Tour de France 2023 LIVE: Latest news ahead of Grand Depart in Bilbao
The 2023 Tour de France gets under way in Bilbao on Saturday with a hilly stage one, which starts and ends in the Spanish city via a jaunt around the Basque Country and the Bay of Biscay coastline.
Reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard arrives in supreme form having won the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month and he looks like being the man to beat, backed by a formidable Jumbo-Visma team. But he faces the challenge of two-time winner Tadej Pogacar, back to regain his crown and this time he comes armed with new signing Adam Yates to Team UAE Emirates.
While Vingegaard and Pogacar are expected to fight out the yellow jersey, there is an open race to finish on the podium. Australia’s 2022 Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley, Spain’s Enric Mas, rising Danish star Mattias Skjelmose, home favourite David Gaudu, 2019 Giro winner Richard Carapaz and Yates himself are all in the running, while Ineos riders Tom Pidcock and Dani Martinez could also end up high in the general classification. Meanwhile Mark Cavendish will go for a record 35th stage win.
Follow all the latest news below ahead of Saturday’s Grand Depart.
Tour de France 2023
21-stage race begins in Bilbao on Saturday and finishes in Paris via Pyrenees and Alps
Jonas Vingegaard trying to defend crown against two-time winner Tadej Pogacar
Concern for safety on mountain descents after death of Gino Mader
History-chasing Mark Cavendish ready for final Tour de France
Five talking points ahead of the 2023 Tour de France
Thursday 29 June 2023 16:47 , Lawrence Ostlere
The 110th Tour de France will roll out of Bilbao on Saturday morning with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar expected to vie for yellow.
When it comes to the sprints, all eyes will be on Mark Cavendish to see if the Manxman can take the Tour stage wins record outright with a 35th victory in what will be his final Tour.
But those are only some of the storylines that will play out over the next three weeks, and here is a look at five other talking points ahead of the race:
Five talking points ahead of the 2023 Tour de France
Thursday 29 June 2023 15:47 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard will be backed by some of the best riders in the world as he bids to retain his title.
Team Jumbo-Visma’s selection of riders for cycling’s biggest race was unveiled Monday. It provides a well-balanced roster of experience and huge talent that will offer Vingegaard close protection on the flat, and crucial assistance in the mountains.
Wout van Aert, Dylan van Baarle, Sepp Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Nathan Van Hooydonck and Wilco Kelderman will be supporting Vingegaard.
The Tour starts Saturday at the Spanish city of Bilbao.
“We exceeded our wildest dreams last year with six stage victories, the polka dot jersey, and most importantly, the green and yellow jersey,” sports director Merijn Zeeman said. “This year we are dreaming big, too. Our ambition is to bring the yellow jersey back to Paris. We have a super strong team led by our leader Jonas Vingegaard, and we believe in our plan.”
The Dutch team has already won a Grand Tour this season when Primoz Roglic claimed the Giro d’Italia in May. Roglic is skipping the Tour.
Vingegaard dethroned defending champion Tadej Pogacar last year with memorable performances in the mountains.
Pidcock playing long game in Tour de France career
Thursday 29 June 2023 15:00 , Lawrence Ostlere
Pidcock headlines the Grenadiers’ eight-man squad alongside Bernal, who returns to the Tour for the first time since 2020, fighting his way back from the catalogue of broken bones suffered in a career-threatening crash at the start of last year.
The Colombian finished 12th at the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month, but his first Grand Tour since he won the Giro d’Italia in 2021 will be a major test.
“Egan is very ambitious but very realistic in what he can achieve,” Ellingworth said. “He wants to keep pushing himself. Egan is a proven winner before that accident and a fantastic role model and road captain.
“We’re really open and very happy to give him this opportunity to see what he can do. He’s certainly going to try on GC.”
The challenge for Ineos and a host of others is to figure out a way of competing with Pogacar and Vingegaard, by far and away the two favourites once again.
Ineos, formerly Team Sky, were perennial winners of the Tour over the last decade but have not tasted victory since Bernal’s in 2019.
With Pidcock too raw and Bernal rediscovering himself, it is hard to see that changing this summer.
