tour teams de france

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Tour de France 2023: full team-by-team guide

Our in-depth look at every team, the main riders to watch and the cast of characters racing through France this summer

• Stage-by-stage guide to this year’s Tour de France

Ag2R-Citroën

Veteran French Tour battlers notorious for wearing brown shorts. Their Australian climber Ben O’Connor had a nightmare in 2022, ripping a muscle in a crash, but O’Connor is back on form this season so they need a repeat of his 2021 feats, with Paret-Peintre and Cosnefroy likely to target hilly stages.

Team Stan Dewulf, Clément Berthet, Felix Gall, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Ben O’Connor, Benoît Cosnefroy, Oliver Naesen, Nans Peters

Main man Ben O’Connor – Aussie mountain man still out to prove 2021’s fourth overall was not a fluke

Alpecin-Deceuninck

From a relatively small cyclo-cross squad this cannily managed Dutch team has grown into a force to be reckoned with, mainly due to the presence of Mathieu van der Poel, the most charismatic racer in the bunch, but also because the team has recruited wisely around him. At the Tour they focus on Jasper Philipsen for the sprints and perhaps the green points jersey, with VdP targeting everything bar the high mountains; he will be a favourite on stage one’s short steep hills. Van der Poel took a long rest after his Classics campaign which seems to have paid off given his form in late June.

Team Silvain Dillier, Michael Gogl, Søren Kragh Andersen, Mathieu van der Poel, Quinten Hermans, Jasper Philipsen, Jonas Rickaert, Ramon Sinkeldam

Main man Mathieu van der Poel – flying this year, with two major Classic wins and a dominant display in the Tour of Belgium: expect fireworks.

Arkea-Samsic

This Breton-centred squad don’t have enough firepower to thrive in cycling’s most competitive milieu. Leader Warren Barguil was the future once but now looks like just another plucky contender. They will put riders in the daily daring moves but it’s hard to foresee a great deal more.

Team Warren Barguil, Clément Champoussin, Simone Guglielmi, Anthony Delaplace, Luca Mozzato, Jenthe Biermans, Matîs Louvel, Laurent Pichon

Main man Warren Barguil. “Wawa” was King of the Mountains and double stage winner in 2017, but there’s only so long you can live off past glories.

Astana Qazaqstan

Kakakhstan’s finest have changed tack by hiring Mark Cavendish; a stage win for the Manxman is the obvious target but there’s not a lot of sprint support here apart from Cees Bol, with Moscon for the grunt work beforehand. To hedge their bets, Federov and Lutsenko will target mountain stages.

Team Mark Cavendish, Aleksei Lutsenko, Cees Bol, David de la Cruz, Yevgeniy Federov, Luis Leon Sanchez, Gianni Moscon, Harold Tejada

Main man Mark Cavendish – the greatest sprinter of all needs one Tour stage win for the absolute record but it won’t be simple given the dearth of sprint stages.

Bahrain Victorious

Likely to be scarred mentally by the shocking death of Gino Mäder in the Tour of Switzerland, but if that tragedy brings them together, most of the riders look to be coming to form and they have a raft of chances to be “victorious” with new British champion Wright, Poels, Bilbao and Mohoric.

Team Niklas Arndt, Phil Bauhaus, Jack Haig, Pello Bilbao, Fred Wright, Mikel Landa, Matej Mohoric, Wout Poels

Main man Mikel Landa – the Basque climber is a cult figure due to his enigmatic, tragic mien; he could make the top five or fall apart. That’s “Landismo”.

Bora-Hansgrohe

Multiple opportunities for Germany’s finest, who pulled an excellently crafted Giro d’Italia win out of the bag last year with Australian climber Jai Hindley – quite the progression since their humble beginnings as team NetApp more than 10 years ago. Once again there is no place for the sprinter Sam Bennett, who has not ridden the Tour since winning two stages and the points prize in 2020. Around Hindley there’s plenty of climbing strength with Konrad, Buchman and Higuita plus a 2022 stage winner in Jungels, and a sprinter who can look after himself in Meeus.

Team Emanuel Buchman, Marco Haller, Jai Hindley, Bob Jungels, Patrick Konrad, Nils Politt, Jordi Meeus, Danny van Poppel, plus one to be named by Friday 30 June

Main man Jai Hindley. Fourth in the recent Criterium du Dauphiné bodes well but can he step up into cycling’s most hostile environment?

A team of options and caveats. Zingle, Martin, Lafay, Izaguirre and Geschke can hope for an opportunistic stage win, while Coquard is competitive in a small group finish. But they will struggle to rival the heavyweights so will probably end up with the French fallback: the daily suicide break.

Team Bryan Coquard, Simon Geschke, Ion Izaguirre, Victor Lafay, Guillaume Martin, Anthony Perez, Alexis Renard, Axel Zingle

Main man: Guillaume Martin – a cerebral climber who has written a book on philosophy; he could scrape into the top 10 overall but that looks like his limit.

DSM-Firmenich

This squad doesn’t have the biggest budget but it has a knack of landing key wins when it matters. They split neatly into a climbing half around the evergreen Romain Bardet, and Degenkolb, Edmondson and Eeckhoff in the sprint half in support of Sam Welsford – one of the surprises of this season.

Team Nils Eeckhoff, John Degenkolb, Kevin Vermaerke, Alex Edmondson, Sam Welsford, Matthew Dinham, Chris Hamilton, Romain Bardet.

Main man Romain Bardet. No longer the force he was when he finished second in the 2016 Tour but still capable of a solid top 10 overall.

EF Education-Easypost

The American team that loves to act the kooky underdogs but the facts belie this. They had a great Tour in 2022 thanks to Magnus Cort’s stage win; this year they had notched up 20 race wins by late June. The Olympic champion Carapaz, Bettiol, Uran and Powless could all land a stage.

Team Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Neilson Powless, Alberto Bettiol, Esteban Chaves, Magnus Cort, James Shaw, Andrey Amador

Main man Magnus Cort – behind the (sponsored) fighter pilot moustache is a ruthless stage hunter chasing his 10th Grand Tour stage win.

Groupama-FDJ

In their 27th Tour, as usual it’s going to be fly or flop, with a bit more pressure after leader David Gaudu’s spat with sprinter Arnaud Démare sidelined this proven winner. Much loved Thibaut Pinot starts his final Tour; expect tears aplenty, hopefully on the Champs Elysées rather than before.

Team David Gaudu, Kevin Geniets, Stefan Küng, Olivier Le Gac, Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher, Thibaut Pinot, Lars Van den Berg

Main man David Gaudu – is France’s best hope for a podium finish but can he bear the weight of a nation?

Ineos Grenadiers

Once upon a time, the squad reputed to be the richest in cycling were the ones to beat in the Tour, but they have lost direction since Chris Froome’s departure and Egan Bernal’s horrific crash in 2022, and are now scrabbling to keep up with Jumbo and UAE. That’s reflected in a victory haul this season of around half that of the Big Two. A lot hangs on Tom Pidcock, winner at l’Alpe d’Huez last year; with Bernal struggling to return to his best, this line-up prompts a mild chin stroke rather than a sense of shock and awe.

Team Dani Martínez, Tom Pidcock, Michal Kwiatkowski, Jonathan Castroviejo, Carlos Rodriguez, Egan Bernal, Omar Fraile, Ben Turner

Main man Tom Pidcock. Super talented and a terrifyingly good bike handler, the 23-year-old Yorkshireman needs to build on a great 2022 race.

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty

Seamless progress for the Walloon team since their Tour debut in 2018. No Belgians in their squad which won’t go down well at home, but they have a real stage win hope in Girmay, a potential top 10 finisher in Meintjes and wildcards such as Calmejane, Costa and Teunissen.

Team Lilian Calmejane, Rui Costa, Biniam Girmay, Louis Meintjes, Adrien Petit, Dion Smith, Mike Teunissen, Georg Zimmerman.

Main man Biniam Girmay – after landing a sprint stage of the Giro last year, the Eritrean is a good bet to become the first black African Tour stage winner.

Israel-PremierTech

With only five wins this year, they need to buck that trend with climber Woods, the punchy Teuns, sprinter Strong or all-rounder Clarke. They will have to box clever, because none of these is the very best at their speciality. No place for Chris Froome after his poor start to 2023.

Team Guillaume Boivin, Simon Clarke, Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands, Nick Schultz, Corbin Strong, Dylan Teuns, Michael Woods

Main man Michael Woods – 36 years old and a four-minute miler in the past, the Canadian is a decent outside bet on any steep uphill finish.

Jayco-AlUla

All in for sprinter Groenewegen and climber Yates. Yates has had a lean 2023, but he’s notched up 10 Grand Tour stages since 2018 and will have plenty of chances in a very hard Tour. Harper and Craddock support him in the mountains; Mezgec will deliver Groenewegen in the sprints.

Lawson Craddock, Luke Durbridge, Dylan Groenewegen, Chris Harper, Chris Juul-Jensen, Luka Mezgec, Elmar Reinders, Simon Yates

Main man Dylan Groenewegen. Looking for his sixth career Tour stage win, the Dutchman has had a strong season with half a dozen wins to his name already.

Jumbo-Visma

One of the two “superteams” in the race; there are times when Jumbo seem to win when, how and where they want. Here it’s all in for Vingegaard with Küss, Van Baarle and Kelderman his mountain support crew. The biggest asset is Wout van Aert, the most powerful all-rounder in cycling, who could probably hope to win half a dozen stages if he was the team leader. What’s disconcerting is that Jumbo put out a strong squad to win this year’s Giro with Primoz Roglic, and they can afford to leave all of them out of the Tour including the Slovene.

Team Wilco Kelderman, Dylan van Baarle, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Christopher Laporte, Nathan van Hooydonck, Sep Küss, Jonas Vingegaard

Main man Jonas Vingegaard – wraith-like Dane who had the climbing legs to break Tadej Pogacar when it mattered last year, but the second Tour win never comes easy

There’s plenty of value for money here. It’s all about stage wins. The 2019 world champion Mads Pedersen is the best bet, but Skjelmose took the recent Tour of Switzerland while Ciccone landed stages in Catalonia and the Dauphiné. They boast three newly crowned national champions in Skjelmose, Kirsch and Simmons.

Giulio Ciccone, Tony Gallopin, Alex Kirsch, Juan Pedro Lopez, Mads Pedersen, Quinn Simmons, Mattias Skjelmose, Jesper Stuyven

Main man Mads Pedersen – he has stage wins at the Giro and Paris-Nice to his name this year, and will have a good chance on the hillier days at the Tour

Lotto-Dstny

Relegated to the second division last season, Belgium’s oldest team put most of their eggs in a basket labelled Caleb Ewan. Most of the team will be dedicated to ensuring he is in the right place at sprint finishes; strongmen Vermeersch and Campenaerts may be let off the leash on the non-sprint days.

Team Caleb Ewan, Jasper de Buyst, Jacopo Guarnieri, Florian Vermeersch, Frederik Frison, Victor Campenaerts, Pascal Eenkhorn, Maxim van Gils

Main man Caleb Ewan – five Tour stages to his name so far, one more would make Lotto’s Tour.

