The 110th edition of the Tour de France begins, the longest running and most important cycling competition on the planet. The French round is presented as a battle between the defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard, and the double champion Tadej Pogacar, although the form of the Slovenian is a question mark.
Pogacar was having an excellent season, winning Paris-Nice and the Tour of Flanders. However, the Slovenian had to stop after breaking his wrist two months ago, so the 2020 and 2021 Tour winner will have to work hard to make a full recovery before the Bilbao Grand Depart this Saturday.
The Tour de France will be marked by the safety of the riders, after the recent death of the Swiss Gino Mader at the beginning of the month after falling down a ravine in a descent of the Tour de Suisse. His death has sparked calls for safety nets to be installed on the most dangerous downhill sections.
The Belgian Dries Devenyns, who will turn 40 in the penultimate stage of the Tour, is the oldest of the cyclists who will take the start of the French round in Bilbao this Saturday, while the American Qinn Simmons, 22, is the youngest . Among the rookies are the Spanish Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos), the Danish Matthias Skjelmose, who has just won the Tour of Switzerland, or the Australian Jai Hindley.
The 2023 Tour de France will have an average age of 29 years and 9 months, with 20 riders over 35 and 23 under 25, so they will opt for the white jersey that designates the best young man.
The gala round will begin in the Basque Country, where the first three stages will be held. The start will be in Bilbao this Saturday. The next day, the peloton will leave from San Sebastián. In the third, they will start from Amorebieta and will cross into French territory.
The 2023 Tour de France will start this Saturday, July 1, at 12:30 p.m., from Bilbao, with a medium-mountain stage in which the riders will cover 182 kilometers. The conference can be seen on television on RTVE and can also be followed live on the La Vanguardia website.
