After all the build-up, speculation and the countless guides out there, the Tour starts today in…not France. It’s in the cycling-mad Basque Country with a Classics-esque loop around the amazing city of Bilbao, a far cry from the more traditional “flat stage with a sprint” that has often started the Tour and welcome change to open up the GC a bit early on and get some time gaps in place.

From the new…

to the old (the 14th century Catedral de Santiago)

The riders won’t have much time to look at this, they’ll be riding a lumpy (although not mountainous) circuit of 182km with 4 categorised climbs and a host of other undulations making 3200m climbing:

The final climb, Cote de Pike is the obvious launchpad and there was video on social media of some of the riders giving it a go the other day with WvA setting a new KOM up there – a gentle run on and then a 1km ramp at 10-15% before a drop into the city and an uphill finish on a wide boulevard.

This stage has Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel written all over it although MvdP was talking down his chances earlier and WvA will probably be on super-domestique duties for Jonas Vingegaard. And of course who’d bet against Tadej Pogacar to make an opening statement – a hilly finale and an uphill finish suits him perfectly but even if it’s a reduced group of Classics specialists and GC contenders, he can still win from a small group.
It’d be cool to see Pello Bilbao win, just for the headlines! 🤣

Whatever happens, this will not be a normal opening stage where the GC riders can hide in the bunch and be towed along. Kwiatkowski has called this the hardest opening stage of any Tour de France.

As always with the Tour there’s too many places covering it to provide links everywhere but Cyclist Magazine is usually worth a look and their gallery is up there with the best:
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/tour-de-france-route-live-tv-guide-startlist-stage-by-stage

Inrng has their standard Tour Guide plus daily previews (much of which I’ll crib for these threads!)

Tour de France Guide

And the official Tour website with full timings, results and a top notch photo gallery is here:
https://www.letour.fr/en/

And live coverage of every stage in full on ITV4, EuroSport and GCN+ with highlights shows in the evenings.
This thread for spoilers, the “wow, Pogacar in yellow!” type posts, there are a couple of rather duplicated general TdF threads on the page too including the VeloGames fantasy although it’d be nice if we could pick one and stay with it rather than having info spread over two threads.

the offical stage profile images are really really crap 🙂

woop woop, bring it on

Will Jumbo make it very very hard to see how Pogs wrist is ?

WvA will probably be on super-domestique duties for Jonas Vingegaard.

Soo… attacks on a climb and solos to a 20 second victory then? 😂

interesting run in

Head says pog

Heart says Girmay

Head says pog

Heart says Girmay

Velogames team agrees with your heart 😁

Excitement level:

THE TOUR DE FRANCE STARTS TOMORROW ‼️pic.twitter.com/EVizsdzbqh

— le tour de robyn (@robynjournalist) June 30, 2022

some more route imagery

and some more…

got to be pretty keen on wearing yellow tomorrow

On our way to the #TDF2023 start 😃 pic.twitter.com/N90vZ0GZbA

— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 1, 2023

I hope WvA wins. He’s my man crush and all that….

Or daft Pidcock breakaway

Thanks @crazy-legs for picking up the baton from @lunge !

skills

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Pure tekkers from @L_Calmejane

5⭐ de gestes techniques pour @L_Calmejane #TDF2023 @letour_euskadi pic.twitter.com/dmEhsInt5t

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023

well that wiped the smile off Gilberts face 😀

blimey Simon Yates looks gaunt!

Pog has still got strapping on the wrist :/

🔥 The #TDF2023 is underway!

🔥 Le #TDF2023 est lancé ! pic.twitter.com/FAoJBMJWjG

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023

Pog has still got strapping on the wrist :/

He’s apparently got a very lightweight splint / cushion for riding and a more substantial one for evenings.

Fast start today! Break of 5, peloton seemingly happy to let them go at the moment.

lot of white in peloton :/

The transporter bridge. Bilbao….or Middlesborough…..Bilbao…..or Middlesborough…..

lot of white in peloton :/

Shame that Bahrain-Victorious changed their kit to predominantly white because it hides the National Championship stripes of Fred Wright.

Oh how well we are going to get to know these ads…

on the fastest pace

looks like quickstep and jumbo want to make it hard

Oh dear God, who put Cadel Evans into the ITV4 commentary team?
I might have to swap back to Eurosport.

That is one hell of a chateau!!

tiny front door 😀

nice ride to the sea

Intermediate sprint in the town of Guernica, the rather tragic inspiration for one of Picasso’s most famous works

Sagan in the mix for a few Green Jersey points! Pedersen, Cav etc all in there. Girmay seemed to be in a decent position and then got boxed out of it all.

The transporter bridge. Bilbao….or Middlesborough…..Bilbao…..or Middlesborough…..

neither, it’s obviously Newport

amusing work on the **** guggenheim banner 🙂

Intermediate sprint in the town of Guernica, the rather tragic inspiration for one of Picasso’s most famous works

Lots about it in the cycling bookVuelta Skelter which I enjoyed.

Oh dear God, who put Cadel Evans into the ITV4 commentary team?

I’m not watching it but he can’t be any worse than that dull monotone Irish bloke who normally appears on Eurosport?!

This is all starting to get a bit cagey – the break has been kept on a tight leash all day but the gap has come down dramatically and riders are starting to look around a bit, ride with a bit more purpose.

Alaphilippe looking on good form, the team seem to be riding for him and the course definitely suits him.

peloton getting edgy

frantic stuff! 😀

Pog wants it hard

Richard Carapaz down and probably out, Enric Mas looks injured too. 🙁
No idea what happened – someone slid out on a wet bend maybe.

Getting frantic and fast in the peloton now.

that’s ridiculous he could hardly stand stick him on a bike.

that’s ridiculous he could hardly stand stick him on a bike.

Agreed – he looks in absolute agony.
Mas is definitely out, Carapaz frankly looks like he should be.

Wattage Bazooka time 😀