2013 tour de france bikes

Tour de France winning bikes: Pinarello is the top dog

We look back at the last 15 bikes to be ridden to victory and Italian brands dominate

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It goes without saying that the Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, which means it's the perfect proving ground for brands to test their range-topping superbikes, with many companies timing new releases with the Tour each year.

The bike brands are fighting nearly as hard for the top step of the podium as the riders and teams themselves - so which brands have come out on top over the years?

Well, the last decade has been an almost totally Italian affair. Eight of the last ten editions have been shared between Pinarello (Team Ineos) and Colnago (UAE Emirates), with the only upsets coming from Specialized (Astana in 2014) and Cervélo (Jumbo-Visma in 2022).

Looking back a little further and 2011 saw the first ever Australian victor of the Tour de France in Cadel Evans (Team BMC), who rode a BMC Team Machine. Before that Specialized also secured a bike win in 2010 with Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank). 

Schleck was awarded the title after though only after Alberto Contador's disqualification. That didn't actually change the winning bike brand as Contador's Team Astana were also on Specialized.

El Pistolero did win the year before, though, but in 2009 he was on board a Trek Madone. The year before that, and rather neatly topping and tailing our ever-so-slightly arbitrary 15 year timeline, Carlos Sastre won the 2008 race on a Cervélo!

Here's a look at the machines that took their riders to victory from 2008 to 2022 - but first, a few commonly asked questions...

What kind of bikes do Tour de France riders use?

The vast majority of stages are road stages, requiring road bikes. In 2022, there are two time trial stages (stage one and stage 20), where riders will be aboard time trial bikes. But you wanted more detail than that, right?! Most brands supply teams with two road models: a lightweight climbing bike, and an aero bike - the latter being more suited to fast, flat stages. Exceptions include Pinarello, where the Italian marquee says its Dogma F can do both.

How much do Tour de France bikes cost?

The Pinarello Dogma is perhaps the best example to give. Relaunched in August 2021 as the ' Pinarello Dogma F ', the top-end SRAM Red eTap model will set you back £12,000 / $14,500. 

Can you buy a Tour de France bike?

WorldTour bikes ridden by the pros are commercially available. Brands across the board will tell you that the bike you can buy in the shops is exactly the same as that ridden by the pros. However, some skepticism surrounds this assertion. If pro bikes are treated with a slightly different carbon layup and geometry, as is often suggested, the changes will be minimal and likely take into account the lesser requirement of longevity and greater strength/flexibility of professional riders. 

Which bike brand has had the most Tour de France wins?

Pinarello hasn't just dominated the past decade or so - bikes bearing the Italian brand's name are the most successful in Tour de France history. The first of its 16 wins came in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Team Reynolds, with further successes coming with Miguel Induráin, Bjarne Riis and Jan Ulrich and then Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers.  The next most successful brand is Peugeot. Now better know for cars, the French brand first won in 1905, with its last victory in 1977. Trek can only claim two official Tour de France wins, with Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009. The US brand would be equal with Gitane on nine wins but, of course, Lance Armstrong's seven 'wins' aboard a Trek have been struck from the record books.

Tour de France bikes

2022: Jonas Vingegaard's (Jumbo-Visma) Cervélo R5 and S5

The 2022 Tour de France was a display of dominance from the squad we have seen at the forefront of racing for so long now, Jumbo-Visma. Last year, the team swept up the overall victory and KOM jersey with Jonas Vingegaard , as well as the points classification with Wout Van Aert . Six stage victories to top things off made this a pretty memorable run for the Dutch cycling team.

Vingegaard used a combination of Cervélo's S5 aero bike, and R5 climbing bike throughout the Tour, but he ultimately rolled into Paris aboard his custom-painted S5.

Both bikes were fully clad in the latest 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 and featured matching wheels. The Dura-Ace wheelsets varied from the C35 offering for mountain days, while the C60s saw use on the flatter stages.

Interestingly too, 2022 is the first year in history to be won strictly on disc brakes . Though Tadej Pogacar did roll into Paris one year earlier on discs, he also used rim brakes in time trials and for a select few mountain stages - Jumbo-Visma on the other hand, ran exclusively disc setups during the 2022 Tour. If ever there was a sign that rim brakes are on their way to extinction, surely this is it.

2020 & 2021: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) Colnago V3Rs

Pogačar's winning machine from stage nine of 2021

Pogačar's 2020 win made him the first ever Slovenian rider to win the Tour de France, the youngest ever rider at 21-years-old, and he achieved that feat riding a Colnago V3Rs , with Colnago having never won cycling's most prestigious race before either.

Though he rode the same bike model each year, his setups differed. In 2020 he opted for a more 'traditional' feel, with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset, Bora One tubular wheels and a set of Campagnolo’s Super Record rim brakes. 

In 2021, though, he used Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels with Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tubeless tyres. He switched to disc brakes too for most stages, helping his stability in the often tumultuous French weather.

For two stages he did revert to rim brakes though, one of which came during his stage five time-trial win while using his Colnago K.one time trial bike. He used the same setup that helped during 2020's decisive La Planche des Belle Filles time trial, before he ditched the TT bike in favour of a road bike . 

Pogačar's 'traditional' bike without a power meter or computer on stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France

Pogačar proceeded on a bike without a power meter or computer, riding on feel alone in one of cycling's most pure rides.

In 2021, his bike featured yellow accents as early as stage nine, when he first wore the maillot jaune, so dominant was his performance. 

2019: Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) Pinarello Dogma F12

While the team may have undergone a name change and re-brand, there was no shock at the top of the Tour de France standings as Team Sky, now Team Ineos, took another title.

The 2019 Tour was a historic moment, however, as Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to ever win the yellow jersey and the youngest rider - at the time - in the modern era, at 22-years-old.

It took  Pinarello  another two years to bring out the Dogma F12 after the launch of the Dogma F10, on which Thomas won last year’s Tour de France. In that time, Pinarello said it had improved the aerodynamics, saving eight watts at 40kp/h, and made the frameset stiffer and lighter too.

Bernal stuck with rim brakes in 2019, twinned with Lightweight wheels for the climbing days and Shimano Dura-Ace wheels on the fast and flat days.

The Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 made up the rest of the components.

2018: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light

Thomas won the 2018 Tour d France aboard a Pinarello F10 X-Light - which uses a slightly different carbon fibre compared to previous iterations, resulting in a weight drop of around a kilogram.

The geometry remains fixed, as does the use of an asymmetric bottom bracket, plus the wind cheating concave down tube is designed to incorporate bottles in optimal position.

The Tour's first Welsh winner opted for an integrated 40mm Talon handlebar and 130mm stem, with a  Fizik Arione  saddle that carries his optimum position marked in pen. The saddle height was around 78.5cm and Thomas rode with 175mm cranks - which are longer than most opt for.

The groupset is  Shimano Dura-Ace,  with a 53/39 crankset and 11-30 at the back, alongside a Stages power meter. The wheels fitted when we saw the bike were carbon tubular Dura-Ace hoops, wearing Continental Competition tyres and the paint job carries a speed line for every Team Sky victory.

Read more and see the bike via video

2017: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma F10

Froome's third consecutive Dogma win. By this point, the employees at  Pinarello 's painting factory in Treviso were probably quite used to applying (apparently) last minute yellow paint jobs  before the roll into Paris.

The  F10 had some minor tweaks from the F8 , but no major overhauls - quite simply, Pinarello and Team Sky felt it was a pretty good bike. Pinarello made the F10 a little bit more aero, a little bit stiffer, and very slightly lighter.

The diet the frame had been on meant that Froome didn't need the X-light model he used when the F8 was in production, so his frame is as per an off-the-peg creation in terms of weight.

When we saw it, Froome had opted for a 53/39 standard set up with an 11-28 cassette, though the chainrings themselves are  osymetric - a preference which can help improve pedalling efficiency.

On flatter stages, Froome used deeper wheels, but when  we had the chance to video it , the bike was shod with shallow Shimano Dura-Ace C40 wheels and pro-only Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

The bars, stem, and bar tape are all Shimano's own brand, Pro, fitted with a K-Edge out from computer mount and Fizik saddle.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2017 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma

Like Bradley Wiggins before him, Froome rode the Bolide  time trial bike  during the ITT stages of the race.

Froome opted for 175mm cranks, used a chain catcher to guard against necessary trauma. The saddle height was 79.6cm - 1mm lower than that 79.7cm on his road bike. There was grip tape on his saddle, which helped him maintain the ideal position and he opted for a 58/48T chainring set up with 11-28 cassette.

In a touch of perfectionism, the 3D printed handlebar was made from titanium and moulded perfectly to fit its rider.