There’s a mid-table look to cycling’s oldest team, a far cry from when Miguel Indurain won five Tours in a row. Mas can target the podium, and Jorgensen is one of the most exciting prospects in the sport, but the fact he’s rumoured to be moving on in 2024 speaks volumes.

Team Alex Aranburu, Ruben Guerreiro, Gorka Izaguirre, Matteo Jorgensen, Enric Mas, Gregor Mühlberger, Neilson Oliveira, Antonio Pedrero

Main man Enric Mas – often the bridesmaid never the bride, the Spaniard is one of the big group targeting third place behind the Big Two while aiming for better if they falter.

Soudal-Quickstep

Belgian winning machine have converted themselves to a Grand Tour team led by Remco Evenepoel, who sits this one out. Here it’s about fidgety Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe and sprinter Fabio Jakobsen. “Juju” is under pressure from manager Patrick Lefevère and needs to find his former magic touch, while Jakobsen needs to at least repeat his stage win of last year; his five victories this year suggest that’s on the cards with the support of top lead-out man Mørkøv. Asgreen, Lampaert and Cavagna will support Alaphilippe in the hills and go in the breaks when he’s having a recovery day.

Team Julian Alaphilippe, Yves Lampaert, Tim Decelercq, Dries Devenyns, Fabio Jakobsen, Kasper Asgreen, Michael Mørkøv, Remi Cavagna

Main man Julian Alaphilippe – double world champion endured a torrid 2022 but has won twice this year and will be a favourite for stage one.

TotalEnergies

Once a reservoir of developing French talent, now a home for stars past their sell-by dates such as Boasson-Hagen, Oss and Sagan, while French riders Turgis and Latour are no longer cutting edge. Between them they will deliver various near misses, while a stage win would be a miracle.

Team Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Steff Cras, Valentin Ferron, Pierre Latour, Daniel Oss, Peter Sagan, Anthony Turgis

Main man Peter Sagan. Once a mega star, the multiple world champion, Tour stage winner and record points winner is now on his farewell Tour.

UAE Team Emirates

Cycling’s other “super team”, with a wealth of strong men to rival Jumbo-Visma in support of double Tour winner Tadej Pogacar, who had taken on another dimension this year with his wins in the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne before his untimely crash in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Behind “Pog”, Adam Yates has hit form in the Critérium du Dauphiné and won the Tour de Romandie back in May, so should prove a decent understudy. After illness ripped through their ranks in last year’s Tour, arguably contributing to Pogacar’s defeat to Vingegaard, every cough, sniffle and minor headache will be viewed with suspicion.

Team Mikkel Bjerg, Felix Grossschartner, Vejgard Stake Langen, Rafal Majka, Tadej Pogacar, Marc Soler, Matteo Trentin, Adam Yates

Main man Tadej Pogacar – cycling’s biggest winner is targeting a third Tour; wins in his national road and time trial titles suggests the form has returned after a hiatus to nurse a broken wrist.

Invited to their first Tour, the Norwegian squad have a solid reputation for developing new talent and making the most of their resources. They bring a promising line-up fronted by veteran sprinter Kristoff, climbers Johanneson and Traeen, a strong all rounder in Waerenschold, plus the gritty Rasmus Tiller at the helm.

Team Jonas Abrahamsen, Torsten Traeen, Søren Waerenschold, Anton Charmig, Jonas Gregaard, Rasmus Tiller, Tobias Halland Johannesen, Alexander Kristoff

Main man Alexander Kristoff – is long in the tooth but could still snag a stage win; in a team of Tour debutants his experience will be crucial.

Changes can be made until Friday 30 June. Team line-ups correct at time of publication

• Tour de France 2023
• Tour de France

Most viewed

Official games

2023 Edition

• Stage winners
• All the videos

Tour Culture

• Commitments
• key figures
• Sporting Stakes
• "Maillot Jaune" Collection
• The jerseys

Accreditations

Privacy policy, your gdpr rights.

• Dustin Long ,

• Nate Ryan ,
• +1 More
• Bruce Martin ,

Trending Teams

What to know about the 2023 tour de france: route, teams, rules, prize money.

Since 1903, the Tour de France has encaptured the beauty, rigor and passion of cycling. The race that embarked over a century ago, however, bears many differences to the 2023 Tour de France we will see shortly.

The Tour de France has catapulted to popularity since its early days, becoming the pinnacle of the sport of cycling and inspiring riders for generations to come. The 110th Tour de France is mere weeks away, with NBC and Peacock providing full coverage of the thrilling event. See below for everything you need to know about the highly anticipated 2023 Tour de France.

RELATED: Tadej Pogačar, Jai Hindley among cyclists to watch at 2023 Tour de France

When is the 2023 Tour de France?

The 2023 Tour de France will take place from July 1-23. The riders will embark on the first stage in Bilbao on Saturday, July 1, with coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock from start to finish.

As the riders venture along the difficult course, the race will find its finish as it has since 1975, on the street of Champs-Élysées in Paris.

What is the Tour de France schedule and route?

How long is this year’s route.

This year’s Tour route is a total of 3,404 km (2,115 miles) that is spread out over a span of three weeks. The riders will complete one stage per day, with two rest days on July 10 (between stages 9 and 10) and July 17 (between stages 15 and 16).

What are the rules of the Tour de France?

While the Tour de France is an event known well by most, fully understanding how the race works can sometimes pose a challenge.

The Tour de France is a team race, featuring a total of 198 cyclists from 22 different teams competing over a span of 21 days. Across these 21 days, riders will complete 21 stages: 6 flat, 6 hilly, 8 mountain and 1 individual time trial.

This year’s race will be the first year since 2015 that the Tour has only one individual time trial rather than two, with just 14 miles of time trial racing on the route.

Each stage winner receives €11,000, with every rider in the top 20 from each stage receiving a cash prize as well.

While the general classification champion of the Tour de France is the rider wearing the yellow jersey as the race concludes, there are numerous accolades to be granted to cyclists throughout the race and at the Tour’s end.

Aside from the yellow jersey, the most notable of these accolades are the green, polka-dot and white jerseys. These achievements all hold different meanings and are accompanied with a cash prize. It is possible for one rider to earn numerous jerseys at the conclusion of the Tour, such as last year’s winner Jonas Vingegaard, who took home both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys.

RELATED: 2023 Tour de France Jerseys: What do the yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys mean?

What does the winner receive?

Throughout the years, the prize awarded to the winner of the Tour de France has varied. The first Tour de France ever staged in 1903 granted a prize of 20,000 francs, which amounts to approximately $22,280.

For 2023, a grand total of €2,308,200 is on offer ($2,526,735). This number, however, is not all given to one rider, but rather split among top general classification riders, stage winners, top sprinters and winners of other minor awards.

The largest share of the prize is granted to the winner of the maillot jaune (general classification), who will take home €500,000. The runner-up receives €200,000, third gets €100,000 and fourth is awarded €70,000.

If a rider is donning the green jersey ( maillot vert), however, the prize is divided as follows:

Other prizes are granted to riders, such as those wearing the “King of the Mountains” jersey and the white jersey, along with the cyclist dubbed “Most Aggressive Rider”. Numerous other small prizes will be distributed throughout the tour.

One of the most sought after prizes, however, is the team award. The team who wins the Tour de France is the group that contains the three fastest cumulative finishers on each stage. The amount granted to each team on the podium is as follows:

Last year’s winner was the group hailing from Denmark in Team Jumbo-Visma.

How many teams are in the Tour?

22 teams will make up the peloton of the Tour de France. Of these teams are the 18 UCI WorldTeams that received an automatic invite and four UCI ProTeams.

UCI WorldTeams

• AG2R Citroën Team (Fra)
• Alpecin Deceuninck (Bel)
• Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)
• Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger)
• EF Education-Easypost (Usa)
• Groupama-FDJ (Fra)
• Ineos Grenadiers (Gbr)
• Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (Bel)
• Jumbo-Visma (Ned)
• Movistar Team (Esp)
• Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)
• Team Arkea-Samsic (Fra)
• Team Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
• Team Cofidis (Fra)
• Team DSM (Ned)
• Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
• Trek-Segafredo (Usa)
• UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

UCI ProTeams

• Lotto Dstny (Bel)
• TotalEnergies (Fra)
• Israel-Premier Tech (Isr)
• Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Nor)

How can I watch cycling events on Peacock?

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports and events, including cycling.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here .

How do I stream cycling in my bar, restaurant, or retail business?

Peacock is for personal use only. To stream cycling in your business, get the NBC Sports Pub Pass—the streaming app specifically for pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants, and commercial establishments in the U.S. With it, you can show Premier League, rugby, and cycling live, on-demand, and commercial-free. Get more details here .

Be sure to follow OlympicTalk for the latest news, storylines, and updates on the 2023 Tour de France!

Tour de France 2022 start list: Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Wout Van Aert all line up for the 109th edition

The squads of all 22 teams starting in Denmark in the battle for the yellow jersey

• Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

The 2022 Tour de France begins on Friday 1 July, with 176 riders taking to the start line at the Grand Départ in Denmark before finishing, as usual, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday 24 July. 

Reigning champion, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is returning to try and win the title for the third successive year over the 21 days of racing to Paris, but he and his team will face a tough battle for the Maillot Jaune. 

His compatriot Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) is expected to provide him the most difficult test at the Grand Tour, with Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), and Daniel Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers) ready and waiting for any opportunities in the general classification. 

Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), Tour winner from 2018, also lines up, but he will likely ride for his teammates rather than making an attempt at the yellow jersey himself, despite recently winning the Tour de Suisse. After twice finishing second at the Tour de France before, and once in third, Nairo Quintana (Arkéa Samsic) is no doubt desperate to stand on the top step of the podium this time around, though his chances in doing so look slim.

Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) is starting at the 2022 Tour de France, and while a GC challenge is extremely unlikely, the four-time Tour winner will still believe he can produce consistently over the three weeks.

Romain Bardet (Team DSM) perhaps offers France's greatest opportunity at a home win, though he has previously stated stage wins are the main goal at this Tour, rather than the overall victory. 

Plenty of other riders are aiming for stage wins and the different jerseys on offer, too. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will resume battle in France. While the latter has claimed he is only targeting stage wins, rather than the points classification, it is likely he will still have to beat Van Aert on a few occasions to achieve that goal.  

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl are placing their sprint hopes on Fabio Jakobsen, opting not to bring Mark Cavendish into the fold - a stage win for the Manxman would give him the most stage wins in Tour history, allowing him to overtake Eddy Merckx as the pair both sit on 34. 

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) also join Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) in lining up for the Grands Départs in Denmark, adding their names to an already stellar start list of some of cycling's biggest names.

The full start list for the 2022 Tour de France is below.

