The 2023 Tour is committed to the mountains and will only have 22 kilometers of time trial

MADRID, 30 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Tour de France 2023, which starts this Saturday from Bilbao, will give a good opportunity to those runners who defend themselves well in the mountains since there will only be 22 kilometers against the clock on the route, and there will again be a lot of mountain practically from the start. departure, with some notable returns such as the Puy de Dome, myths such as the Tourmalet and new ascents.

The 'Grand Départ' of the Tour will take place for the second time in the Basque Country, after that of San Sebastián in 1992, and for the twenty-fifth time abroad, an outing that will give way to two days in which the applicants must be Be very careful not to get scared.

Thus, the premiere of the race, with start and finish in the Biscayan capital, will have five ports, one of them Pike, located near the finish line, short (2 km) but hard (10 percent), while the second, between Vitoria and San Sebastián, also has five other climbs, including Jaizkibel, known for almost always deciding the Summer Classic ending in Donosti and also in the final section.

The following day, the peloton will leave Amorebieta to head towards France, where the mountains will return in the fifth stage, arriving in the Pyrenees with two hard passes known as Col de Soudet and Col de la Marie-Blanque. In the sixth, the first big mountainous day with the Aspin, the colossus Tourmalet and the first of the four mountaintop finishes, in Cauterets, first class, although not excessively hard.

Three days later, another great day in the Pyrenees prior to the first day of rest with the finish at the Puy de Dome, a special category that returns to the 'Grande Boucle' 35 years later with its more than 13 kilometers and medium ramps above the seven percent, although in the decisive section the average of the slope is close to 12.

After the break, stages for sprinters and 'adventurers' up to the thirteenth, short (138 km) and ending at the Grand Colombier, in a special category. Then, another two demanding days, the first, with five climbs, including the Col de la Joux de Plane, also in a special category and whose descent will take the runners to the finish line, and the next, with a hilltop finish, in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, top notch.

Afterwards, the peloton will enjoy their second day of rest before facing the final and, normally, decisive week, which will begin with the only time trial of this edition, of just over 22 kilometres. From there, prominence for the Alps with the end the next day in Courchevel, after the ascent of almost 30 kilometers to the Col de la Loze, with sections of 24 percent on the way to the top. With its 2,304 meters, it will be the highest point of this edition.

Then, two days of some rest to recover strength for the presumably last 'battle', in the penultimate stage ending at Le Markstein Fellering, with six ports to decide the winner and the podium before the triumphant ride to the Champs Elysées.

In total, of these 21 stages of the Tour, eight will be flat, four medium-mountain and eight high-mountain, with four high-altitude finishes (Cauterets-Cambasque, Puy de Dome, Grand Colombier and Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc). .