Read more:   Chris Froome's Tour de France Pinarello Bolide

2016 & 2015 : Chris Froome (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F8

To represent his Kenyan upbringing and passion for wildlife as an ambassador for the charity United for Wildlife, Froome's 2015 and 2016 winning bikes featured unique rhino decals. 

The  osymetric  chainrings are present, with a chainguard to guard against unfortunate chain-drop moments. The rest of the drivetrain was Shimano Dura Ace, with an 11-28 cassette and Stages power meter.

Froome's preference for having two shifting buttons close together meant the satellite shifters were stripped down, also saving him weight in the meantime too. 

The wheels we shot the bike with were Shimano's Dura-Ace C50s, bottle cages were 15g Leggero's from Elite and the bars were Pro.

The winning machine was polished off with a 121mm stem, Fizik Antares 00 saddle with carbon rails and  Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2016 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma F8

2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Vincenzo Nibali managed to break up the Pinarello domination in the Tour in the early 2010s, as he rode to victory in 2014 aboard an S-Works Tarmac painted with decals that hark to his nickname - Lo Squalo - or 'the Shark'.

This Tarmac became the first edition to feature a size specific carbon-layup, improving ride quality by better catering for the individual's needs and desires. Nibali added an FSA stem to his machine too, with Corima Viva wheels and a Campagnolo Super Record groupset also included. 

Specialized even customised the Italian's bike for the final day, adding yellow stickered wheels from Corima and a custom FSA stem with yellow decals to the already painted yellow frame. 

During time trial stages, Nibali rode the brand's slippery Shiv TT bike. He finished fourth on the 54 kilometre stage 20 solo event to comfortably maintain his place on the top step of the podium, finishing seven minutes 52 seconds ahead of second-placed Christophe Peraud overall. 

Read more: Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Specialized S-Works Tarmac

2013: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

The Dogma model before the F8 was the  Dogma 65.1 Think 2 , and it's that iteration which Froome rode to his first Tour de France victory in 2013.

Its standout features were the asymmetric design and wavy forks, seatstays and chainstays. The 65.1 gained its name from the use of a new carbon fibre material: Torayca high-modulus 65 as opposed to the 60 ton carbon of previous years’ models. According to Pinarello, this helped the bike become lighter, and therefore more reactive, which Froome managed to showcase expertly throughout his stellar ride.

Froome's model was of course fitted with osymetric chainrings, Fizik saddle, and the old-faithful looking SRM data-box of days gone by.

2012: Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

Wiggins rode onto the Champs-Élysées in 2012 on Pinarello's Dogma 65.1, the brand's newest machine, as he secured his maiden Tour de France title. Despite flaunting the sleek bike in Paris that day, Team Sky actually opted for their main rider to stick to the Pinarello Dogma 2 for the rest of the race.

Similarly, Sky ensured Wiggins felt comfortable throughout the three weeks, keeping him on a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical 10-speed groupset (q for the majority of the time. 

Across both the bike he used in Paris and what he used throughout the rest of the Tour, Wiggins also added a Fizik Arione saddle and yet more osymetric chainrings to complete his machine. 

2011: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), BMC Team Machine

Cadel Evans Tour winning machine

Cadel Evans was the first ever Australian to take the Tour victory 'down under', and he did so aboard his BMC Team Machine. The 2011 Tour de France winning machine was the first bike in history to win the biggest bike race in the world with electronic shifting.

Evans' Team Machine featured a relatively chunky carbon lugged design, that even featured an aero seatpost - something more rarely seen back in the early 2010s. The bike was clad with Shimano's first iteration of Dura-Ace Di2, 7970, and featured an SRM power meter too. 

Evans also rode 50mm deep Easton carbon tubular wheels which put together an aero package, that we think, wouldn't look overly out of place today - bar the rim brakes of course!

2010: Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3

Andy Schleck battling the alpine gradients

Andy Schleck was only officially crowned the 2010 Tour de France champion in early 2012, after the original winner, Alberto Contador, received a doping ban that led to the revoking of his title.

Schleck rode a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3, which can be seen above in a dazzling chrome colourway. The eventual winning bike featured mechanical shifting in the form of SRAM Red 10-speed, along with rim brakes.

Carbon wheels were still the order of the day in the form of Zipp's 202 lightweight wheels. Interestingly too, there was no power meter to be seen on the 2010 Tour winner's bike, making Schleck the last winner before power data became more mainstream.

2009: Alberto Contador (Astana) Trek Madone 6.9 Pro

The Spanish climbing legend did retain his 2009 title, this time with a dominant 4m11s winning margin over Andy Schleck. Alberto Contador rolled down the Champs-Élysées on his Trek Madone 6.9 Pro, fully equipped with yellow flashes.

The Madone of 2009 sits in a different postcode to the aero-optimized Trek Madone we know today. The Madone sat as Trek's all-round race bike, with oversized OCLV carbon construction that was influenced by a design ethos based on stiffness and light weight.

'El Pistolero' didn't use a power meter, and used SRAM's 10 speed Red mechanical shifting. Bontrager, Trek's in-house component manufacturer, provided the deep-section carbon wheels and finishing kit to the Spaniard's bike.

2008: Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) Cervelo R5

Carlos Sastre post stage 21

We end our dive into the history books with a nice Cervelo-bookend here, with Carlos Sastre winning the Tour 14 years ago aboard the same line of bikes that Jonas Vingegaard used in last year's race.

The two iterations bare more slightly resemblance than the previously discussed Trek Madones, but 14 years of research and development has certainly seen some changes. 

Sastro's 2008 winning machine featured Zipp 202 lightweight carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 ten-speed shifting. 3T, who worked closely with Cervelo through this time provided the finishing kit.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.

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Tour de France 2013 stages

Tour de France 2013 – this year, it will be the 100th edition and the slogan is “Le Tour 100: 100% French”. From 29th June to 21st July 2013, the 3,479 km route will remain exclusively within France’s borders. The tour will be departed Saturday, June 29th from Corsica, for the first time in history. The finish will be on Sunday, July 21st on Champs-Élysées.

Tour de France 2013 Stage List

Stages Summary:

• 7 flat stages
• 5 medium mountain (hilly) stages
• 6 high mountain stages
• 2 individual team time-trial stages
• 1 team time trial stage

Stage 1: Porto-Vecchio – Bastia 213 km

• Date: June 29, Saturday
• Stage Type:  Flat

Stage 2: Bastia – Ajaccio 156 km

• Date: June 30, Sunday
• Stage Type:  Mountain

Stage 3: Ajaccio – Calvi 145.5 km

• Date: July 01, Monday
• Stage Type:  Hilly

Stage 4: Nice – Nice 25 km

• Date: July 02, Tuesday
• Stage Type:  Team Time Trial (TTT)

Stage 5: Cagnes-sur-Mer – Marseille 228.5 km

• Date: July 03, Wednesday

Stage 6: Aix-en-Provence – Montpellier 176.5 km

• Date: July 04, Thursday

Stage 7: Montpellier – Albi 205.5 km

• Date: July 05, Friday

Stage 8: Castres – Ax 3 Domaines 194 km

• Date: July 06, Saturday
• Stage Type:  Mountain (Summit finish)

Stage 9: Saint-Girons > Bagnères-de-Bigorre 165 km

• Date: July 07, Sunday

Rest Day 1: Saint-Nazaire – Loire-Atlantique

• Date: July 08, Monday

Stage 10: Saint-Gildas-des-Bois – Saint-Malo 197 km

• Date: July 09, Tuesday

Stage 11: Avranches – Mont-Saint-Michel 33 km

• Date: July 10, Wednesday
• Stage Type:  Individual Time Trial (ITT)

Stage 12: Fougères – Tours 218 km

• Date: July 11, Thursday

Stage 13: Tours – Saint-Amand-Montrond 173 km

• Date: July 12, Friday

Stage 14: Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule – Lyon 191 km

• Date: July 13, Saturday

Stage 15: Givors – Mont Ventoux 242 km

• Date: July 14, Sunday

Rest Day 2: Vaucluse

• Date: July 15, Monday

Stage 16: Vaison-la-Romaine – Gap 168 km

• Date: July 16, Tuesday

Stage 17: Embrun – Chorges 32 km

• Date: July 17, Wednesday

Stage 18: Gap – Alpe-d’Huez 172.5 km

• Date: July 18, Thursday

Stage 19: Bourg-d’Oisans – Le Grand-Bornand 204.5

• Date: July 19, Friday

Stage 20: Annecy – Annecy-Semnoz 125 km

• Date: July 20, Saturday

Stage 21: Versailles – Paris Champs-Élysées 133.5 km

• Date: July 21, Sunday

Distinctive aspects of the Tour de France 2013

• 4 summit finishes: Ax 3 Domaines, Mont Ventoux, Le Grand Bornand, and the Alpe d’Huez
• 2 rest days
• 90 km total time trials, 25 km team time-trial and 65 km individual time-trial (2 stages)
• Tour de France official website letour.fr

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2023 Tour de France bikes — your definitive guide to what the top pro cycling teams are riding this year

First Published Jun 28, 2023

Let’s check out the bikes and equipment that the world’s best road cyclists will be riding in the Tour de France.