Tour de France 2022 start list

UAE Team Emirates

1. POGAČAR Tadej 2. BENNETT George 3. BJERG Mikkel 4. LAENGEN Vegard Stake 5. MAJKA Rafał 6. MCNULTY Brandon 7. SOLER Marc 8. HIRSCHI Marc 

Jumbo-Visma

11. ROGLIČ Primož 12. BENOOT Tiesj 13. KRUIJSWIJK Steven 14. KUSS Sepp 15. LAPORTE Christophe 16. VAN AERT Wout 17. VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan 18. VINGEGAARD Jonas

Ineos Grenadiers

21. THOMAS Geraint 22. MARTÍNEZ Daniel Felipe 23. CASTROVIEJO Jonathan 24. GANNA Filippo 25. PIDCOCK Thomas 26. ROWE Luke 27. VAN BAARLE Dylan 28. YATES Adam  

AG2R Citroën

31. O'CONNOR Ben 32. BOUCHARD Geoffrey 33. CHEREL Mikael 34. COSNEFROY Benoît 35. DEWULF Stan 36. JUNGELS Bob 37. NAESEN Oliver   38. PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien

Bora-Hansgrohe

41. VLASOV Aleksandr 42. GROßSCHARTNER Felix 43. HALLER Marco 44. KÄMNA Lennard 45. KONRAD Patrick 46. POLITT Nils 47. SCHACHMANN Maximilian 48. VAN POPPEL Danny 

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl

51. JAKOBSEN Fabio 52. ASGREEN Kasper 53. BAGIOLI Andrea 54. CATTANEO Mattia 55. HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich 56. LAMPAERT Yves 57. MØRKØV Michael 58. SÉNÉCHAL Florian

61. MAS Enric 62. ERVITI Imanol 63. IZAGIRRE Gorka 64. JORGENSON Matteo   65. MÜHLBERGER Gregor 66. OLIVEIRA Nelson 67. TORRES Albert 68. VERONA Carlos 

71. MARTIN Guillaume 72. PERICHON Pierre-Luc 73. GESCHKE Simon 74. IZAGIRRE Ion 75. LAFAY Victor 76. PEREZ Anthony 77. THOMAS Benjamin 78. WALSCHEID Max

Bahrain-Victorious

81. HAIG Jack 82. CARUSO Damiano 83. GRADEK Kamil 84. MOHORIČ Matej 85. SÁNCHEZ Luis León 86. TEUNS Dylan 87. TRATNIK Jan 88. WRIGHT Fred

Groupama-FDJ

91. GAUDU David 92. DUCHESNE Antoine 93. GENIETS Kevin 94. KÜNG Stefan 95. LE GAC Olivier 96. MADOUAS Valentin 97. PINOT Thibaut 98. STORER Michael  

Alpecin-Deceuninck

101. VAN DER POEL Mathieu 102. DILLIER Silvan 103. GOGL Michael 104. KRIEGER Alexander 105. PHILIPSEN Jasper 106. PLANCKAERT Edward 107. SBARAGLI Kristian 108. VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume    

111. BARDET Romain 112. DAINESE Alberto 113. DEGENKOLB John 114. EEKHOFF Nils 115. HAMILTON Chris 116. LEKNESSUND Andreas 117. TUSVELD Martin 118. VERMAEKE Kevin

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

121. KRISTOFF Alexander 122. BYSTRØM Sven Erik 123. GOOSSENS Kobe 124. MEINTJES Louis 125. PASQUALON Andrea 126. PETIT Adrien 127. VAN DER HOORN Taco 128. ZIMMERMANN Georg  

Astana Qazaqstan

131. LUTSENKO Alexey 132. RIABUSHENKO Aleksandr 133. DOMBROWSKI Joe 134. FELLINE Fabio 135. GRUZDEV Dmitriy 136. MOSCON Gianni 137. VELASCO Simone 138. ZEITS Andrey

EF Education-EasyPost

141. URÁN Rigoberto 142. GUERREIRO Ruben 143. BETTIOL Alberto 144. BISSEGGER Stefan 145. DOULL Owain 146. CORT Magnus 147. POWLESS Neilson 148. RUTSCH Jonas 

Arkéa Samsic

151. QUINTANA Nairo 152. BARGUIL Warren 153. BOUET Maxime 154. CAPIOT Amaury 155. HOFSTETTER Hugo 156. LOUVEL Matis 157. OWSIAN Łukasz 158. SWIFT Connor 

Lotto Soudal

161. EWAN Caleb 162. FRISON Frederik 163. GILBERT Philippe 164. JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt 165. KRON Andreas 166. VAN MOER Brent 167. VERMEERSCH Florian 168. WELLENS Tim

Trek-Segafredo

171. PEDERSEN Mads 172. CICCONNE Giulio 173. GALLOPIN Tony 174. KIRSCH Alex 175. MOLLEMA Bauke 176. SIMMONS Quinn 177. SKUJINS Toms 178. STUYVEN Jasper

TotalEnergies

181. SAGAN Peter 182. BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 183. BODNAR Maciej 184. BURGAUDEAU Mathieu 185. LATOUR Pierre 186. OSS Daniel 187. TURGIS Anthony 188. VUILLERMOZ Alexis  

Israel-Premier Tech

191. FROOME Chris 192. BOIVIN Guillaume 193. CLARKE Simon 194. FUGLSANG Jakob 195. NIV Guy 196. HOULE Hugo 197. NEILANDS Krists 198. WOODS Michael

BikeExchange-Jayco

201. MATTHEWS Michael 202. BAUER Jack 203. DURBRIDGE Luke 204. GROENEWEGEN Dylan 205. JANSEN Amund Grøndahl 206. JUUL-JENSEN Christopher 207. MEZGEC Luka 208. SCHULTZ Nick

B&B Hotels-KTM

211. BONNAMOUR Franck 212. BARTHE Cyril 213. GOUGEARD Alexis 214. LECROQ Jérémy 215. LEMOINE Cyril 216. MOZZATO Luca 217. ROLLAND Pierre 218. SCHÖNBERGER Sebastian

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Ryan is a staff writer for Cycling Weekly, having joined the team in September 2021. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before making his way to cycling. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer. 

• Tom Thewlis

The ultra-distance benchmark that pits riders against a 4,000km self-supported Europe-wide trek reaches double figures

By James Shrubsall Published 27 April 24

Charming, simple, and always a great workout, this is the perfect town bike

By Joe Baker Published 27 April 24

Visma-Lease a Bike rider broke his collarbone, sternum and several ribs in a high speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen

By Tom Thewlis Published 24 April 24

Danish rider underwent surgery to repair broken collarbone; too early to know whether Tour de France return will be possible

By Tom Thewlis Published 16 April 24

With Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič hitting the deck at Itzulia Basque Country, all three now face battle to get their seasons back on track

By Adam Becket Published 9 April 24

British rider crashed during recon of opening stage time trial last weekend and injured his right hip

By Tom Thewlis Published 3 April 24

Cavendish will ride Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye later this month, Astana Qazaqstan confirms

By Tom Thewlis Published 2 April 24

Dutchman starts his 2024 road season at Italian Monument on Saturday

By Tom Thewlis Published 15 March 24

US star grabbed his first ever Grand Tour win at last year’s Giro d’Italia

By Tom Thewlis Published 8 March 24

The American could step into the leaders yellow jersey on Tuesday evening after stage three’s team time trial in Auxerre

By Tom Thewlis Published 5 March 24

Useful links

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• Vuelta a España

Buyer's Guides

• Best road bikes
• Best gravel bikes
• Best smart turbo trainers
• Best cycling computers
• Editor's Choice
• Bike Reviews
• Component Reviews
• Clothing Reviews
• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Advertise with us

Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• La Vuelta ciclista a España
• World Championships
• Milano-Sanremo
• Amstel Gold Race
• Tirreno-Adriatico
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• Il Lombardia
• La Flèche Wallonne
• Paris - Nice
• Paris-Roubaix
• Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
• Critérium du Dauphiné
• Tour des Flandres
• Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
• Clásica Ciclista San Sebastián
• UAE Team Emirates
• Arkéa - B&B Hotels
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Bahrain - Victorious
• BORA - hansgrohe
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama - FDJ
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Intermarché - Wanty
• Lidl - Trek
• Movistar Team
• Soudal - Quick Step
• Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
• Team Jayco AlUla
• Team Visma | Lease a Bike
• Grand tours
• Top competitors
• Final GC favorites
• Stage profiles
• Riders form
• Countdown to 3 billion pageviews
• Favorite500
• Profile Score
• Stage 21 Results
• Startlist quality
• All stage profiles
• Hardest stages
• Winners and leaders
• Prizemoney ranking
• Fastest stages
• Statistics - Statistics
• Startlist - Startlist
• More - More
• Teams - Teams
• Nations - Nations
• Route - Route
• Results - Results
•   »  

• 1 VINGEGAARD Jonas
• 2 BENOOT Tiesj
• 3 KELDERMAN Wilco
• 4 KUSS Sepp
• 5 LAPORTE Christophe
• 6 VAN AERT Wout (DNS #18)
• 7 VAN BAARLE Dylan
• 8 VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan

• 11 POGAČAR Tadej *
• 12 BJERG Mikkel *
• 14 GROßSCHARTNER Felix
• 15 LAENGEN Vegard Stake
• 16 MAJKA Rafał
• 17 SOLER Marc
• 18 TRENTIN Matteo
• 19 YATES Adam

• 21 BERNAL Egan
• 22 CASTROVIEJO Jonathan
• 23 FRAILE Omar
• 24 KWIATKOWSKI Michał
• 25 MARTÍNEZ Daniel Felipe (DNS #15)
• 26 PIDCOCK Thomas *
• 27 RODRÍGUEZ Carlos *
• 28 TURNER Ben * (DNF #13)

• 31 GAUDU David
• 32 GENIETS Kevin
• 33 KÜNG Stefan
• 34 LE GAC Olivier
• 35 MADOUAS Valentin
• 36 PACHER Quentin
• 37 PINOT Thibaut
• 38 VAN DEN BERG Lars *

• 41 CARAPAZ Richard (DNS #2)
• 42 AMADOR Andrey
• 43 BETTIOL Alberto
• 44 CHAVES Esteban (DNF #14)
• 45 CORT Magnus
• 46 POWLESS Neilson
• 47 SHAW James (DNF #14)
• 48 URÁN Rigoberto

• 51 ALAPHILIPPE Julian
• 52 ASGREEN Kasper
• 53 CAVAGNA Rémi
• 54 DECLERCQ Tim
• 55 DEVENYNS Dries
• 56 JAKOBSEN Fabio (DNS #12)
• 57 LAMPAERT Yves
• 58 MØRKØV Michael

• 62 LANDA Mikel
• 63 ARNDT Nikias
• 64 BAUHAUS Phil (DNF #17)
• 65 BILBAO Pello
• 66 HAIG Jack
• 67 MOHORIČ Matej
• 68 POELS Wout
• 69 WRIGHT Fred *

• 71 HINDLEY Jai
• 72 BUCHMANN Emanuel
• 73 HALLER Marco
• 74 JUNGELS Bob
• 75 KONRAD Patrick
• 76 MEEUS Jordi *
• 77 POLITT Nils
• 78 VAN POPPEL Danny

