climbs in the highest categories, this is a new tour record. The four mountain arrivals are Cauterets-Cambasque in the Pyrenees, the Puy de Dome in the Massif Central, the Grand Colombier in the Jura and Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc in the Alps. There are also other mountain sections, such as the 14th stage to Morzine over the Col de Joux Plane and the subsequent one with the steep Cote des Amerands. The 17th section with 5000 meters of altitude and finish in Courchevel includes the Col de la Loze. “It’s a tour for pure climbers,” said chief organizer Christian Prudhomme.
The second edition of the revived Tour de France for women also includes many mountains in 2023 (23rd to 30th July). The highlight is the mountain finish on the Col du Tourmalet on the penultimate day.
Source: Nachrichten