There are 18 WorldTour men's teams in 2023. All of these will race the Tour de France along with four wildcard teams that have been invited to compete.

Of the WorldTour men's teams, 12 use Shimano groupsets, only one runs Campagnolo and the rest are on SRAM. Perhaps the most unexpected shift (no pun intended) for this season was made by UAE Team Emirates, which dropped Campagnolo as its component sponsor along with other Italian components from its bikes. This might have left quite a few Italians mortified, as the UAE team are now running very Italian Colnago bikes with very much not Italian Shimano groupsets...

In terms of the teams themselves, the men’s WorldTour roster has seen two new teams in 2023: Alpecin-Deceuninck and Arkéa-Samsic. Both Israel-PremierTech and Lotto–Dstny have left the World Tour but they take part in the Tour de France as wildcards alongside TotalEnergies and Uno-X.

Without further ado, let's have a look at the bikes... 

AG2R Citroën Team

We also spotted a new BMC bike being used by team members at the Criterium du Dauphine, and it's likely to see more action in the Tour de France.

> BMC prototype aero superbike spotted at Dauphine

We can also spot something that has become a rarity in the WorldTour: Campagnolo groupsets and wheels.

Yes, AG2R Citroen is the only WorldTour team that is running a Campag groupset in 2023. It'll be interesting to see if all of the riders are on the brand-new version of Super Record.

> Campagnolo ditches iconic thumb shifter and goes wireless with new Super Record Wireless electronic groupset... and it'll cost you £4.5k

The team bikes also feature Italian-quality components, with Pirelli tyres and Fizik saddles.

Alpecin–Deceuninck

Alpecin-Deceuninck were only promoted to the WorldTour level this year, which might come as a surprise given riders like Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen are in its line-up. 

Spec-wise, the team run Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and wheels. The tyres are Vittoria – usually the new Vittoria Corsa Pro – and the team sit on Selle Italia saddles. 

Arkéa–Samsic

French team Arkéa-Samsic have welcomed Bianchi  as their bike sponsor to replace Canyon, having the Oltre RC, Specialissima and Aquilla TT at their disposal.

The bikes come with Shimano groupsets and wheels, except for TTs where the wheels are Vision. The team uses Continental tyres and Selle Italia saddles.

Astana Qazaqstan

Mark Cavendish's Kazakh team is continuing with Wilier Triestina bikes: the Zero SLR and Filante SLR models, equipped with Shimano groupsets and Corima wheels...

...although they've also used wheels from HED, which isn't a sponsor, this year. Those huge blue logos are hardly subtle.

For time trials, the team swaps onto the Wilier Turbine. The fresh “chrome-painted graphite” paintwork of the Wilier frames has impressed art lovers and bike enthusiasts alike. 

Bahrain Victorious

Bahrain Victorious are using the same trusted Merida bikes as last year, with the Reacto, Scultura and Warp TT models forming the line-up – but in a Pearl finish especially for the Tour de France. It's a "homage to Bahrain’s rich pearling history", apparently.

Shimano Dura-Ace remains the groupset, the wheels are Vision, the saddles Prologo and finishing kit is handled by FSA.

Bora-Hansgrohe

Even though they’ve been a World team since 2017, it was only last year we saw Bora-Hansgrohe win their first Grand Tour when Jai Hindley smashed the Giro d’Italia  and became the first Aussie to win the Giro. 

The German team rides Specialized bikes, the US brand being a key sponsor. Specialized supplies it all: the Tarmac SL7 for the road, Shiv TT for the time trials, Roval wheels and Specialized tyres. Groupsets are Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, and the saddles and the finishing kit come from both Specialized and Shimano subsidiary PRO. 

> Look unveils lightened 795 Blade RS road bike and disc brake-equipped 796 Monoblade RS time trial bike

Cofidis has moved from Campagnolo to Shimano this year, which means they had an opportunity to introduce yet another French brand, Corima, as the wheel sponsor. The tyres on those wheels are from Michelin.  

EF Education-Easypost

The American team, well known for their bold kit designs, sticks to the same bunch of sponsors as before: Cannondale bikes with Shimano groups, Vision wheels and Prologo saddles.

The riders are on the Cannondale SuperSix Evo (above) which was updated earlier this year.

> Cannondale launches new aero-optimised SuperSix Evo 4 with threaded bottom bracket — all the details + first ride review

They also have the SystemSix aero road bike which, launched back in 2018, must surely be the next Cannondale bike to get a refresh.

Groupama-FDJ

The French team entering its 28th season is continuing its long-lasting partnership with Lapierre bikes, which come equipped with Shimano groupsets and wheels.

In terms of models, the Xelius and Aircode framesets are the go-to options.

Ineos Grenadiers

Another team with very few changes: Ineos Grenadiers continues to ride the Pinarello Dogma F and the refreshed Bolide TT.

The groupsets are Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and the wheels are usually from Shimano too – although the team has been known to dip into the Lightweight and Princeton ranges in its search for those famous marginal gains. 

The tyres are Continental, the saddles Fizik and the finishing kit is from Pinarello's MOST brand. 

Intermarché–Circus–Wanty

The Belgian team continues to ride Cube bikes equipped with Shimano groupsets, Newmen wheels and Prologo saddles.

Riders can choose either the superlight Cube Litening Air C:68X or the Litening C:68X Aero for lower drag. The Aerium C:68 TT is there for time trials. 

> Cube launches Litening AIR C:68X Series road bikes with a claimed frame weight of 799g

Israel - Premier Tech

Pic © Zac Williams SWpix.com (t-a Photography Hub Ltd)

UCI ProTeam Israel Premier Tech rides bikes from Factor, usually the Ostro VAM (above). However, we know that Factor is releasing a new bike on 10th July 2023, the first Tour de France rest day, which suggests it’s a road race model that’ll play a part in this year’s race. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled.

Israel Premier Tech use wheels from Factor’s Black Inc brand fitted with Maxxis tyres.

Although the riders use FSA chainsets, the shifters and derailleurs are Shimano Dura-Ace Di2.

Jayco Alula

Team BikeExchange-Jayco has had a slight name change to Jayco AluIa but the team’s bikes stay the same with riders on Giant’s Propel Advanced SL, TCR Advanced SL (above) and Trinity TT.

Wheels are from Giant's Cadex brand and Shimano is the main equipment partner. 

Jumbo-Visma

Jumbo-Visma won the Tour de France last year with Jonas Vingegaard and the team roster for this year's race includes huge names like Wout Van Aert and Christophe Laporte, as well as the defending champion.

Cervelo is still the bike supplier to both the men's and women's teams, although the S5 (above), R5 and P5 models are now equipped with SRAM groupsets instead of Shimano. Vingegaard used a 1x (single chainring) setup for some stages of the Criterium du Dauphine. It'll be interesting to see if he takes the same approach in the Tour.

> Is Vingegaard going 1x for the Tour de France?

Wheels are new too, with the teams riding on Reserve hoops. 

Trek-Segafredo has just changed its name to Lidl-Trek. At the time of writing, it remains to be seen whether the riders will be racing immediately on bikes with updated livery.

The Trek Madone and Emonda road bikes are the usual weapons of choice, with the Speed Concept for time trials. 

SRAM supplies the groupsets while Trek's Bontrager brand provides pretty much everything else.

Lotto–Dstny

Lotto–Dstny use bikes from Ridley, usually the lightweight Helium or the aero Noah. However, we spotted a prototype being ridden by Maxim Van Gils in the Criterium du Dauphine, and it doesn’t look like any bike from the existing range.

> New Ridley road bike breaks cover at Critérium du Dauphiné 

We don’t have a name or a launch date yet but it looks like Ridley is combining light weight with aero features – which has been a big trend in the road bike market over the past few years.

Lotto–Dstny uses Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets, DT Swiss wheels and Vittoria tyres.

Movistar Team

Movistar continues to ride Canyon bikes – the lightweight Ultimate (above) and the aero-optimised Aeroad (below). 

The team uses SRAM Red eTap groupsets, Zipp wheels and Fizik saddles. 

Soudal Quick-Step

After yet another name change (the eighth, if you’re counting), Soudal Quick-Step races the 2023 season with trusty Specialized bikes and Roval wheels, saddles, tyres and finishing kit. Groupsets are still from Shimano.