• 81 CICCONE Giulio
• 82 GALLOPIN Tony
• 83 SKJELMOSE Mattias *
• 84 KIRSCH Alex
• 85 LÓPEZ Juan Pedro
• 86 PEDERSEN Mads
• 87 SIMMONS Quinn * (DNS #9)
• 88 STUYVEN Jasper

• 91 O'CONNOR Ben
• 92 BERTHET Clément
• 93 COSNEFROY Benoît
• 94 DEWULF Stan
• 95 GALL Felix *
• 96 NAESEN Oliver
• 97 PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien
• 98 PETERS Nans

• 101 VAN DER POEL Mathieu
• 102 DILLIER Silvan
• 103 GOGL Michael
• 104 HERMANS Quinten
• 105 KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren
• 106 PHILIPSEN Jasper *
• 107 RICKAERT Jonas
• 108 SINKELDAM Ramon (DNF #14)

• 111 GIRMAY Biniam *
• 112 CALMEJANE Lilian
• 113 COSTA Rui
• 114 MEINTJES Louis (DNF #14)
• 115 PETIT Adrien
• 116 SMITH Dion
• 117 TEUNISSEN Mike
• 118 ZIMMERMANN Georg

• 121 MARTIN Guillaume
• 122 COQUARD Bryan
• 123 GESCHKE Simon (DNF #18)
• 124 IZAGIRRE Ion
• 125 LAFAY Victor (DNF #20)
• 126 PEREZ Anthony (DNS #18)
• 127 RENARD Alexis * (DNS #17)
• 128 ZINGLE Axel *

• 131 MAS Enric (DNF #1)
• 132 GUERREIRO Ruben (DNF #14)
• 133 ARANBURU Alex
• 134 IZAGIRRE Gorka
• 135 JORGENSON Matteo * (DNS #16)
• 136 MÜHLBERGER Gregor
• 137 OLIVEIRA Nelson
• 138 PEDRERO Antonio (DNF #14)

• 141 BARDET Romain (DNF #14)
• 142 DEGENKOLB John
• 143 DINHAM Matthew *
• 144 EDMONDSON Alex
• 145 EEKHOFF Nils *
• 146 HAMILTON Chris
• 147 VERMAERKE Kevin *
• 148 WELSFORD Sam

• 151 WOODS Michael
• 152 BOIVIN Guillaume
• 153 CLARKE Simon
• 154 HOULE Hugo
• 155 NEILANDS Krists
• 156 SCHULTZ Nick
• 157 STRONG Corbin *
• 158 TEUNS Dylan

• 161 YATES Simon
• 162 CRADDOCK Lawson
• 163 DURBRIDGE Luke
• 164 GROENEWEGEN Dylan
• 165 HARPER Chris
• 166 JUUL-JENSEN Christopher
• 167 MEZGEC Luka
• 168 REINDERS Elmar

• 171 BARGUIL Warren
• 172 BIERMANS Jenthe
• 173 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément *
• 174 DELAPLACE Anthony
• 175 GUGLIELMI Simon
• 176 LOUVEL Matis *
• 177 MOZZATO Luca *
• 178 PICHON Laurent

• 181 EWAN Caleb (DNF #13)
• 182 CAMPENAERTS Victor
• 183 DE BUYST Jasper
• 184 EENKHOORN Pascal
• 185 FRISON Frederik
• 186 GUARNIERI Jacopo (DNS #5)
• 187 VAN GILS Maxim *
• 188 VERMEERSCH Florian *

• 191 CAVENDISH Mark (DNF #8)
• 192 BOL Cees
• 193 DE LA CRUZ David (DNF #12)
• 194 FEDOROV Yevgeniy *
• 195 LUTSENKO Alexey
• 196 MOSCON Gianni
• 197 SÁNCHEZ Luis León (DNS #5)
• 198 TEJADA Harold

• 201 KRISTOFF Alexander
• 202 ABRAHAMSEN Jonas
• 203 CHARMIG Anthon *
• 204 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland *
• 205 TILLER Rasmus
• 206 TRÆEN Torstein
• 207 WÆRENSKJOLD Søren *
• 208 GREGAARD Jonas

• 211 SAGAN Peter
• 212 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
• 213 BURGAUDEAU Mathieu *
• 214 CRAS Steff (DNF #8)
• 215 FERRON Valentin *
• 216 LATOUR Pierre
• 217 OSS Daniel
• 218 TURGIS Anthony
• Alphabetical
• Previous performance
• Youngest and oldest
• Race ranking
• Peloton averages
• Contribute to startlist
• Statistics team line-ups
• Top GC riders
• TT Specialists
• Best classic riders
• Top-100 riders competing
• National champions
• Starting other race
• National startlist quality
• First first participations
• Birthdays during race
• Injury history per rider

Grand Tours

• Vuelta a España

Major Tours

• Volta a Catalunya
• Tour de Romandie
• Tour de Suisse
• Itzulia Basque Country
• Milano-SanRemo
• Ronde van Vlaanderen

Championships

• European championships

Top classics

• Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
• Strade Bianche
• Gent-Wevelgem
• Dwars door vlaanderen
• Eschborn-Frankfurt
• San Sebastian
• Bretagne Classic
• GP Montréal

Popular riders

• Tadej Pogačar
• Wout van Aert
• Remco Evenepoel
• Jonas Vingegaard
• Mathieu van der Poel
• Mads Pedersen
• Primoz Roglic
• Demi Vollering
• Lotte Kopecky
• Katarzyna Niewiadoma
• PCS ranking
• UCI World Ranking
• Points per age
• Latest injuries
• Youngest riders
• Grand tour statistics
• Monument classics
• Latest transfers
• Favorite 500
• Points scales
• Profile scores
• Reset password
• Cookie consent

About ProCyclingStats

• Cookie policy
• Contributions
• Pageload 0.0312s

Home Explore France Official Tourism Board Website

• Explore the map

The 5-minute essential guide to the Tour de France

Inspiration

Cycling Tourism Sporting Activities

Reading time: 0 min Published on 8 January 2024, updated on 18 April 2024

It is the biggest cycling race in the world: a national event that France cherishes almost as much as its Eiffel Tower and its 360 native cheeses! Every year in July, the Tour de France sets off on the roads of France and crosses some of its most beautiful landscapes. Here’s everything you should know in advance of the 2018 race…

‘La Grande Boucle’

In over a century of existence, the Tour has extended its distance and passed through the whole country. Almost 3,500 kilometers are now covered each year in the first three weeks of July, with 22 teams of 8 cyclists. The 176 competitors criss-cross the most beautiful roads of France in 23 days, over 21 stages. More than a third of France’s departments are passed through, on a route that changes each year.

A little tour to start

The first ever Tour de France took place in 1903. It had just six stages – Paris-Lyon, Lyon-Marseille, Marseille-Toulouse, Toulouse-Bordeaux, Bordeaux-Nantes and Nantes-Paris – and 60 cyclists at the start line. At the time, the brave cycled up to 18 hours at a stretch, by day and night, on roads and dirt tracks. By the end, they’d managed 2,300 kilometers. Must have had some tight calves!

Mountain events are often the most famous and hotly contested. Spectators watch in awe as the riders attack the passes and hit speeds of 100 km/h. In the Pyrenees and the Alps, the Galibier and Tourmalet ascents are legendary sections of the Tour, worthy of a very elegant polka dot jersey for the best climber…

The darling of the Tour

In terms of the number of victories per nation, France comes out on top, with 36 races won by a French cyclist. In second place is Belgium with 18 wins, and in third is Spain with 12. The darling of the Tour remains Eddy Merckx, holding the record of 111 days in the yellow jersey. This Belgian won 5 times the Great Loop as Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Michael Indurain.

‘Le maillot jaune’

The yellow jersey is worn by the race winner in the general classification (calculated by adding up the times from each individual stage). This tradition goes back to 1919. It has nothing to do with the July sunshine or the sunflower fields along the roads; it was simply the colour of the pages of newspaper L’Auto, which was creator and organiser of the competition at the time.

The Tour de France is the third major world sporting event after the Olympic Games and the World Cup, covered by 600 media and 2,000 journalists. The race is broadcast in 130 countries by 100 television channels over 6,300 hours, and is followed by 3.5 billion viewers.

The Champs-Élysées finish

Each year the Tour departs from a different city, whether in France or in a neighbouring country. Since 1975, the triumphal arrival of the cyclists has always taken place across a finish line on Paris’ Champs-Élysées. It’s a truly beautiful setting for the final sprint.

And the winner is…

Seen from the sky and filmed by helicopters or drones, the Tour route resembles a long ribbon winding its way through France’s stunning landscapes: the groves of Normandy, the peaks of the Alps, the shores of Brittany and the beaches of the Côte d’Azur. In 2017, it was the Izoard pass in Hautes-Alpes that was elected the most beautiful stage, at an altitude of 2,361 metres. Which one gets your vote?

Find out more on the official Tour de France site: https://www.letour.fr

By Redaction France.fr

The magazine of the destination unravels an unexpected France that revisits tradition and cultivates creativity. A France far beyond what you can imagine…

Paris Region is the home of major sporting events!

Tour de France : Final stage of glory in Paris

Get in touch with nouvelle-aquitaine in south west of france.

Biarritz-Basque Country

Loire Valley, Champagne and beyond, The perfect blend

Alsace and Lorraine

Cycling, a new key to the Coastline

Along La Loire à Vélo

Loire Valley

Discovering the most beautiful beaches of the Pays de la Loire, by Natigana

#ExploreFrance

Atlantic Loire Valley

Fly, Walk, Pedal - Get Moving on the Côte d'Azur

Côte d'Azur

2-FOR-1 GA TICKETS WITH OUTSIDE+

Don’t miss Thundercat, Fleet Foxes, and more at the Outside Festival.

GET TICKETS

BEST WEEK EVER

Try out unlimited access with 7 days of Outside+ for free.

Start Your Free Trial

Powered by Outside

Tour de France

Tour de france stage 1: the hilliest-ever opening stage of the tour, a dramatic opener to this year's tour with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters. will the bunch fragment like last year.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Stage 1 — Saturday, June 29 Florence-Rimini Distance: 206km (128 miles) Profile: Medium mountain stage

Stage 1: A daunting opener

Last year’s first stage was said by some to be amongst the hardest Tour openers ever; one year later, the organizers have decided to follow the same template.

Indeed they have ramped up the difficulty, with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters, some 500 meters more than last time around. The stage will not so much shake off the cobwebs as evaporate them. Starting in Florence as part of the first-ever Italian Grand Depart in history, the riders will have 30 mainly flat kilometers before the first of seven categorized climbs rear up.

The Col de Valico Tre Faggi is the highest on the stage, peaking at 930 meters altitude after 12.5km of climbing. A breakaway is almost certain to form here and, passing over the subsequent climbs of the Côte des Forche, the Côte de Carnaio and the Colle de Barbotto, should be able to further pad their advantage.

The pendulum may well swing the other way over the three climbs located in the final 50 kms. The last of these, the Côte de Saint-Marino, is followed by 25 downhill and flat roads to the finish in Rimini. Much will depend on how the favorites ride the stage but if the big names and their teams go all in, a very difficult first day is in store.

