How to watch Tour de France 2023: route, dates, favourites

The Tour de France is one of the most-watched annual sporting events and this year is its 110th edition. Jonas Vingegaard aims to defend his 2022 title, while Tadej Pogačar seeks his third victory after finishing as the runner-up last year. In this article, we will provide details about the race route, schedule, ways to follow the event for free, and more.

When is the 2023 Tour de France?

This year's Tour de France is the 110th edition of the race. It will take place between July 1st - 23rd. 

What is the 2023 Tour de France route?

The official route, or parcours, was unveiled on the 27th October 2022. The race will begin in Spain, with the Grand Départ being given in the Basque Country. It will finish three weeks later in Paris on the traditional Champs Élysées. The riders will cover 3,404 kilometres over the 21 stages. The 21 stages are broken down into 6 flat stages which will be propice for sprints, 6 hilly stages, 8 mountain stages, 1 individual time trial and 2 rest days on the 2nd and 3rd Monday's of the race. 

Highlights

• There are 5 massifs of France which will feature in the race. Beginning with Pyrénées, before moving north west to the Massif Central, then the Jura mountains, before heading south into the Alps and then back north towards the Vosges. 
• The highest point of the race, where the Souvenir Henri Desgrange will be given is the Col de la Loze (2304m). 
• The individual TT is 22.4km in length and features the famous Côte de Domancy, where Bernard Hinault won the 1980 World Championships.

What is the race schedule?

Some of the finishes could be altered to remove dangerous descents, following the death of Gino Mäder in the Tour de Suisse on the 16th June 2023. For example the finish to Courcheval may be shortened and have the race finish on the summit of the Col de la Loze, 6km before Courcheval to avoid a narrow and technical descent to the finish line.

Where to watch the Tour de France?

The Tour de France is a highly anticipated annual sporting event that has a massive global viewership, reaching billions of people worldwide. It offers a wide range of viewing options, catering to diverse audiences with various language preferences. There are both free and paid options available to watch the Tour de France, allowing flexibility in accessing the event. Depending on where you are located, you can enjoy live coverage of the entire race or catch up on the action through replays and highlights. 

France TV and RTBF are free, French language options. One of the best free English language options is that of ITV 4. For each of these options you will need to create an account, and also use a VPN to connect in the relevant country. For example, to watch ITV 4, you will need to connect to a UK VPN, and for France TV, you will need to connect to a French VPN. There are also paid subscription services such as Eurosport, GCN and Peacock TV for some alternative options. 

If you are looking for highlights and in depth analysis of each stage, then look no further than the Lantern Rouge YouTube channel, or the Lantern Rouge Cycling Podcast. A channel dedicated to cycling race analysis with extended strategic analysis, highlights and discussion. 

Who are the 2023 TDF favourites?

This year's race will feature several previous Grand Tour winners, such as Jonas Vingegaard (who won the race in 2022), Tadej Pogačar (2020, 2021), Egan Bernal (2019) although Bernal is not considered a favourite as he continues his recovery from a serious crash suffered in 2022. A notable omission from this year's Tour de France lineup is Chris Froome, winner of the TDF in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, who has struggled to find his form after a life threatening crash in 2019. 

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar are the two main favourites, however, as with any Grand Tour, nothing is certain, just look at Primož Roglič's Giro 2023 win after the abandon of Remco Evenepoel in the second week (who still hasn't made his Tour de France debut, and won't this year). 

The other main contenders that have considerable Grand Tour experience and will be fighting for top place on the podium in Paris are Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ), Enric Mas (Movistar), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Romain Bardet (Team DSM), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla), Dani Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers), Bauke Mollema (Trek Segafredo) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), to name a few. 

What are the teams?

For the 2023 edition of the Tour de France, a total of 22 teams will participate. Among these teams, 18 will be WorldTour teams, representing the highest tier of professional cycling. Additionally, the two highest-ranked second-division teams have earned their place in the race. Furthermore, two wildcard teams have been granted discretionary invitations.

Lotto Soudal and TotalEnergies have secured their spots as the top-performing ProTeams in 2022. In addition, Israel-Premier Tech and Uno-X have been selected as the two wildcard teams that will join the 2023 Tour de France peloton.

What is the start-list?

Below is the start-list that has been shared on the ProCyclingStats website. Look there for more details on individual riders and teams. 

Who are the 2023 TDF Stage Winners?

• Stage 1 - Adam Yates
• Stage 2 - Victor Lafay
• Stage 3 - Jasper Philipsen
• Stage 4 - Jasper Philipsen
• Stage 5 - Jay Hindley
• Stage 6 - Tadej Pogačar
• Stage 7 - Jasper Philipsen
• Stage 8 - Mads Pedersen
• Stage 9 - Michael Woods
• Stage 10 - Pello Bilbao Lopez
• Stage 11 - Jasper Philipsen
• Stage 12 - Ion Izagirre
• Stage 13 - Michael Kwiatkowski
• Stage 14 - Carlos Rodriguez
• Stage 15 - Wout Poels 
• Stage 16 - Jonas Vingeegard
• Stage 17 - Felix Gall
• Stage 18 - Kasper Asgreen
• Stage 19 - Matej Mohorič
• Stage 20 - Tadej Pogačar
• Stage 21 - Jordi Meeus