Scott returns to provide the DSM men's and women's teams with bikes, the Foil RC being the popular choice for most stages. 

> Check out our review of the Scott Foil RC Pro 2023

The groupsets are Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, the wheels are Shimano and wrapped on them are Vittoria tyres. Scott’s subsidiary Syncros is providing all of the finishing kit, including the saddles. 

TotalEnergies

Although it’s a UCI ProTeam rather than a WorldTeam, TotalEnergies boasts riders of the calibre of Edvard Boasson Hagen and Peter Sagan on the Tour de France start list.

The team is sponsored by Specialized so uses Tarmac SL7 road bikes and Royal wheels.

This is yet another team that uses Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets.

UAE Team Emirates

The UAE Team Emirates riders have used the Colnago V4RS road bike this year after Tadej Pogačar raced on the prototype version in 2022.

It's all change regarding the groupset, UAE Team Emirates switching from Campagnolo to Shimano.

Pirelli tyres have been swapped to  Continental , and the wheels are now Enve.

UNO-X Pro Cycling Team

Uno-X has changed little for 2023. Norway's Dare continues to be the bike and finishing kit sponsor – a brand that's little known in the UK. The bikes come equipped with Shimano groupsets and DT Swiss wheels.

What's your favourite bike in this year's Tour de France? Let us know in the comments...

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Suvi joined F-At in 2022, first writing for off-road.cc. She's since joined the tech hub, and contributes to all of the sites covering tech news, features, reviews and women's cycling content. Lover of long-distance cycling, Suvi is easily convinced to join any rides and events that cover over 100km, and ideally, plenty of cake and coffee stops. 

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Looks like the Lotto rider has just borrowed a TCR. 

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Checked on the TV guide last night.

Pleased to see that ITV still get to show it.

I wonder for how much longer?

No Tarmac SL8 this summer then...

Really sad to see Bianchi making such ugly bikes.

Scoob_84 wrote: Really sad to see Bianchi making such ugly bikes.

They only had an image of the Oltre RC. I am biased, I think the Specialissima looks fine.

philsinclair wrote: Scoob_84 wrote: Really sad to see Bianchi making such ugly bikes.

That is a lovely looking bike to be fair. Probably their only decent looking tour level bike in the last 10 years though. The aria also looks good, but not tour level. 

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Tour de France bikes 2023: who’s riding what?

All the bikes and tech on display at the 2023 Tour De France

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Paul Norman

The 2023 Tour de France covers 3,404km (2,115 miles) over its 21 stages. That’s 54km more than last year’s Tour.

However, the bigger news is that time trial kilometres are down from two time trials totalling 53km last year (including the Prologue) to just one at 22.4km this year. It finishes at 974m in altitude and has a 2.5km Cat 2 climb to the finish, with an average 9.4 per cent gradient.

For several years, there's been an individual time trial on the penultimate stage, but this year, it’s on the Tuesday of the final week.

Given how a time trial can upset the final result, as in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, or cement it, as in last year’s Tour, it’s a surprising move.

That means the teams’ road bikes are increasingly to the fore. As usual, there’s some very flashy tech on show and we can expect more to be announced in the run-up to the Grand Départ and probably to be unearthed by the sharp-eyed as the race proceeds.

Read on for a complete list of the bikes in this year’s Tour de France, along with the kit they’re fitted with, and our pick of some of the new bikes and tech to keep an eye out for at the 2023 Tour de France .

Also check out our guide to prize money in this year's race, our explainer on leaders jerseys , a comprehensive Tour de France jargon buster and our round-up of how to watch the Tour , wherever you are in the world.

Tour de France 2023 bike brands

The 2023 Tour de France peloton is made up of 22 teams of eight, 176 riders in total. The 18 WorldTour squads receive an automatic invitation to compete, while four second-tier Pro Continental teams get a wildcard invitation. Between them, 19 bike brands are represented.

That’s two up on last year’s Tour, although the majority of brands are the same as in last year’s race. Even Ridley and Factor, who saw their teams demoted to the UCI’s second division, are back this year thanks to wildcard invitations for Lotto-Dstny and Israel-Premier Tech respectively.

New bike brands this year are Bianchi, Look and Dare, while out this year is De Rosa. Specialized continues to sponsor three teams, as in 2022, but Canyon is down from three to two.

Bianchi was absent last year, but is back with Arkéa-Samsic. It had its first race win back in 1899 and its bikes were ridden by Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi and Marco Pantani as well as a who’s who of other top-drawer racers, so it’s a prestigious return for the brand. On the other hand, De Rosa is an equally famous name from cycling’s past that has departed the Tour.

Bike brands represented at the 2023 Tour de France:

• Bianchi : Team Arkéa-Samsic
• BMC : AG2R Citroën Team
• Cannondale : EF Education-EasyPost
• Canyon : Alpecin-Deceuninck, Movistar Team
• Cervélo : Jumbo-Visma
• Colnago : UAE Team Emirates
• Cube : Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
• Dare : Uno-X Pro Cycling
• Factor : Israel-Premier Tech
• Giant : Team Jayco-AlUla
• Lapierre : Groupama-FDJ
• Look : Cofidis
• Merida : Bahrain Victorious
• Pinarello : Ineos Grenadiers
• Ridley : Lotto-Dstny
• Scott : Team DSM-Firmenich
• Specialized : Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal-QuickStep, TotalEnergies
• Trek : Lidl-Trek
• Wilier Triestina : Astana-Qazaqstan

Read on for more details of each team’s bikes, wheels and other kit.

What’s new in Tour de France tech?

New bike launches.

Since last year’s Tour, the Colnago Prototipo ridden to second place by Tadej Pogačar has finally become the Colnago V4Rs and been released for us to review – and anyone with deep enough pockets to buy.

Rather like the Colnago, the new Look 795 Blade RS ridden by Team Cofidis has been in plain sight for months, but was only officially launched earlier in June.

Its profile is similar to many other pro bikes with front-end integration, aero tubes and dropped seatstays, but is a departure from Look’s previous pro-level race bikes.

As per the usual playbook, Look says the new bike is stiffer and more aero.

There are more subtle changes to the Canyon Aeroad . Canyon has yet to announce details, but there are slight changes to the tube profiles and the seatpost clamp has moved from the rear of the seat tube to the top of the top tube.

The changes to the Cannondale SuperSix EVO are equally small but significant, with the fourth generation of the bike lighter and more aero – and in LAB71 format significantly more expensive.

Other new bikes bubbling under include an update to the Factor O2 VAM , BMC's new aero road bike and a new Ridley bike , also aero.

One thing all these bikes have in common is there's not a cable or brake hose in sight. In part, that's down to all the groupsets ridden now having wireless connections between the shifters and the derailleurs.

It's also due to the brake hoses running exclusively internally. Since they're invariably hydraulic, there's no loss of braking efficiency, however sharp the bends and no matter how convoluted the routing becomes.

Tubeless wheels and tyres have mostly taken over

Almost all teams are now running tubeless tyres in place of the pros’ favourite tubulars. There are good reasons for this beyond the lack of potentially carcinogenic and addictive solvents in the tub cement (more of an issue for the team mechanics than the riders).

Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious has claimed tubeless tech can lower rolling resistance by up to 15 watts per tyre. Paired with the latest aero wheel designs, that’s a huge margin.

You’re also less likely to need a wheel swap at a crucial point in the race, with sealant helping to cope with punctures, although unlike tubs you can’t ride a flat tyre to the finish or while waiting for the team car to give you a wheel swap.

28mm tyres are also increasingly taking over from 25mm, even on the smooth tarmac generally enjoyed on the Tour. Riders often sub in time trial tyres for road tyres, due to their lighter weight, although they in general offer less puncture protection than the best road bike tyres .

One team that has remained on tubs is Astana-Qazaqstan, although it’s in the process of swapping from Corima wheels that don’t offer a tubeless rim, to HED which does.

Component choices

As in previous years, Shimano dominates the teams’ drivetrain choices, with just three teams on SRAM (Jumbo-Visma, Movistar, Lidl-Trek) and one (AG2R-Citroën) on Campagnolo – one down on 2022 with the defection of UAE Team Emirates to Shimano at the beginning of 2023.

There's more on Campagnolo Super Record below, but an unlaunched update to SRAM Red AXS has been spotted. With SRAM focusing on the launch of its updated Force AXS groupset earlier in 2023, it seems likely that a new version of Red AXS will be announced sooner rather than later.

We've seen an increasing acceptance of single chainrings in races earlier in the season, such as Paris-Roubaix , and that may extend to flatter stages in the Tour, when the small chainring is little used.