The stage finish is a poignant location for Italian cycling. The 1998 Tour de France winner Marco Pantani died in Rimini in 2004, with this year’s Tour taking place 20 years after that tragic event.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “It’s rare for the Tour de France to start with more than 3,600 meters of climbing — in fact it’s never happened before! — and it’s also the first time that the race has visited the home city of Gino Bartali.

“The succession of hills in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna are likely to be the setting for an immediate and testing confrontation between the contenders for the title, particularly the climb into San Marino (7.1km at 4.8 percent), where the race will add a 13th name to its catalogue of foreign visits.”

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Main Content
• Skip to Related Content
• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard
• Round 1 Grades
• How to watch the NFL Draft
• Round 1 Recap
• Day 2 Preview
• Winners and Losers
• Scores/Schedules
• Wemby Watch
• Fantasy Basketball
• In-Season Tournament
• All-Star Game
• Power Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball
• Scores/Schedule
• Fantasy Football
• Free Agency
• Fantasy Hockey
• UFC Schedule
• Yahoo Sports AM
• March Madness
• Caitlin Clark Scoring Record
• Daytona 500
• Leaderboard
• Masters Tournament
• Playoff and Bowl Games
• Tournament Schedule
• French Open
• Australian Open
• College Sports
• Fantasy Sports
• Sports Betting 101
• Bet Calculator
• Legalization Tracker
• Casino Games
• Paris Games Home
• Kentucky Derby
• Preakness Stakes
• Belmont Stakes
• Ball Don't Lie
• Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
• College Football Enquirer
• Baseball Bar-B-Cast
• Tank Dell shot in Florida
• Brunson drops 47 in Game 4 win
• NFL Draft grades: AFC
• NFL Draft grades: NFC
• Lakers snap 11-game skid vs.Nuggets

Unveiling the High-Octane Riders Set to Dominate the Sprints at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia

[table-of-contents] stripped

As summer grows ever closer, our focus shifts to the emblematic jerseys of the Grand Tours : the maglia rosa , the maillot jaune , and the maillot rojo —and rightly so. After all, we watch bike races in large part to see who’s going to win, especially when we have such riches as we do these days, with some of the most talented GC riders in generations battling it out on the long course of a Grand Tour.

But what about the green and purple jerseys , those awarded to the leaders and winners of the points classifications, often, though not always, noted sprinters?

These are men and women capable of making unfathomable watts, often after four, five, and sometimes six-plus hours of racing, who are held at bay all day, only to unleash their greatest skills for barely a few hundred meters. They’re often the ones who give us the biggest thrills and the narrowest victories (or defeats).

While we focus on the speed and raw power of sprinters, one thing that’s often overlooked is how well they race; how the best sprinters are often the most patient riders, waiting until the perfect moment to launch their attacks. Theirs is often a game of cat-and-mouse, a strategic battle as much as a power-based one. Given the blazing speed at which these riders can sprint, it’s easy to forget that they’re some of the savviest riders in the peloton.

So, who are they? Let’s take a deeper look at the riders going for those green jerseys and points competitions at the Giro d’Italia , Tour de France , and Vuelta a España this summer.

Men’s Top Sprinters

Jasper philipsen – alpecin-deceuninck.

The young Belgian, once derided as “Jasper the Disaster,” is the best sprinter in the world right now. Possessing the perfect combination of strength, racing know-how, and the patience required to win a bunch sprint, he has to be the favorite heading into any stage suited to sprinters. After a second-place finish at Roubaix , the reigning Tour de France green jersey will head into this year’s Grande Boucle as the heavy favorite to repeat.

Mads Pedersen – Lidl-Trek

Unlike most others on this list, Mads Pedersen is hardly a pure sprinter. Rather, the one-day specialist has shown that he’s most at home when launching attacks from a long way out. In fact, just a few weeks ago, he did something most people didn’t think was possible when he stayed with Mathieu van der Poel for some fifty kilometers in Ghent-Wevelgem , only to outsprint the Dutch superstar in the closing meters. There isn’t a team in the men’s peloton looking quite as strong as Lidl-Trek is right now, so expect Mads to compete for at least a few bunch sprint wins in his scheduled Tour and Vuelta appearances.

Tim Merlier – Soudal-Quick-Step

By the metric of the modern peloton, Tim Merlier is getting a bit long in the tooth. The 31-year-old from Flanders only has two Grand Tour stage wins to his name: one in the Giro and one in the Tour . But, as most of Merlier’s early career was focused on cyclocross racing, he very well could just be coming into his prime. In the last three seasons, Merlier has won the Belgian National Road Race and Brugge-De Panne, and, from 2022 to this year, three-peated in Nokere Koerse. Maybe, like a great sprinter does, he’s waiting until the perfect moment to launch.

Sprinters with something to prove

Mark cavendish – astana qazaqstan.

In 2024, Cav is sitting on the precipice between these two categories. The Manx Missile was coaxed out of retirement not once but twice with the promise of nabbing Eddy Merckx’s longstanding record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. And while his early-season returns have been anything but stunning, we’re talking about the greatest sprinter of all time here. And so, for that very reason, we have to consider Cav, a two-time Tour de France green jersey winner, in the upper echelon here.

Dylan Groenewegen – Jayco AlUla

Groenewegen has five Tour de France stage wins. But four of them came before 2020 and one in 2022. Much of that drought likely has to do with the nine-month ban he received from the UCI after it was determined he caused the crash that put Fabio Jakobsen in an induced coma for two days. Still, Groenewegen has shown form early this season with a ninth-place finish in Ghent-Wevelgem and a few strong stages in Paris-Nice and the UAE Tour.

Kaden Groves – Alpecin-Deceuninck

Groves, the four-time Vuelta a España stage winner and reigning green jersey champion of that race, will likely contest again for several of that race’s sprint stages. Groves has shown a predilection for hilly stages that tend to thin the herd over the course of the day, stages that are becoming increasingly common in the modern Grand Tour.

Arnaud Démare – Arkéa–B&B Hotels

Though he didn’t get any last year, Arnaud Démare has won ten Grand Tour stages: eight in the Giro and two in the Tour . He’s also a two-time points champion in the Giro. And though his spring campaign has been nothing to write home about, he’s an expert at positioning when the bunch really starts charging. Given as much, he should have more than a few opportunities to outsprint the bunch in this summer’s Tour.

Fabio Jakobsen – dsm firmenich PostNL

Like a few others on this list, Jakobsen’s results don’t necessarily match his strength. Easily one of the fastest sprinters in the peloton, Jakobsen will definitely find his way to the bunch in this year’s Giro and Tour, where he’ll try to add to his palmarès, which already counts five Vuelta stage wins. Of course, he hasn’t gotten one of those since 2021, so you either think he’s washed or he’s due.

Dark Horses

Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) - Outside of Mark Cavendish, Sam Bennett is the most decorated racer on this list. His palmarès includes five stage wins at the Vuelta , three at the Giro , and two at the Tour . He was also the Tour’s 2020 green jersey. And though his last two seasons have been hardly spectacular, it’s easy to predict that Sam Bennett could be in the mix for stage wins, especially after he was left off AG2R’s Tour roster last year.

Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) - The man who was once a sure-fire bet to take a Grand Tour sprint stage—he’s won ten in his career—has fallen to the bottom of this pack simply because he hasn’t been able to nab a stage win since the 2021 Giro d’Italia . Of course, he’s still one of the strongest sprinters on Earth and always a threat to take a win, which, over the last three years, he’s been ever so close to. Despite his recent cold streak, Ewan is truly one of the riders you can never, ever count out.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) - After a historic stage win in the 2022 Giro d’Italia and a third-place finish behind Jasper Phillipsen and Mark Cavendish in stage 7 of last’s Tour de France, the Eritrean rider showed a lot of promise as a Grand Tour sprinter. Now confirmed for the Giro, we hope to see Girmay bring on the heat to the favorites.

Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling) - While still early in his professional career, Dainese has already demonstrated his potential as a top-level sprinter and is definitely one to watch. In 2023, the Italian sprinter won two Giro stages and one Vuelta stage.

Women’s Top Sprinters

On the women’s side of the coin, there’s far less separation between the heavy favorites, the maybe-they-could, and the sprinters who might steal a stage here or there. And much of that has to do with the fact that there’s much more parity in general in the women’s WorldTour (which is why we should all be watching a lot more women’s races!). But there is still the cream of the crop and everyone else.

Lotte Kopecky – SD Worx-Protime

You could easily argue that Lotte Kopecky is the strongest bike racer in the world, regardless of gender. Her ability to sustain efforts and grind her opponents into dust behind her is matched only by the likes of Mathieu van der Poel . As she heads into this summer as the reigning Tour de France points champion, all eyes will be on the 28-year-old to rack up more stage wins.

Lorena Wiebes – SD Worx-Protime

It’s no secret that SD Worx is sitting on an embarrassment of riches right now. This is evidenced by the fact that Lotte Kopecky is racing on the same team as Lorena Wiebes , perhaps the strongest pure sprinter in the women’s peloton. The 25-year-old Dutchwoman has won Ronde van Drenthe four years in a row and just added to her palmarès with a Gent-Wevelgem victory last weekend. In a heads-up sprint, Wiebes is as tough as out there is.

Elisa Balsamo – Lidl-Trek

With wins at Brugge-De Panne and Trofeo Alfredo Binda and second-place finishes at Paris-Roubaix , Ronde van Drenthe, and Ghent-Wevelgem , the Italian one-day specialist is having a world-class spring campaign. She’s had a bit of success in stage races, nabbing a pair of wins at the 2022 Giro Donne and another pair at 2023’s Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. But at just 26 years old, Balsamo could be on the precipice of a breakout summer.

Charlotte Kool – dsm firmenich PostNL

At just 24 years old, Charlotte Kool seems to be hitting her prime. She won her first Grand Tour stage in last year’s Vuelta and was fighting for wins in Brugge-De Panne and Ghent-Wevelgem, where she finished second and fourth, respectively. She won the points classification in last year’s UAE Tour and should rack up plenty of points over the course of the summer.

Emma Norsgaard – Movistar

Though Norsgaard’s spring has been inauspicious at best, she’s always a tough out when it comes to sprints. With a pair of stage wins to her name (a Giro stage in 2021 and a Tour stage in 2023), she knows how to win from the bunch. She just needs to find her way to the front and put herself in a position to compete. If she can get there, there’s no doubt she’s got the legs.

Marianne Vos – Visma-Lease a Bike

So long as there’s a bike race, and so long as Marianne Vos is in that bike race, it’s just plain stupid to count her out. To list her palmarès would take all of the space this story has, so just accept the fact that she’s likely to be there at the end, whether the stage calls for a breakaway, a punchy climb, or a bunch sprint. And though she’s one of the women’s peloton’s elder stateswomen at age 36, with recent wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwars door Vlaanderen , she’s still proving week after week that she can race with—and beat—the best.