“We’ve got to see where Tom progresses, and he’s certainly on the right track, and then see how Egan steps back,” Ellingworth said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time unfortunately, that’s just where we are as a team.
“Egan was our card to play for the Tour de France for the next two to three years. Life is what it is and you just have to put up with it, and we’ll do our best to get him back to where he was.
“Our ambition is we want to win the Tour again. Anybody can be beaten. Grand Tours are a hell of a journey from start to finish and you can never write yourself out.”
Pidcock playing long game in Tour de France career
Thursday 29 June 2023 14:39 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tom Pidcock can take another big step towards his ambition of one day winning the Tour de France as he embarks on cycling’s biggest race for the second time.
Pidcock lit up the Tour on debut last summer with his stunning solo victory from a breakaway on Alpe d’Huez, and the 23-year-old will be back on the start line for Saturday’s opening stage in Bilbao with different goals.
Winning from a breakaway is one thing but Pidcock wants victory from within the bunch to show he can compete with the best, while also testing himself in the general classification.
Rod Ellingworth, deputy team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers, sees his young star as a potential future Grand Tour winner, but one needing experience.
“I think he’s still got some work to do to be a contender in the general classification,” Ellingworth said. “I think for me this is playing the long game, it’s a stepping stone towards his dreams and ambitions, and he’s certainly got ambitions at the Tour.”
Winning the Tour has been a young man’s game in recent years. Tadej Pogacar became a double champion aged just 22 in 2021, Egan Bernal was 22 when he took yellow in 2019, and Jonas Vingegaard 25 when he won last year.
But Pidcock is on a different journey as the Olympic mountain bike champion and former cyclo-cross world champion balances ambitions across three disciplines.
“Tom is someone who when he sets his mind to somewhere, he’ll go for it full-bore,” Ellingworth said. “At the moment we know Tom has ambitions that are not just at the Tour and we’re happy to go on that journey with him.
“He’s ticking the boxes as he goes along of things he wants to achieve and the Tour will be one. Whether he makes it, you never know, but he’s certainly going to give it a good crack.”
Fred Wright wins British road race title
Thursday 29 June 2023 14:09 , Lawrence Ostlere
The new British road champion Fred Wright will be in the peloton over the next three weeks. Here is how he won that first professional title:
Fred Wright becomes British men’s road champion with first professional win
Faulkner doubt for Tour de France Femmes after road accident
Thursday 29 June 2023 13:56 , Lawrence Ostlere
American rider Kristen Faulkner suffered a fractured knee after being hit by a car during training in California, her team Jayco AlUla said on Wednesday, putting in doubt her participation in Tour de France Femmes.
“Kristen Faulkner was hit by a car whilst out training in California recently and sustained a small fracture to her knee,” the team wrote in a statement on Twitter.
“Unfortunately due to the incident, Faulkner will be unable to race until the knee has healed.
“As always, the health and wellbeing of riders is the priority and Faulkner will work closely with the medical team throughout this recovery period.”
The Australian team did not give a timeline for the return of the 30-year-old to racing.
The Tour de France Femmes begins on July 23.
Tom Pidcock says Tour de France could be different after death of Gino Mader
Thursday 29 June 2023 13:26 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tom Pidcock believes the racing at this year’s Tour de France will be different as a result of Gino Mader’s death at the Tour de Suisse less than two weeks ago.
Mader, who was 26, died on June 16 as a result of injuries suffered when he crashed into a ravine on a high-speed descent, and rider safety has been a hot topic in the build up to Saturday’s opening stage.
Pidcock, who was also racing in Switzerland, lit up the Tour de France on debut last year with an incredible descent off the Galibier setting up his victory on the Alpe d’Huez.
But asked if he expected the approach to racing to be impacted by what happened in Switzerland, the 23-year-old said: “I think so. I think especially for everyone who was at the race, that was pretty hard hitting.”
Full story:
Tom Pidcock says Tour de France could be different after death of Gino Mader
Tour de France riders won't face automatic exclusion in case of COVID-19 positive test
Thursday 29 June 2023 12:55 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tour de France riders who test positive for COVID-19 won’t be automatically expelled from the race, cycling’s governing body said Wednesday.