Expect 2x setups to take over in the mountains again though, yet even there Primož Roglič showed that a single ring with a wide-range cassette was a winning option.

There’s more variation in wheels than drivetrains, with the aforementioned Corima and HED, as well as Reserve, Vision, DT Swiss, Roval, Newmen, Black Inc, ENVE, Bontrager, Zipp and Cadex all represented.

Campagnolo goes wireless

Campagnolo is providing its Super Record groupset to just one team this year, AG2R Citroën. However, it has dispensed with wires, with the recent launch of the new Super Record Wireless groupset.

As with SRAM Red AXS , the consumer version of Super Record Wireless uses smaller chainrings paired to cassettes starting with a 10-tooth sprocket and rising to just 29 teeth as the largest sprocket option. However, the pros are likely to stick to closer ratios for all but the toughest stages.

There are a couple of interesting things to watch out for here: first, are all the riders using the latest Wireless groupset?

When Shimano Dura-Ace went 12-speed last year, there were still teams using the older 11-speed Dura-Ace long after the official launch, due in large part to the new groupset’s scarcity.

Will Campagnolo have got its manufacturing and distribution ducks in a row better than Shimano?

Second, with SRAM Red AXS, there are a series of chainring options designed specifically for the pros, which are larger than the chainrings on the complete cranksets available for consumer purchase.

That’s partly because pros like to push larger gears at their elevated riding speeds (winner Jonas Vingegaard averaged over 42kph throughout the entire Tour last year).

It’s also because the chainline and the degree of curvature of the chain as it passes over the jockey wheels and cassette make small, but significant, differences in drivetrain friction. Therefore, riding in a larger sprocket nearer the middle of the cassette is an easy marginal gain. It’s also the reason why OSPW systems are used by the pros.

Will we see AG2R Citroën riders using larger chainrings, perhaps borrowed from the previous generation of Super Record, with Campagnolo Super Record Wireless at the Tour?

Tour de France 2023 bikes

All 18 WorldTour teams ride the Tour de France and every one of them gets the pick of the best bikes from their sponsors’ ranges. That includes all teams using 12-speed wireless/semi-wireless electronic groupsets on their road bikes and a choice of top-spec carbon wheels.

The invited Pro Continental teams (Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto-Dstny, TotalEnergies, Uno X) too are on top-spec bikes and equipment – there’s no second best here.

Read on for a breakdown of who’s riding what.

AG2R Citroën Team (ACT)

• Framesets: BMC Teammachine SLR01/Timemachine Road/Timemachine (TT)
• Drivetrain: Campagnolo Super Record Wireless
• Wheels: Campagnolo Bora WTO/WTO Ultra
• Finishing kit: BMC, Power2Max, Look, Pirelli, Fizik, Elite, Wahoo

Alpecin-Deceuninck (ADC)

• Bikes: Canyon Ultimate CFR/Aeroad CFR/ Speedmax CFR Disc (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Wheels: Shimano
• Finishing kit: Canyon, Shimano, Vittoria, Selle Italia, Elite, Wahoo

Astana-Qazaqstan (AST)

• Bikes: Wilier Triestina Filante SLR/0 SLR/Turbine (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/SLF Motion jockey wheels and bottom bracket
• Wheels: Corima/HED
• Finishing kit: Wilier, Look, Vittoria, Prologo, Tacx, Garmin

Bahrain Victorious (TBV)

• Bikes: Merida Scultura Disc Team/Reacto Disc Team/Time Warp (TT)
• Wheels: Vision Metron
• Finishing kit: FSA/Vision, Continental, Prologo, Elite

Bora-Hansgrohe (BOH)

• Bikes: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7/Shiv (TT)
• Wheels: Roval
• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, Wahoo

Cofidis (COF)

• Bikes: Look 795 Blade RS/796 Monoblade RS (TT)
• Wheels: Corima
• Finishing kit: Look, SRM, Michelin, Selle Italia, Elite, Wahoo

EF Education-EasyPost (EFE)

• Bikes: Cannondale SuperSix EVO/SystemSix/SuperSlice (TT)
• Finishing kit: FSA/Vision, Wahoo Speedplay, Vittoria, Prologo, FSA, Tacx, Wahoo

Groupama-FDJ (GFC)

• Bikes: Lapierre Xelius SL 10.0/Aircode DRS/Aérostorm DRS (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace / PRO
• Finishing kit: PRO, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Garmin

Ineos Grenadiers (IGD)

• Bikes: Pinarello Dogma F/Bolide (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace/Princeton Carbonworks
• Finishing kit: MOST, Continental, Fizik, Elite, Garmin

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (ICW)

• Bikes: Cube Litening C:68X Pro/Aerium (TT)
• Wheels: Newmen Advanced SL
• Finishing kit: Cube, Look, Continental, Prologo, Elite, CeramicSpeed, Bryton

Israel-Premier Tech (IPT)

• Bikes: Factor Ostro VAM / O2 VAM / Hanzo (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/FSA chainset
• Wheels: Black Inc
• Finishing kit: Black Inc, Rotor, Maxxis, Selle Italia, CeramicSpeed, SwissStop, Elite, Hammerhead

Jumbo-Visma (TJV)

• Bikes: Cervélo R5 Disc/S5/P5 (TT)
• Groupset: SRAM Red eTap AXS
• Wheels: Reserve 52/63
• Finishing kit: Cervélo, Wahoo Speedplay, Vittoria, Fizik, Tacx, Garmin

Lidl-Trek (LTK)

• Bikes: Trek Émonda SLR/Madone SLR/Speed Concept (TT)
• Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus
• Finishing kit: Bontrager, Time, Pirelli, Wahoo

Lotto-Dstny (LTD)

• Bikes: Ridley Noah Fast Disc/Helium SLX Disc/Dean Fast (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/Cema bearings
• Wheels: DT Swiss
• Finishing kit: Deda, 4iiii, Vittoria, Selle Italia, Tacx, Garmin

Movistar Team (MOV)

• Bikes: Canyon Aeroad CFR/Speedmax CF SLX (TT)
• Wheels: Zipp
• Finishing kit: Canyon, Look, Continental, Fizik, Lizard Skins, Garmin

Soudal-QuickStep (SOQ)

• Bikes: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7/Roubaix/Shiv (TT)
• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, CeramicSpeed, Tacx, Supercaz, Garmin

Team Arkéa-Samsic (ARK)

• Bikes: Bianchi Specialissima/Oltre RC/Aquila (TT)
• Finishing kit: Bianchi, Continental, Selle Italia, Elite, Wahoo

Team DSM-Firmenich (DSM)

• Bikes: Scott Foil RC/Plasma 5 (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Finishing kit: Syncros, Vittoria, Elite, Wahoo

Team Jayco-AlUla (JAY)

• Bikes: Giant Propel Advanced Disc/TCR Advanced SL Disc/Trinity Advanced Pro (TT)
• Wheels: Cadex 36, 42, 65
• Finishing kit: Cadex, Giant

TotalEnergies (TEN)

• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, Tacx, Garmin

UAE Team Emirates (UAD)

• Bikes: Colnago V4Rs/K.one (TT)
• Wheels: ENVE
• Finishing kit: Colnago, Look, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Wahoo

Uno-X Pro Cycling (UXT)

• Bikes : Dare VSRu/TSRf (TT)
• Finishing kit: Dare, Schwalbe, Pro, CeramicSpeed, Elite, Garmin

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2013 Tour de France 100th edition: June 29 - July 21, 2013

Stage 9 results and photos.

Back to 2013 Tour de France | Photos from stage 9 (posted below results and maps) |

Sunday, July 7: Stage 9, St Girons - Bagneres de Bigorre, 168.5 km

• Km 28.5: Col de Portet d'Aspet (1,069m), 5.4 km @ 6.9% gradient, Category 2
• Km 44.0: Col de Menté (1,349m), 7 km @ 7.7%, Category 1
• Km 90.0: Col de Peyresourde (1,569m), 13.2 km @ 7%, Category 1
• Km 11.5: Col de Val Louron-Azet (1,580m), 7.4 km @ 8.5%, Category 1
• Km 138: La Hourquette d'Ancizan (1,564m), 9.9 km @ 7.5%, Category 1

Weather: At the finish in Bagneres de Bigorre 12:45 PM local time. 26C (79F) and cloudy with full sun forecast for later. Wind from the north at 6 kph (4 mph). 64% humidity.

The Race: Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) didn't start.

I thought Froome had the race in the bag and the pack would let Sky run things, as it had during the Armstrong years. But with the rugged profile of this stage, the others came out firing and after about 40 kilometers Froome was isolated, even Richie Porte had been dropped.