Elisa Longo Borghini – Lidl-Trek

Between Mads Pedersen , Elisa Balsamo, and Longo Borghini, Lidl-Trek’s cup runneth over with one-day talent. But to win one-day races, you need to be able to create and sustain attacks, and there are few better in the women’s bunch at that than Longo Borghini. Hardly a pure sprinter, she’ll need to use her well-honed racing acumen if she’s going to take a stage win.

Chloé Dygert – Canyon//SRAM

Dygert is back. After suffering a training setback late last year, stemming from an injury sustained earlier in 2023, Dygert returned to the peloton with a sixth-place finish in Brugge-De Panne. And while she’s known more for her time-trialing acumen than her pure sprint ability, she can put down and sustain boatloads of power. If she and her teammates can put her in the right position, look for the American star to steal a stage here or there.

Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) - This is only Consonni’s second year at the WorldTour level, but she’s shown in recent times that she has the legs and the know-how to go elbow-to-elbow with the best of the bunch. Her best result is arguably a third-place finish in the points classification in this year’s UAE Tour. Look for her to steal a stage win or two (or three) as the summer progresses.

Rachele Barbieri (dsm firmenich PostNL) - For all of the success Rachele Barbieri has enjoyed on the track, she’s had little on the road. Her best finishes in major races are a pair of second-place finishes in stages in the Giro and UAE Tour and two fourth-place finishes in Tour stages. However, anyone who can make the kind of power Babieri is capable of making can and should not be counted out. Look for her to snag a sleeper win at some point this year.

You Might Also Like

The Right Chain Lube Can Save You Thousands

Everything You Need to Start E-Bike Commuting

7 Things You Should Do After Every Rainy Ride

Recommended Stories

Nba playoffs: huge mavericks comeback falls short in 116–111 loss to clippers in game 4.

The Los Angeles Clippers blew a 31-point lead to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series before toughing out a 116–111 victory.

Thunder's Mark Daigneault wins NBA Coach of the Year award

Daigneault was also voted Coach of the Year by his NBA head coaching peers.

NASCAR: Denny Hamlin gets win No. 3 of 2024 at Dover

Hamlin held off Kyle Larson over the final 15 laps.

Michael Penix is a Falcon, favorite RB & OL landing spots with Nate Tice | The Exempt List

Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, Charles McDonald and Nate Tice give their thoughts and key takeaways, including Charles' reaction to the Atlanta Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr, the Denver Broncos overdrafting Bo Nix, Spencer Rattler to the New Orleans Saints and Charles and Nate's favorite running back and offensive line landing spots. Charles and Nate finish off the show with a dueling draft of day three selections, where they each draft a pick from rounds four through seven (and a kicker in round six) so they can track how their picks do throughout their rookie seasons.

Nuggets' Jamal Murray questionable for Game 5 vs. Lakers with calf strain

Murray appeared to sustain the injury in Saturday's Game 4 loss to the Lakers.

Chiefs move ahead of 49ers as Super Bowl LIX favorites following 2024 NFL Draft

Kansas City was the No. 2 favorite behind San Francisco ahead of the draft.

Texans WR Tank Dell sustains 'minor injury' in mass shooting, was reportedly 1 of 10 shot at Florida nightclub

Tank Dell is in "good spirits" after being reportedly being "caught in the crossfire" of the shooting that left 10 injured at a Florida nightclub.

NFL Draft grades: Seattle Seahawks nailed their first pick, but it was a mixed bag after that

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Seahawks' 2024 draft.

NFL Draft grades: Arizona Cardinals understood the assignment with Marvin Harrison Jr.

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Cardinals' 2024 draft.

Colorado's Deion Sanders: 'I do not plan on following my kids to the NFL'

The Buffaloes went 4-8 in Sanders' first season as head coach.

NFL Draft grades: Los Angeles Rams play it safe, fill critical needs on defense

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Rams' 2024 draft.

2024 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams

While the Falcons baffled everyone, the defending champion Chiefs looked like champs again.

2024 NFL Draft grades: New York Jets build out offense with limited capital

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Jets' 2024 draft.

UConn women's basketball adds Princeton guard Kaitlyn Chen from transfer portal

UConn women's basketball is adding Ivy League Player of the Year Kaitlyn Chen from the transfer portal. Chen played her previous three seasons at Princeton.

2024 NFL Draft grades: Chicago Bears have potentially franchise-altering class headlined by Caleb Williams

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Bears' 2024 draft.

2024 NFL Draft grades: Washington Commanders did pretty well, but everything hinges on Jayden Daniels

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Commanders' 2024 draft.

2024 NFL Draft grades: Baltimore Ravens do what they do best — let good players fall into their laps

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Ravens' 2024 draft.

2024 NFL Draft grades: New England Patriots grab QB of future in Drake Maye to headline great haul

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Patriots' 2024 draft.

2024 NFL Draft grades: Jacksonville Jaguars didn't land much impact beyond potential WR1

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Jaguars' 2024 draft.

2024 NFL Draft grades: Buffalo Bills play it safe but also nab potential impact receiver

Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Bills' 2024 draft.

• Caledonia-5
• Teams Team Visma | Lease a Bike CNCPT Cervélo Orange Living Triathletes Ambassadors
• Support Find a Retailer Register Your Bike Warranty FAQ Contact Us
• Time Trial & Triathlon
• Team Visma | Lease a Bike
• Cervélo Orange Living
• Triathletes
• Ambassadors
• Find a Retailer
• Register Your Bike

It may look simple—get to the line first—but World Tour cycling is as complex as Grandmaster-grade chess. From raceday strategy to tactics in the bunch, every move is considered, calculated, and executed in pursuit of victory. At a time when many bikes are becoming general-purpose tools, our 5-level bikes remain precision instruments, engineered to meet the demands of the best riders and most challenging terrain.

Undisputedly the fastest bike

In the 2022 Tour de France, the S5 propelled Wout to the highest ever Points Classification score of the modern era. At 480, Wout was some 194 points ahead of his nearest rival—tangible proof that Cervélo keeps delivering aerodynamic gains to our World Tour athletes.

For the P5 we focused entirely on aero performance—within the boxes defined by the UCI, anyway. We applied years of experience in engineering the fastest aero bikes and real-world testing with our pro athletes. The result is a bike that pushes the boundaries in every way possible.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

R5 has one job—get to the top, fast. But for all the glory and fanfare that comes with a summit finish, they’re rarely the only climb of the day. And while a race isn’t usually won on a descent, they can certainly be lost. A climbing bike that can’t carve a hairpin is a bit like a cup of decaf coffee.

After last year's successes, ambitions are big again. Sportive director Merijn Zeeman says, "We exceeded our wildest dreams last year with six stage victories, the polka dot jersey, and most importantly, the green and yellow jersey. 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. Winning the Giro has been a dream come true for us this season. Our riders are prepared for a double at the Tour.”

Jonas Vingegaard

Wout van Aert

United States of America 🇺🇸

Christophe Laporte

Wilco Kelderman

The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Tiesj Benoot

Nathan Van Hooydonck

Dylan van Baarle

The Grand Départ will be the second to take place in the autonomous region of the Basque Country after Saint-Sébastien’s in 1992 and the 25th to be held abroad. After three stages on the western side of the Pyrenees, the rest of the Tour will take place in France. It will visit 6 regions and 23 departments and feature:

• 8 flat stages
• 4 hilly stages
• 8 mountain stages with
• 4 summit finishes (Cauterets-Cambasque, Puy de Dôme, Grand Colombier and Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc)
• 1 individual time trial
• 2 rest days 

Highest Point (meters)

MEET US IN MORZINE

Join us in Morzine, France for a week of celebrations that will culminate in the Stage 14 finish on July, 15.

• July 7th: Cervélo Pop Up at 135 Rue du Bourg opens to the public.
• July 9 : L'Etape du Tour finishes in the heart of Morzine.
• July 10-16:  The Cols de Juillet challenge begins.

THE COLS DE JUILLET CHALLENGE

Feeling the spirit of the Tour? Make like Jonas Vingegaard and get your climbing legs ready, we've got a challenge for you. Head to the showroom at 135 Rue du Bourg, Morzine and grab a Col Challenge Passport. For every Col you climb you'll get a stamp (be sure to record your ride on Strava). Ride all six and you get a snazzy t-shirt. We built some routes to get you started 👇, but feel free to get creative in how you tackle each of the Cols.

Need a bike? SRAM has got your back. GET A DEMO

Col de Joux Plane

A relative late comer to the Tour, the Joux Plane first featured in the 1978 race quickly building up a fearsome reputation. Since then it’s been the backdrop to plenty of fireworks putting the great French champion Laurent Fignon into difficulty in 1983 and Lance Armstrong well and truly against the ropes in 2000.

Montée D'Avoriaz

Climbed officially for the first time during the 1975 Tour de France, this wide and famous road leading up to the resort of Avoriaz provides endless opportunities to enjoy the mountain views at an average gradient of 6%.

Col de la Joux Verte

This legendary col has featured in the Tour de France seven times. Watch out when going through Les Lindarets, as it is not unusual to find herds of goats nonchalantly occupying the road.

Lac des Mines D'or

Located at the bottom of the Manche Valley, about 15 minutes from the center of Morzine, this small bucolic lake benefits from a very pleasant environment conducive to walks with its passes, mountain pastures and coniferous forests that surround it.

Col D'Encrenaz

Peaking at 1,433m, the col de l’encrenaz is a lesser-known pass. Easily accessible from Les Gets, its ascent is spread over more than 6 km with an average gradient of over 8% and in some places 10%… short, but intense! ideal for a short ride around chéry or for a longer loop on the La Ramaz side for climbers.

Col de la Ramaz

14 km long with sections at more than 10% and an average climb of 6.8%, La Ramaz is a must-ride pass for all cycling enthusiasts.

Sign up for "In Case You Missed It"—our weekly newsletter.

Marianne Vos and Mathieu van der Poel Were the Top Earners of the Spring Classics

However, stark differences in prize money distribution highlight the gender pay gap in pro cycling.

Close behind Vos and Van der Poel in earnings were Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) with €35,081 ($38,589 USD), and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) with €60,400 ($66,440 USD).

The third top earner for the women was Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek). The Italian won the Tour of Flanders and rode consistently all season. She had a payout of €31,892 ($35,081 USD) in total. She was followed by Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who earned €27,970 ($30,767 USD).

On the men’s side, Van der Poel and Philipsen were followed by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who earned €41,000 ($45,100 USD), and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who earned €34,400 ($37,840 USD).

GCN reported that the prize money riders win is usually shared among teammates and members of staff. “With that in mind, one glance at the results shows that Alpecin-Deceuninck will be one happy team, with Van der Poel and Philipsen at the top of the prize money standings, collectively earning €144,900 for the team.”

And if it seems like there’s a frustratingly huge difference between what the top men make and what the top women make, there is. According to GCN , “The top 20 men earned €417,750 in prize money in the Classics. The top 20 women earned €253,076 across the same period—that’s before considering the difference in base salaries.”

But progress is (slowly) being made. Two years ago, Flanders Classics announced that they would award equal prize money to men and women at the Tour of Flanders. Then, a year later, they extended the deal to all races under their umbrella. This means that equal prize money was awarded to Vos and Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The same was true for both Wiebes and Pedersen at Ghent-Wevelgem, as well as Longo Borghini and Van der Poel at the Tour of Flanders.