The International Cycling Union said the health risks linked to the coronavirus “are currently extremely low in the peloton” because of the immunity induced by a very high rate of vaccination, or previous infections riders and staff members might have contracted.
Health passes, vaccination certificates or negative COVID-19 tests prior to participation in competitions are no longer required this season. If a rider or a team member tests positive for the virus, the decision to exclude, or isolate them, will be taken collectively by the team’s doctor, the Tour de France coronavirus coordinator and the UCI medical director “on the basis of the clinical elements available and the results of the COVID-19 test.”
Earlier this season, Giro d’Italia leader and race favorite Remco Evenepoel withdrew after testing positive for the coronavirus. Other riders also abandoned after returning positive tests, including Domenico Pozzovivo and Rigoberto Urán.
The cycling federation said coronavirus cases reported in France are very low, adding that the preventive measures implemented by Tour organizers limiting access and requiring masks in specific zones are adequate.
“The rules introduced over the last three years in the interests of everyone’s health and safety should continue to apply,” the UCI said. “These include maintaining sufficient physical distance, frequently disinfecting hands and regularly airing enclosed spaces.”
You Ask The Questions: Tour de France
Thursday 29 June 2023 12:45 , Lawrence Ostlere
You asked us your questions about the Tour de France – we answered them here:
Can Mark Cavendish burnish his Tour de France legacy? | You Ask The Questions
Stage-by-stage guide to the Tour de France
Thursday 29 June 2023 12:34 , Lawrence Ostlere
Here’s a look at this year’s route with our stage-by-stage guide to the 2023 Tour de France, starting in Bilbao this Saturday with a hilly stage one that throws open the yellow jersey to wide range of contenders:
Stage-by-stage guide to the 2023 Tour de France route
Bernal grateful to be back racing after horror crash
Thursday 29 June 2023 11:57 , Lawrence Ostlere
The 26-year-old had a two-year break from the Tour after he abandoned the race in 2020, skipped it in 2021 and missed the 2022 edition.
But he said he was excited to be back and being selected for the Tour by his Ineos Grenadiers team has filled him with motivation.
The Ineos squad will be led by Briton Tom Pidcock, while Colombian Dani Martinez is also in contention for the general classification.
“We have a very complete team with young riders behind us who know how talented they are, like Tom (Pidcock) who is coming on very strong and I’m sure the first stages will go very well for him, we have riders who can have a very good race,” he added.
“I think I’m in good condition, obviously, you have to be to race here. I feel good. I think the last two weeks between the Dauphine and the Tour have helped me to train and improve a bit more. I think I’ll be in better condition, that’s positive.”
Bernal finished 12th overall at the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month, the most important stage race in the build-up to the Tour, which starts on Saturday in Bilbao, Spain.
Bernal grateful to be back racing after horror crash
Thursday 29 June 2023 11:29 , Lawrence Ostlere
Egan Bernal is grateful to be able to return to the Tour de France after he suffered a near-fatal crash in a high-speed collision in January last year, the Colombian said on Wednesday.
Bernal, who won the 2019 Tour and 2021 Giro d’Italia, required multiple surgeries after crashing into a stationary bus while training in his home country. He said the accident left him with a 95% chance of becoming a paraplegic, but he was back on his bike two months later.
“I think I should be grateful to be alive, to be here and to be in the Tour squad,” Bernal told reporters on Wednesday.
“I would love to get back to my level, to race again and see what it will be like to be against these big names. I try to compare myself to them and that’s why I keep cycling. I wake up every day working and thinking about it, about starting to get back to my best.
“Whether I achieve that goal or not is different, but that’s what I’m working for,” he added.
Thursday 29 June 2023 11:02 , Lawrence Ostlere
Asked what his goals were in this year’s Tour, Yates said: “I’m looking forward to being back, it’s been a long time since I’ve come to the Tour to try for the general (classification) so I’m excited about that.
“Of course it will be difficult but I don’t see why not, I’ll give it a good crack as always...We’re going to take it as it comes. I’m excited about it. It’s a hard start here in the Basque Country and that will help settle things down a bit.