With 100 kilometers to go there was a lead group of Pierre Rolland, Ryder Hesjedal, Thomas de Gendt, Thomas Danieleson and Romain Bardet and at about one minute the Froome group with Alejandro Valverde and two Movistar riders chased. A little further back were Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador.

As the Peyresourde ascent began the Froome group had grown, Evans and Contador among those who had bridged with Movistar doing a lot of the work. All the contenders except Rolland were with Froome. Froome's Sky teammates were two minutes back.

Over the top of the Peyresourde, the Rolland group, now joined by Jan Bakelants and Bart de Clercq but without Tom Danielson were 38 seconds ahead of the Yellow Jersey group and the Richie Porte group a further minute behind.

Simon Clarke jumped out of the Froome group, caught the Rolland break (which lost Hesjedal and de Gendt), went past them and was first over the Col de Val Louron-Azet.

As the race started the final climb, La Hourquette d'Ancizan, four riders (Rolland, Bardet, de Clercq and Clarke) were followed at 40 seconds by the 30-rider-strong Froome group, and the bunch with Richie Porte was at 3min 45sec. Valverde and his Movistar team seemed determined to take Porte's second place.

Romain Bardet left the break in search of a stage win while the Movistar-led front chase group swept up the rest of the break. And then Bardet was caught as well. Movistar seemed content to tap out a speed high enough to keep Porte (who probably went very deep yesterday) well back and ensure Valverde's second place in the GC.

Nope, Nairo Quintana did a probing attack and Froome was on his wheel like stink on poo. Then Garmin-Sharp's Daniel Martin jumped and Quintana went after him. Froome, having no teammates, had to mark him. Meanwhile Daniel Martin and Jakob Fuglsang dangled off the front, but not being GC threats, drew no attention.

Because of Movistar's limited ambitions and Saxo-Tinkoff's not wanting to jeopardize Contador, who was in severe difficulty the day before, Froome single-handedly protected his lead.

Fuglsang and Martin carved out a nice 42-second lead at the top with Wout Poels about 20 seconds behind, but would they be able to stay away for the remaining 30 kilometers?

With 10 km to go the gap was 25 seconds with Belkin's Robert Gesink leading the slightly disorganized chase.

The duo was not to be caught. Martin was first through a tricky corner and held it to the line. Froome held his lead despite being stripped of team support early in the stage.

Results: 182 classified finishers

• Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) 4hr 43min 3sec. 35.7 km/hr
• Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) s.t.
• Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 20sec
• Daniel Moreno (Katusha) s.t.
• Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) s.t.
• Cadel Evans (BMC) s.t.
• Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) s.t.
• Bauke Mollema (Belkin) s.t.
• Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) s.t.
• Maxime Monfort (Radio Shack) s.t.
• Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) s.t.
• Andy Schleck (Radio Shack) s.t.
• Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
• Christopher Froome (Sky) s.t.
• Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
• Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) s.t.
• Laurens Ten Dam (Belkin) s.t.
• Jean-Christophe Péraud (Ag2r) s.t.
• Nairo Alexander Quintana (Movistar) s.t.
• Rui Alberto Costa (Movistar) s.t.
• Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) s.t.
• Robert Gesink (Belkin) 2 25sec
• Steve Morabito (BMC) s.t.
• Romain Bardet (Ag2r) @ 3min 54sec
• Jon Izaguirre (Euskaltel) s.t.
• Igor Anton (Euskaltel) s.t.
• Cyril Gautier (Europcar) s.t.
• Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
• José Serpa (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
• Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 7min 7sec
• Davide Malcarne (Europcar) s.t.
• Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
• Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
• Bart de Clercq (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
• Ruben Plaza (Movistar) s.t.
• Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
• Marcus Burghardt (BMC) @ 7min 57sec
• Pierre Rolland (Europcar) s.t.
• Jens Voigt (Radio Shack) s.t.
• Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) s.t.
• Jan Bakelants (Radio Shack) s.t.
• Arthur Vichot (FDJ) @ 11min 38sec
• Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel) s.t.
• Juan José Oroz (Euskaltel) s.t.
• Christophe Le Mevel (Cofidis) s.t.
• Laurent Didier (Radio Shack) s.t.
• Maxime Mederel (Sojasun) s.t.
• Lars-Peter Nordhaug (Belkin) s.t.
• Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
• Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
• Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano) s.t.
• Enricop Gasparotto (Astana) s.t.
• Imanol Erviti (Movistar) s.t.
• Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar) s.t.
• Jesus Hernandez (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
• John Gadret (Ag2r) s.t.
• Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) s.t.
• Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) @ 17min 59sec
• Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
• Richie Porte (Sky) s.t.
• Christopher Froome (Sky) 36hr 59min 18sec
• Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) @ 1min 25sec
• Bauke Mollema (Belkin) @ 1min 44sec
• Laurens Ten Dam (Belkin) @ 1min 50sec
• Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 1min 51sec
• Nairo Alexander Quintana (Movistar) @ 2min 2sec
• Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) @ 2min 28sec
• Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) @ 2min 31sec
• Rui Alberto Costa (Movistar) @ 2min 45sec
• Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) @ 2min 55sec
• Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) @ 3min 7sec
• Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 3min 25sec
• Jean-Christophe Péraud (Ag2r) @ 3min 29sec
• Andy Schleck (Radio Shack) @ 4min 0sec
• Cadel Evans (BMC) @ 4min 36sec
• Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 6min 14sec
• Igor Anton (Euskaltel) 2 6min 40sec
• Romain Bardet (Ag2r) @ 7min 9sec
• Maxime Monfort (Radio shack) @ 7min 55sec
• Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) @ 9min 35sec
• Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) @ 9min 45sec
• José Serpa (Lampre-Merida) @ 9min 54sec
• Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) @ 10min 30sec
• Pierre Rolland (Europcar) @ 12min 34sec
• Davide Malacarne (Europcar) @ 14min 27sec
• Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 14min 35sec
• Jan Bakelants (Radio Shack) @ 15min 52sec
• John Gadret (Ag2r) @ 16min 27sec
• Steve Morabito (BMC) @ 16min 46sec
• Robert Gesink (Belkin) @ 16min 55sec
• Richie Porte (Sky) @ 18min 30sec
• Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) @ 19min 58sec
• Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) @ 20min 37sec
• Maxime Mederel (Sojasun) @ 20min 57sec
• Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel) @ 21min 11sec
• Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida) @ 22min 30sec
• Ruben Plaza (Movistar) @ 24mn 22sec
• Haimar Zubeldia (Radio Shack) @ 25min 53sec
• Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) @ 26min 8sec
• Andrey Amador (Movistar) @ 28min 55sec
• Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) @ 30min 5sec
• Nicolas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 30min 10sec
• Andreas Klöden (Radio Shack) @ 30min 18sec
• Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) @ 30min 29sec
• Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) @ 31min 31sec
• Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) @ 31min 34sec
• Cyril Gautier (Europcar) @ 31min 41sec
• Alex Vuillermoz (Sojasun) @ 34min 27sec
• Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) @ 35min 1sec
• Pierre Rolland (Europcar): 49 points
• Christopher Froome (Sky): 33
• Richie Porte (Sky): 28
• Nairo Alexander Quintana (Movistar): 26
• Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel): 21
• Peter Sagan (Cannondale): 234 points
• André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol): 141
• Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): 128
• Alexander Kristoff (KAtusha): 111
• Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): 90
• Nairo Alexander Quintana (Movistar) 37hr 1min 20sec
• Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 1min 23sec
• Romain Bardet (Ag2r) @ 5min 7sec

Team Classification:

• Movistar: 110hr 11min 29sec
• Saxo-Tinkoff @ 4min 11sec
• Belkin @ 5min 22sec
• Ag2r @ 8min 7sec
• Radio Shack @ 14min 7sec

Stage 9 map

Stage 9 profile

Photos from Stage 9 :

President of France (and co-prince of Andorra!) François Hollande visited the Tour today.

Panorama of the final climb, the Hourquette d'Ancizan

Daniel Martin and Jakob Fuglsang scampered away on the final climb and rode brilliantly to the finish.

Andy Schleck leads Chris Froome. Though Froome looks awful in this picture, he never had trouble closing up to attacks.

Alberto Contador did have yesterday's death-pallor, but he still wasn't the guy he was before his doping suspension, the guy who won Grand Tours at will.

White Jersey Nairo Quintana tried a couple of probing attacks and Froome closed them without serious effort.

Alejandro Valverde moved up to second, but no one seemed ready to risk mounting a serious challenge to Froome, isolated though he was. I've seen this play before and I know how it ends.

Bauke Mollema

Joaquin Rodriguez leads Daniel Moreno

Mikel Nieve

Rui Alberto Costa

Cadel Evans and Michal Kwiatkowski

Cyril Gautier

Damiano Cunego

Pierre Rolland

Sylvain Chavanel

Ryder Hesjedal

This was not Richie Porte's day. He lost a big fistful of time and second place in the GC.