Unfortunately, other organizers have yet to follow suit. According to GCN , “The biggest disparity was at Strade Bianche, where Lotte Kopecky’s winning ride earned her a measly €2,256 relative to Pogačar’s €16,000. It was a similar tale at Paris-Roubaix, where Kopecky was awarded €9,000 less than Van der Poel, and at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) won €12,500 to Pogačar’s €20,000.”

Top 20 male earners in the Spring Classics

• Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): €84,500
• Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): €60,400
• Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): €41,000
• Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): €34,400
• Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates): €22,100
• Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers: €20,300
• Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike): €17,600
• Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech): €16,250
• Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike): €16,000
• Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla): €11,300
• Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels): €11,200
• Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL): €10,400
• Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek): €10,200
• Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny): €9,900
• Toms Skujiņš (Lidl-Trek): €9,700
• Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): €8,800
• Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): €8,800
• Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates): €8,500
• Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ): €8,400
• Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike): €8,000

Top 20 female earners in the Spring Classics

• Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike): €38,173
• Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): €35,081
• Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek): €31,892
• Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): €27,970
• Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek): €24,130
• Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM): €23,226
• Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ): €12,500
• Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL): €9,645
• Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek): €8,094
• Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime): €7,628
• Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck): €5,586
• Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ): €4,505
• Ingvild Gåskjenn (Liv AlUla Jayco): €4,175
• Amber Kraak (FDJ-SUEZ): €3,468
• Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL): €3,425
• Thalita de Jong (Lotto Dstny Ladies): €2,900
• Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM): €2,371
• Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ): €2,191
• Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck): €2,061
• Arlenis Sierra (Movistar): €2,030

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Women's Cycling

How to Watch La Vuelta Femenina 2024

Kopecky Won’t Be Racing the Tour de France Femmes

Kristen Faulkner’s Olympic Hopes

Should We Worry About the Tour de France Femmes?

Sofía Gómez Villafañe No Es una Soñadora

Can Lightning Strike Twice for Alison Jackson?

Ellen van Dijk's Return to Racing Postpartum

Elisa Balsamo Clinches Second Trofeo Binda Title

Lotte Kopecky Wins Nokere Koerse

Separate Starts For Women at Life Time Grand Prix

Wiebes Claims Record Victory in Ronde van Drenthe

Tour de France 2023

Latest news from the race.

Vinokourov: Cavendish continuing is great news for all cycling, not just Astana Qazaqstan

How Jonas Vingegaard transformed from 'the little guy' to Jumbo-Visma leader

Jonas Vingegaard given hero's welcome in Copenhagen

Tour de france 2023 results.

Stage 21: Jonas Vingegaard crowned Tour de France champion in Paris / As it happened

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) won the Tour de France for the second  year in a row after finishing safely in the main field with his Jumbo-Visma teammates. Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) sprinted to victory on the Champs-Elysées, beating green jersey Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) by less than a tyre width to take his first stage victory of the Tour de France.

Vingegaard topped the general classification with a 7:29 ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and 10:56 on Pogačar’s teammate Yates.

Stage 20: Tour de France: Pogacar rebounds to take stage 20 victory as Vingegaard seals his second overall title / As it happened

Rebounding after a disastrous stage 17 on Col de la Loze, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the final mountain stage of the 2023 Tour de France. Crossing the line in third, with the same time, was Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) who is set to claim the overall victory for a second year, with just Sunday’s final parade stage to Paris left to race. Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroën) was second on the stage. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), who delivered one final attack on his home roads to the delight of the huge crowds massing the roads, was caught on the final climb.

There were no changes in the top 3 on the general classification, Vingegaard, Pogačar and Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) are set to be on the final podium. Fourth on the stage, Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) moved up to fourth overall.

Stage 19: Tour de France: Mohoric outsprints Asgreen in drag race to stage 19 finish / As it happened

There was no rest and little recovery on a wickedly fast stage 19 of the Tour, where the winning breakaway took 100 kilometres to go clear. Three riders attacked from the 36-rider move, with Matej Mohorič giving Bahrain Victorious their third stage win after Pello Bilbao on stage 10 and Wout Poels on stage 15. The GC contenders all came in together almost 14 minutes behind.

Stage 18: Tour de France: Kasper Asgreen seizes stage 18 victory from all-day breakaway / As it happened

Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep) won the closing sprint on stage 18 of the Tour de France to hold off his breakaway companions and a surging peloton. After 185 kilometres at the front of the race with Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) and Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), it came down to the final 200 metres to secure the win for Asgreen, leaving Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto Dstny), who had bridged across 58km earlier, in second and Abrahamsen third. 

There were no changes in the general classification on the largely-flat stage between Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) remaining in yellow.

Stage 17:   Tour de France: Vingegaard dashes Pogacar's GC hopes on stage 17 across Col de la Loze / As it happened

Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën) attacked from a reduced front group with under 13km to go and held on for a solo victory across the Col de la Loze on stage 17 of the Tour de France. Race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) stamped his authority on the queen stage by dropping his main rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) on the final climb. Pogačar finished the stage 7:37 down – 5:45 behind Vingegaard – leaving him still in second place overall but a massive 7:35 back of the Dane.

Stage 16: Tour de France: Vingegaard removes all doubt, crushes Pogacar in stage 16 time trial / As it happened

After two weeks of racing for seconds, Jonas Vingegaard finally carved out a significant gap over second-placed Tadej Pogačar in the stage 16 time trial in Combloux. Vingegaard won the stage by 1 minute 38 seconds over his rival to extend his lead in the GC to 1:48.

Stage 15: Tour de France: Wout Poels blasts to blockbuster stage 15 solo victory / As it happened

The stalemate between Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) continued on the third mountainous day in a row at the Tour de France. The duo marked each other’s attacks on the final climb to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc and ultimately crossed the finish line together. Attacking from the break, Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) won stage 15 after an 11km solo ride to to claim his first Tour de France stage win.

Stage 14: Tour de France: Carlos Rodríguez strikes for win on stage 14 as Vingegaard gains valuable second on Joux Plane / As it happened

Rivals Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) continued their intense battle on the final climb on stage 14 of the Tour de France with the yellow jersey Vingegaard gaining one second in an evenly matched duel. Both riders used their respective teams to dispatch all the other riders before fighting it out on the Col de la Joux Plane. Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) took advantage of the situation to fly down the descent to take the win in Morzine, and move up to third overall.

Stage 13: Tour de France: Kwiatkowski wins stage 13 on Grand Colombier as Pogacar closes in on yellow / As it happened

The Tour de France overall standings remained neck-and-neck between leader Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar on stage 13, the second hors-categorie summit finish of the race. Michał Kwiatkowski (Ineos) won the stage from the breakaway, while UAE Team Emirates burned up the team to set up Pogačar. Vingegaard was on guard and fended his rival off until the final metres, losing eight seconds total but keeping the maillot jaune.

Stage 12:   Tour de France: Ion Izagirre secures solo victory on frantic stage 12 / As it happened

Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) won stage 12 of the Tour de France with a solo attack 30km from the line in Belleville-en-Beaujolais. His long-range breakaway rewarded the Basque rider with his second career Tour win, the last one coming in 2016. Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) outsprinted Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) 58 seconds back to complete the podium. 

The hectic first half of the hilly 168.8km stage saw lots of attack, including Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who was rewarded as the most combative rider. There were no changes between the top GC leaders, with Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) still in yellow and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in second and in the best young rider jersey.

Stage 11: Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen flies to fourth sprint victory on stage 11 / As it happened

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) showed more blistering speed, proving himself the best sprinter of the Tour de France on stage 11 to Moulins even without any lead-out from Mathieu van der Poel.

It was a squeaky clean sprint from the Belgian who has endured a flood of hate-mail about his previous sprints.

Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies) was the day's sole breakaway rider and caught with 13km to go. The GC standings remained the same as all of the contenders finished in the peloton.

Stage 10: Tour de France: Pello Bilbao scorches sprint from breakaway to win stage 10 / As it happened

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) out-sprinted Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën) to win stage 10 of the Tour de France on a sizzlingly-hot day. The Spaniard was part of the day's breakaway that brought six riders into Issoire, where he claimed the first stage victory of his career.

The breakaway gained 2:53 on the group containing race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) third-placed Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) to keep the top four in the GC standings the same.

Stage 9: Tour de France: Michael Woods triumphs with stage 9 victory atop Puy de Dôme / As it happened

The Tour de France reached the mythical ascent of the Puy de Dôme at the finish of stage 9 where Michael Woods (Israel Premier Tech) triumphed with the day's victory after being part of a large breakaway that gained upwards of 15 minutes on the main GC contenders during the stage.

On the upper slopes of the ascent, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) then surged with 1.5km to go, to put valuable seconds into Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). Vingegaard now leads Pogačar by 17 seconds in the battle for the yellow.

Stage 8: Tour de France: Mads Pedersen beats Jasper Philipsen to win crash-marred stage 8 / As it happened

Stage 8 was a highly anticipated day for the puncheurs, even so, Mark Cavendish had his sights set on a 35th career stage win at the Tour de France, but it wasn't meant to be as the Manxman crashed with 60km to go and forced to abandon the event.

In a chaotic finish to the hilly run-in to Limoges, which saw a late-race crash take down Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) stormed to the victory in a close sprint ahead of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma). Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the field and carries the yellow jersey into stage 9 with a finish at Puy de Dôme.

Stage 7: Tour de France: Philipsen denies Cavendish, completes hat-trick in Bordeaux / As it happened

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) blasted across the line in Bordeaux to win stage 7 of the Tour de France, winning by one bike length over Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan). Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) finished third in the sprint.

For Philipsen, it was his third victory of the three sprint stages in the first week of the 2023 race. He bolted down the main avenue and passed Cavendish in the closing 50 metres, holding the Manxman's attempt at a record 35th Tour stage win  at bay.

Stage 6: Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar claws back time with victory at Cauterets / As it happened

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won stage 6 with a massive attack across the final 2.7km and stormed back into the general classification mix. He distanced Jonas Vingegaard at the line at Cauterets by 24 seconds, while the Jumbo-Visma rider took the overall lead and yellow jersey away from Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), who was 2:39 back in sixth place. 

Vingegaard now has a 25-second advantage over rival Pogačar, while Hindley held the third spot in the overall, 1:34 back, after the massive 144.9km climbing day in the Pyrenees. 

Stage 5: Tour de France: Jai Hindley wins stage 5 as Vingegaard drops Pogacar in Pyrenees / As it happened

The first of the Pyrenean stages at the Tour de France had the potential to shake up the general classification, and it did just that as Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) went on a day-long attack, won stage 5 into Laruns and took the yellow leader's jersey in the process.

Hindley moved into the overall race lead by 47 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and 1:03 on Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), as Tadej Pogaçar (UAE Emirates) slipped to 6th now at 1:40 back.

Stage 4: Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen wins two in a row in crash-marred stage 4 / As it happened

There was no doubt who won stage 4 at the Tour de France, with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) securing his second-consecutive sprint stage win in Nogaro. A day for the sprinters ended in carnage, however, as several riders crashed along the motor speedway circuit that hosted the finish.