“It’s always a stressful start but maybe it can be a bit more selective compared with Normandy or Brittany or somewhere, so hopefully it settles down a bit.
“As we get further into the race, it’s not difficult to change course and maybe go for stages from breakaways, so the options are there and we’ll take it as it comes.”
Yates’s best Tour finish to date was his seventh place in 2017, but since then he has primarily put his focus on the Giro, claiming two top-10 finishes including that podium finish two years ago.
The Tour has taken a backseat. He won two stages in 2019 and lined up again in 2021, but both times he was seeing what he could do with the form he had built from the Giro rather than targeting the race itself.
“I just wanted a change,” Yates said of the decision to put the Tour ahead of the Giro this season. “The Giro is still a race I love and I wouldn’t mind going back in the future. I needed change in the way my season is structured.
“I was also missing races I wanted to do in the early part of the season like Basque Country and Romandie... those are races I would not normally be able to do with the Giro, so it was not just about the Grand Tours but the whole season in general.”
Simon Yates happy to fly under the radar in Tour de France bid
Thursday 29 June 2023 10:47 , Lawrence Ostlere
Simon Yates is happy to fly under the radar on the list of the contenders for yellow as he returns to the Tour de France this summer.
The 30-year-old is a former Grand Tour winner, victorious in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana, and has stood on the podium of the Giro d’Italia with third place in 2021, yet bookmakers are offering some pretty long odds on the Lancastrian challenging the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar in France.
And that is fine with Yates, who wants to put up a fight in the general classification as long as he can but is keeping his options open over the next three weeks.
“It can be an advantage but my mindset has not really changed from any other Grand Tour,” the Jayco-Alula rider said. “I’m still very focused, still coming in after a great period of preparation.
“If I fly under the radar maybe that’s better anyway, you guys can take some of the pressure off me and we’ll go from there.”
Yates said he was happy with his preparation despite being forced to pull out of the Tour de Romandie, his last competitive outing in April, through illness.
Tour de France riders will be cautious after Gino Mader’s death, says Pidcock
Thursday 29 June 2023 10:25 , Lawrence Ostlere
Mader’s death raised questions about rider safety and triggered calls for safety nets in the most dangerous downhill sections but Pidcock said risk will always be part of the sport.
“I guess unless we all want to race round the motor racing circuits, then we have to accept that we will be racing down descents,” he told the Telegraph.
“I think risks are involved in cycling and sometimes - it doesn’t happen often - it can go wrong. I guess we do what we can to mitigate those risks but they’ll never be gone.”
Pidcock, who is also an Olympic gold medallist in cross country mountain biking, will lead Ineos at the Tour, which begins in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday.
Tour de France riders will be cautious after Gino Mader’s death, says Pidcock
Thursday 29 June 2023 10:16 , Lawrence Ostlere
Britain’s Tom Pidcock said Gino Mader’s death during a high-speed descent in Switzerland less than two weeks ago could result in riders being more cautious at the Tour de France.
Swiss rider Mader died aged 26 due to injuries suffered when he crashed into a ravine during the Tour de Suisse. Pidcock’s Ineos Grenadiers team mate Magnus Sheffield crashed separately at the same corner, suffering concussion and spending three days in hospital.
Descending is one of Pidcock’s strengths but the 23-year-old, who won an iconic Tour de France stage at L’Alpe d’Huez last year, said Mader’s death may have an impact on his style.
“I think especially for everyone who was at the race, that was pretty hard hitting,” Pidcock, who also competing in the eight-stage race, told reporters on Wednesday.
“I think I didn’t see a single rider take any risks on the last two stages after that incident. Personally, one of the things that hit me was it happened descending, which is something that I love.
“It showed me what the consequences can be when it goes wrong. I don’t take unnecessary risks but things can happen when we’re riding down a descent at 100kph in lycra.”
Tour de France 2023
Thursday 29 June 2023 10:05 , Lawrence Ostlere
The 2023 Tour de France gets under way on Saturday in Bilbao. Here we will have all the latest news and updates throughout the day.