There were no changes to the overall classification as Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) finished in the field at the end of the 181.8km stage and will wear the yellow leader's jersey into stage 5.

Stage 3 - Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen wins stage 3 after impressive lead-out from Mathieu van der Poel / As it happened

Jasper Philipsen  (Alpecin-Deceuninck) rocketed across the line in a bunch sprint in Bayonne to win stage 3 of the 2023 Tour de France. A half a wheel behind, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) claimed second and Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) third.

All the general classification contenders, including Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) in the yellow jersey, finished safely in the field with no time changes after 193.5km from the hills of Spanish Basque territory to the roads of France.

Stage 2 - Tour de France: Victor Lafay gives Cofidis their first win since 2008 on stage 2 / As it happened

Victor Lafay (Cofidis) put in a stunning attack to claim stage 2 in San Sébastian. The Frenchman clipped off the front of a select group that formed after the Jaizkibel and stole the show from Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who won the sprint for second.

Tadej Pogačar added to his tally with a time bonus for third and also won the five bonus seconds atop the Jaizkibel ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). His teammate Adam Yates held the lead by six seconds.

Stage 1 - Tour de France stage 1: Adam Yates wins ahead of twin brother Simon in Bilbao / As it happened

Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) won stage 1 of the Tour de France in Bilbao, outsprinting his brother Simon Yates (Jayco-Alula)  after the duo escaped together after the final climb of the Pike. Adam Yates leads the general classification by 8 seconds over his brother, and 18 seconds over his teammate Tadej Pogačar who finished third on the stage.

Enric Mas (Movistar) abandoned the stage after crashing with Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) with 23km to go. Carapaz ultimately crossed the line, over 15 minutes from Adam Yates. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) along with other contenders Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) are 22 seconds down overall.

Results powered by FirstCycling

Who is racing the Tour de France

See the full 2023 Tour de France start list

How to watch the Tour de France

Live streams:  ITVX / S4C (UK) |  GCN+ (UK) | SBS On Demand (AUS) | Peacock / USA Networks (USA) | FloBikes (CAN) | Sky Sport (NZ)

Find out how to watch the Tour de France with our comprehensive guide.

Tour de France 2023 route

The full 2023 Tour de France route was revealed at the official Tour de France presentation on 27th October .

The race starts across the border in the Basque Country, the first time the race has started there since 1992. A handful of hilly stages open the action before the race crosses the Pyrenees into France.

The route features only 22km of time trialling, all coming on the hilly stage 16. Four summit finishes also feature, including the Puy de Dôme for the first time in 35 years and the Grand Colombier in the Pyrenees.

The mountainous course brings a tough final week, concluding with a final showdown in the Vosges to Le Markstein on stage 20.

Tour de France 2023 contenders

2022 champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) will return to defend his title after dispatching two-time winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) last July. The Slovenian is racing after recovering from a fractured wrist in April, while Vingegaard starts off the back of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Other big-name GC men lining up at the start in Bilbao include David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Enric Mas (Movistar), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious).

See: Tour de France 2023 – Analysing the contenders

Tour de France 2023 teams

The 2023 Tour de France will be made up of 22 teams, 18 WorldTour teams, the two top-ranked second-division teams, and two discretionary wild-card teams.

Lotto Soudal and TotalEnergies made the cut as the best ProTeams of 2022, while Israel-Premier Tech and Uno-X were chosen as the two wildcard teams for the 2023 Tour de France .

Tour de France 2023 schedule

Tour de france history.

Jonas Vingegaard is the reigning champion, having won his first Tour de France in 2022. The Danish rider denied Tadej Pogačar a trio of consecutive victories, the Slovenian having snatched the 2020 title before dominating the 2021 race. 

Pogačar himself broke a Ineos/Sky stranglehold on the race, with the British team having won seven of the previous eight Tours de France with Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins and four-time winner Chris Froome . Vincenzo Nibali, then riding for Astana, was the other man to break the British squad's dominance with a win in 2014.

The Tour wins record is currently held by four men, with Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain all on five titles.

Peter Sagan getting once dominated the green jersey for the points classification but has been usurped in the past three years, with Wout van Aert establishing himself as the dominant man of all terrains in 2022. Sagan still holds the all-time green jersey record with seven wins in nine participations. Erik Zabel's six jerseys lie second, ahead of Sean Kelly's four.

In addition to his yellow jersey, Vingegaard won the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification in 2022, as Pogačar did the previous two years.  Richard Virenque holds the record for polka dot jersey wins at seven, and it won't be beaten anytime soon as Pogačar and Rafał Majka are the only current riders to have won more than one king of the mountains title, with two.

Pogačar has won the white jersey for best young rider three years in a row and, at 24, is still eligible for a fourth crack in 2023.

Read on for a list of the riders with the most wins of the Tour de France, the most stage wins, as well as the major jerseys.

Most Tour de France overall wins

• 5 – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain
• 4 –  Chris Froome
• 3 – Phiilippe Thys, Louison Bobet, Greg LeMond
• 2 – Lucien Petit-Breton, Firmin Lambot, Ottavio Bottecchia, Nicolas Frantz, André Leducq, Antonin Magne, Sylvère Maes, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Bernard Thévenet, Laurent Fignon, Alberto Contador, Tadej Pogačar
• 1 – Geraint Thomas , Egan Bernal , Jonas Vingegaard

Most Tour de France stage wins

• 34 – Eddy Merckx, Mark Cavendish
• 28 – Bernard Hinault
• 25 – André Leducq
• 22 – André Darrigade
• 20 – Nicolas Frantz
• 19 – François Faber
• 17 – Jean Alavoine
• 16 – Jacques Anquetiil, René Le Grevès, Charles Pélissiier ...
• 12 – Peter Sagan
• 11 – André Greipel
• 9 – Tadej Pogačar , Wout van Aert
• 7 – Chris Froome

Most Tour de France points classification/green jersey wins

• 7 –  Peter Sagan
• 6 – Erik Zabel
• 4 – Sean Kelly
• 3 – Jan Janssen, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Robbie McEwen
• 2 – Stan Ockers, Jean Graczyk, André Darrigade, Laurent Jalabert, Thor Hushovd, Mark Cavendish
• 1 – Michael Matthews , Sam Bennett , Wout van Aert

Most Tour de France polka dot jersey/mountains classification wins

• 7 – Richard Virenque
• 6 – Federico Bahamontes, Lucien Van Impe 
• 3 – Julio Jiménez
• 2 – Felicien Vervaecke, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Charly Gaul, Imerio Massignan, Eddy Merckx, Luis Herrera, Claudio Chiappucci, Laurent Jalabert, Michael Rasmussen, Rafał Majka , Tadej Pogačar
• 1 – Nairo Quintana , Chris Froome , Warren Barguil , Julian Alaphilippe , Romain Bardet , Jonas Vingegaard

• 2023 Tour de France route
• Tour de France past winners
• Pogacar, Vingegaard and a duel far too close to call - Tour de France 2023 Preview

Latest Content on the Race

By Alasdair Fotheringham published 4 October 23

news Team manager says Manxman may do altitude training in Colombia in 2024 pre-season

By Sophie Smith published 16 August 23

Premium Dane preparing for Vuelta a España as his team eyes Grand Tour clean sweep

Tour de France tech: All the men's and women's winners combined

By Will Jones last updated 31 July 23

tech Which bike brand came out on top after the men's and women's Tours de France?

By Stephen Farrand published 26 July 23

News Tour de France winner arrives home for two days of celebrations

Jonas Vingegaard's bike: A custom yellow Cervelo S5 for the Tour champion

By Tom Wieckowski published 26 July 23

Pro bike The Dane rode two custom-painted Cervelos during the Tour

Tour de France winners bikes: A gallery

By Will Jones published 25 July 23

Gallery Special yellow, green, and polka dot bikes on show on the final stage of the Tour

Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel take wins in first of the post-Tour de France criteriums

By Daniel Ostanek published 25 July 23

News Traditional post-Tour festivities kick off with events in Boxmeer and Aalst with Ciccone, Philipsen, Poels also taking part

Victor Campenaerts celebrates 'very special' Tour de France super-combativity prize

By Daniel Ostanek published 24 July 23

News 'I would even put this above the World Hour Record' says Belgian

​​Five moments that defined the 2023 Tour de France

By Barry Ryan, Alasdair Fotheringham published 24 July 23

Key moments Through the phases of the Vingegaard-Pogačar duel

Mathieu van der Poel looking ahead to World Championships after Tour de France illness

News 'I feel a lot better. Hopefully, that's a good sign for the World Championships'

Top News on the Race

No wins, but lots of pride for Uno-X in Tour de France debut

Jonas Vingegaard: I was more relaxed coming into this Tour de France

Jai Hindley promises to return to Tour de France to battle for podium

Just finishing the Tour de France a victory for former winner Egan Bernal

‘The wink that said let’s go’ - Yates brothers race in sync at Tour de France

Carlos Rodriguez battles crash injuries to secure fifth overall in Tour de France

‘Almost more beautiful than a victory’ – Thibaut Pinot bids Tour de France adieu

Vingegaard to co-lead at Vuelta a España as Jumbo-Visma eye Grand Tour grand slam

Related features.

Team UAE prodigy Ayuso takes Tour de Romandie lead

Oron-la-Ville (Switzerland) (AFP) – American rider Brandon McNulty won the Tour de Romandie third stage individual time-trial on Friday as his UAE Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso took the overall lead.

Issued on: 26/04/2024 - 18:37 Modified: 26/04/2024 - 18:35

Ahead of Saturday's decisive Queen stage in the high mountains McNulty was fortunate to cover the 15.5km course before the rain arrived.

"Yeah it's my first win here so I'm very happy, I had a good day and was lucky to go before the bad weather," said the American.

Belgian rookie Thibau Nys the overnight leader finished way down the field after his exertions Thursday in an all day escape took their toll.

The yellow jersey was taken by the 21-year-old Spaniard Ayuso who appears perfectly suited to go on and win the Tour in the mountains as the UAE prodigy continues to emerge from the shadow of the team's top rider Tadej Pogacar.

Ilan Van Wilder is second at seven seconds and Alexandr Vlasov third at 10sec, with Carlos Rodriguez and Lenny Martinez rounding out the top five.

Ayuso said at the start he was hoping to "take time back before Saturday" and he achieved that, taking all the time back and then some.

"I suffered, but I took some risks and I'm in a good position to defend the jersey now," he said after the stage.

Another up-and-coming all-rounder Frenchman Martinez was 16th on the day but was delighted with his overall fifth at 23sec, and his prospects given his 52kg weight and the mountain stage ahead.

"That was a good day's work, yes we lost time to McNulty but he raced in the dry. I put in a good shift and I'm looking forwards to tomorrow," said the 20-year-old FDJ man.

Saturday's run to Leysin features five climbs and two of them are category ascents including the final 14 kilometres long ascent to the finish line averaging six percent.

The top three across the line also gain time bonuses Saturday.

The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.