Andrew Talansky

Another view of the final ascent

The publicity caravan finished the stage. Don't see any cars shaped like giant flies this year.

More of the caravan

Horses are nice, but I wanted a giant fly like in the old days.

Stage winner Daniel Martin

Pierre Rolland with climbing immortal Federico Bahamontes

Though stripped of his team, Chris Froome never looked to be in difficulty during what was a hard day of racing.

Federico Bahamontes and Raymond Poulidor (at last in yellow!)

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Race information

• Date: 21 July 2013
• Start time: -
• Avg. speed winner: 38.02 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 118 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 8
• Vert. meters: 766
• Departure: Château de Versailles
• Arrival: Paris
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• Won how: Sprint of large group
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TOUR DE FRANCE THROWBACK TECH – 2013

Raymond poulidor, race bikes, and shimano 9000 arrives.

Yet another chapter of our Back In The Day Tech from the Tour de France…this one from a day in the pits and Village Depart back in 2013. Did you say you missed the previous BITD episodes…start looking back here… Tour de France Back In The Day

RAYMOND  POULIDOR: NOT JUST AN OLD GEEZER

THE SRM WAY

While cruising the pits at the TTT in Nice, I ran into Daniel and Uli from SRM. Uli is of course the founder and mad genius that created the SRM power meter which is the #1 relied upon power meter by the majority of teams (16) and riders in the Tour de France. I hadn’t seen either of them since they came out to pedal along on Road Bike Action industry ride at the Tour of California. As I pressed for some info on SRM’s new PC8 head unit and their timeline for their Shimano 9000 Dura-Ace compatible unit, for some reason, Uli saw fit to ignore my tech queries and instead try his best to stick his finger through what some see as a big hole in my left ear. Uli is that way, and following his days at the Tour he took a short break to go ride E’ Tape de Tour in Annecy.

In between Uli fiddling with my ear lobe, Daniel proceeded to tell me that there were a handful of teams that were able to get their mitts on some prototype Dua-Ace 9000 power units. Daniel did let slip a few details about the new PC8: That they have been testing new circuit boards with longer batter life as well as new strain gages that use less battery power. Additionally, the 2014 unit will feature GPS and more viewing options.

As for availability of the new PC8 unit, Daniel said they most be making their public outing at the upcoming Eurobike show in late August so stay tuned for RBA tech reports then.

Team Lampre Merida Scultura SL

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT STAGE ONE IN ENGLAND!

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2021 TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 15 PROFILE

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SHIMANO’S CHAMPAGNE ENTRY INTO THE SPRING CLASSICS

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A MOMENT IN TIME, 2011: WHEN THE UCI STRIPPED MAVIC AT THE TOUR DE FRANCE

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Giro d'Italia stage 10 Live - All eyes on Pogačar for Bocca della Selva summit finish

Froome wins tour de france time trial in chorges.

Maillot jaune withstands wet roads to stand firm in race lead

Tour de France maillot jaune Chris Froome (Sky) won the 32km mountain time trial from Embrun to Chorges with a time of 51:33, his third stage victory of the 2013 Tour. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) finished second at nine seconds, followed by Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) in third at 10 seconds.

Peraud crashes out of the Tour de France

Froome was surprised to have won the stage and extend his overall lead.

"I couldn't believe it when I got over the finish line and saw that I got the fastest time," Froome said. "I went into today to limit my losses and to think of the days to come. To go through the finish with the fastest time, I didn't see that coming…"

Froome admitted he was worried about the weather and the risks of riding in the rain on a stage with descents off a pair of category two climbs, but was pleased he had switched bikes at the summit to use a bigger gear on the fast descent to the finish.

"I didn't think the weather was going in my direction. I had rain on the second descent but lucky it had dried up and that made me happy," he said.

"Changing bikes could very well have made a difference. When I rode the route this morning I realised I needed a bigger gear for the run in and so put on bigger gears for the finale today."

Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank) was in the hot seat with an effort of 51:42, but his decision to remain on his road bike with aero clip-ons while Froome swapped to a time trial bike in the latter section of the route may have cost the Spaniard the stage win. Froome trailed Contador by 11 seconds at the 20km time split on the day's second category two climb, but turned that deficit into a nine-second advantage on the fast run-in to the finish.

While Froome remains in the yellow jersey, Contador's effort against the clock moves the Spaniard into second overall at 4:34. Contador's teammate Roman Kreuziger moves up a position from fourth to third, trailing Froome by 4:51, while Bauke Mollema (Belkin) dropped from second to fourth overall at 6:23 after his 11th place time trial performance, 2:09 slower than Froome.

"It's always a bitter pill swallowing a second place when you're this close," said Saxo-Tinkoff directeur Fabrizio Guidi. "On the other hand, I'm very happy to see that both Roman Kreuziger and Alberto Contador are doing such a stunning time trial and we have now conquered the two lower spots of the podium."

A solid effort from the Tour's best young rider Nairo Quintana (Movistar) kept the young Colombian in both fifth overall and the white jersey, now at 6:58 to Froome, while Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) swapped GC positions with Laurens ten Dam (Belkin) with the Spaniard now in sixth and the Dutchman in seventh.

Disaster for Peraud

As if the Tour de France peloton needed a reminder to exercise caution on the challenging time trial parcours, Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R La Mondiale), the best-placed French rider on general classification at 9th place to start the day, crashed heavily during his morning course recon and reportedly cracked his collarbone. Nonetheless, the 36-year-old Frenchman took the start later in the day only to crash again and end his 2013 Tour de France campaign.

The early mark was set by Dutch time trial champion Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM), the 30th rider out of the start house, who stopped the clock in 54:02. Stage 11 winner, reigning time trial world champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), showed that his talents against the clock are better-suited to flatter routes as he notched a time 37 seconds down on Westra, a respectable time nonetheless for a route with a pair of category two ascents. At the stage conclusion Martin's effort would ultimately land him in 27th place.

Westra's stint in the hot seat would last for approximately two hours when Jon Izaguirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) became the first rider to dip below 54 minutes with a new best time of 53:58.

Nearly one hour later, with rain threatening the later starters, Tejay van Garderen (BMC) managed to bank a new best time of 53:24, 34 seconds quicker than the Euskaltel-Euskadi rider. Van Garderen trailed Izaguirre by 10 seconds at the first split, atop the Puy-Sanières climb, reduced his deficit to just three seconds after the descent, and then set a new best split time at the Réallon KOM of 39:47, eight seconds faster. The 2012 Tour de France's best young rider continued to extend his margin over Izaguirre on the descent to the finish to notch the day's fastest time thus far.

Rain showers commenced soon after van Garderen finished, tempering the efforts of those out on the road, but the route was predominantly dry by the time the general classification contenders began to take to the start house.

Andy Schleck (RadioShack Leopard) showed signs of improving form as he crossed the finish line in 54:00, good for third place at the moment and ultimately 15th on the day.

While Alejandro Valverde's overall Tour de France ambitions were dashed after a mechanical on stage 13, the Movistar Spaniard re-set the best times through each of the three intermediate splits, powering through the Réallon KOM at 20km a massive 59 seconds up on van Garderen. Valverde would ultimately stop the clock in 52:03, 1:21 faster than van Garderen, but there was still plenty of heavyweights yet to come.

2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (BMC) would not be one of those to challenge Valverde as the Australian completed the course in 59:37, more than seven minutes off the then best time set by Valverde.

Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) bettered the time of his compatriot Tejay van Garderen by 10 seconds to temporarily slot into second on the day, a fine outing for the 24-year-old American in his debut Tour de France.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) soon bumped fellow best young rider contender Talansky down a position as the Pole, a former junior world champion against the clock, went eight seconds quicker in 53:06.

While Jean-Christophe Peraud was struggling to compete having crashed in his morning recon, his Tour de France came to a disastrous conclusion as he crashed once more on the day, with two kilometres remaining on a right-hand bend, and was unable to continue.

To swap, or not swap for a TT bike

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), the seventh to last rider to take the start, uncorked an impressive performance as he went faster than Valverde through each of the three intermediate splits. The Spaniard, like many riders, opted to swap from a road bike with aero clip-ons to his time trial bike on the climb to the third intermediate split, and reached the 20km mark on the Réallon KOM 18 seconds quicker than Valverde. The 34-year-old Spaniard continued on one of his best performances against the clock to set a new best time of 51:43, 20 seconds better than Valverde.

While Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) threatened Rodriguez's time, finishing with 51:46 at 13 seconds, his teammate Alberto Contador had set the fastest times of the day at all three intermediate splits. Contador, like Kreuziger, opted not to swap out to a full time trial bike for the latter stint of the course and reached the 20km split six seconds faster than Rodriguez. The lack of a full-time trial bike may have cost Contador some time on the fast run-in to the finish, but the Spaniard still managed to top the time of Rodriguez by less than one second.

Only two riders remained on course - Bauke Mollema (Belkin) and Chris Froome (Sky) - but Contador still held the fastest split through the third checkpoint at 20km as Mollema and then Froome passed the mark. Mollema stopped the clock in 53:42, but his result could have been worse as he nearly crashed on a right-hand bend in the stage finale. The Dutchman over-cooked the corner and made contact with the crowd retention fence, but while he didn't go down he came to a complete stop losing plenty of momentum on the fast run-in to the finish.

That left only Froome on course as Contador occupied the hot seat. Froome trailed Contador by 11 seconds at the 20km split at the Réallon KOM, but the Briton's decision to swap to his full time trial bike on that climb likely made the difference over the final 12km of the course. Froome, tucked into his aero bars through to the finish, erased his 11-second deficit and went nine seconds faster than Contador to further stamp his authority on the 2013 Tour de France.

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Based in the southeastern United States, Peter produces race coverage for all disciplines, edits news and writes features. The New Jersey native has 30 years of road racing and cyclo-cross experience, starting in the early 1980s as a Junior in the days of toe clips and leather hairnets. Over the years he's had the good fortune to race throughout the United States and has competed in national championships for both road and 'cross in the Junior and Masters categories. The passion for cycling started young, as before he switched to the road Peter's mission in life was catching big air on his BMX bike.

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Tour de France Bicycles, Historical Bike Weights & Technology

Author’s note: I first wrote this article in 2010, but I have updated it every year since.

After swapping my 1992 Cannondale 3.0 ‘s hodgepodge of Campagnolo components for Shimano Dura-Ace 7700, the bike weighs in at 19.0 pounds with pedals. In this day and age of ultra-light (and über-expensive) vélos bedecked with enough carbon fiber to embarrass a B2 Stealth Bomber, this seems a bit portly and admittedly, she could easily lose another 1.5 lbs. if I cared to spend a few hundred dollars for a lighter wheelset, saddle and handlebar.

But can you believe that my C’dale actually weighs less than the bicycles that Miguel Indurain, Jan Ullrich and Bjarne Riis rode to Tour de France victory in the mid- to late 90s? And every winning Tour bike before that!

Below are some of the bikes ridden to glory in the modern Tour de France era. Bike weights hovered between 18 and 22 pounds from 1968 to 1998, after which they plummeted especially with Lance Armstrong demanding every technological advantage. In the new millenium, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) imposed a minimum weight requirement of 15.0 pounds (6.8 kilograms) for bicycles raced in international events under their jurisdiction—including the Tour de France—so the lightest bike ever ridden to overall Tour victory may have been Armstrong’s 2003 Trek 5900 SL, rumored to be 14.5 pounds. (That win was later nullified.)

Some other observations are below. [ August 11, 2013 : Items below that are struck out are due to disqualifications of once-declared victors like Lance Armstrong implicated in doping scandals.]

• In the last 40 years, a handful of bicycle manufacturers have dominated the race for the yellow jersey: Pinarello ( 15 as of August 2020), Gitane (with 9 or 12 victories ), Peugeot (10), and Trek (10) . Read this post for a detailed analysis and controversies regarding which bike company has won the most.
• TVT (of France) claims to have at least 5 victories spanning from 1986-1991 . Their bikes were frequently rebadged as other marques.
• 1973 was the first time the Tour was won on a titanium bike. Luis Ocana was riding a Speedwell Titalite frameset, although it may have been badged as a Motobecane. (Thanks to Robert Child for this info.)
• Bernard Hinault was the first cyclist to the Tour win using clipless pedals, in 1985 . Stephen Roche was the last to win using toe clips and straps, in 1986.
• In 1999, Lance Armstrong’s time-trial bike was a Trek-badged titanium Litespeed Blade , which was another time a Tour de France victory (later nullified) was achieved using a titanium bicycle.
• 1994 was the last time the Tour was won a steel bike—a TIG-welded Pinarello-badged beauty ridden by Miguel Indurain.
• Indurain and Bjarne Riis rode TIG-welded metal-matrix frames to victory in 1995 and 1996, respectively.
• Aluminum bicycles were ridden to glory by Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani in 1997 and 1998, respectively.
• Ever since Lance Armstrong lead the Tour on a stock Trek OCLV in 1999, every winning bike has been made completely out of carbon fiber except for Oscar Pereiro’s Pinarello Dogma , which had main tubes made out of an AK61 magnesium alloy and rear triangle made out of carbon fiber.
• In 2000, the UCI instituted a minimum bicycle weight limit of 6.8 kilograms (15.0 pounds). However, James Huang of CyclingNews.com claimed (perhaps mistakenly?) that it only went into effect at the Tour de France in 2004.
• Nowadays (2020s) it is commonplace for TdF bicycle manufacturers to optimize frame aerodynamics even for non-TT stages. But Trek was doing this even in 2004 with its Madone 5.9, which reportedly saved 10 watts during wind-tunnel testing .
• Shimano finally had a win in the Tour starting in 1999 2007.
• For the climbing stages in all seven of Lance Armstrong’s TdF overall first-place finishes, he used a downtube front shift lever to save weight (about 2-3 ounces). Nowadays, combination brake/shift levers (such as SRAM Red) are just as light as a separate downtube and brake lever—and bicycle manufacturers don’t even put braze-ons for downtube levers on their frames anymore. Therefore, 2005 was the last year that downtube levers were used by someone who stepped on the top rung of the podium for the TdF general classification.
• Alberto Contador’s Trek Madone 5.2 in 2007 was the first* Tour-winning bike with a mountain bike-like sloping top tube. Now almost all modern race bikes have “compact” frames, with the main holdouts being Cannondale and Pinarello. *It has been claimed that Marco Pantani’s 1998 bikes had slightly sloping top tubes.
• SRAM had its first victory in 2009 with Alberto Contador. It won again in 2010 despite Andy Schleck’s infamous chain-drop incident . (He was awarded the TdF victory after Alberto Contador tested positive for clenbuterol.)
• Cadel Evan was the first TdF winner using electronic shifting (Shimano Di2 on a BMC Teammachine SLR01) in 2011.
• In the 2010s, two Tour de France winners used ovalized chainrings. Both Bradley Wiggins (2012) and his teammate Chris Froome (the victor in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017) employed parts by Osymetric. But while Chris Froome continues to use them in the 2020s, every participant of the 2023 Tour de France used round chainrings .
• By 2013, all teams were using 11-speed cassettes. Electronic shifting and disc brakes were adopted around this time too.
• In late 2016, the UCI scrapped its 3:1 rule governing tube shapes . This opened the door for more aerodynamic designs somewhat (it still specifies minimum and maximum tube dimensions).
• Around 2018, more and more bicycle manufacturers were designing their bicycles with “dropped” seatstays. Supposedly they are more aerodynamic and allow more compliance than traditional seatstays that meet at the junction of the top tube and seat tube.
• 2020 was when a 12-speed cassette (Campagnolo) was first successfully used for overall TdF victory. (Campagnolo debuted 12-speed in 2018, SRAM in 2019, and Shimano in 2021.)
• From the early 2000s to roughly 2020, most bicycles used were around the 6.8-kilogram (15.0-pound) UCI weight limit. But then bicycles got heavier due to an increased focus on aerodynamics. Also, most teams were using disc brakes, wider tires, electronic shifting, and power meters. The lightest bicycles were usually the ones reserved for super hilly climbing stages.
• Tadej Pogačar (2021) was the final overall Tour de France winner to use rim brakes . (The first time someone won a TdF stage using disc brakes was probably Stage 2 of the 2017 edition .)
• By 2023, most teams had ditched tubulars for tubeless tires . (This was nine years after I had done so myself .)
• In 2023, Jonas Vingegaard was the first TdF winner to use 1X shifting in select stages .

References:

• Les Velos Mythiques Vainquers du Tour de France by Yves Blanc and Bruno Bade, as described in the Starbike Weight Weenies Forum .
• Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France-winning machines , James Huang, CyclingNews.com, July 2007.
• The UCI minimum weight limit of 15.0 lbs. (6.8 kg) was instituted in 2000 . (Journalist James Huang, perhaps mistakenly, wrote that it came into effect at the Tour de France in 2004.) It still applies today and includes the weight of non-easily-removed accessories (e.g., pedals, water bottle cages, power meters) that bicycle manufacturers usually do not take into account when they advertise. ( Water bottles and cycle computers don’t count. ) It can be presumed that Tour de France teams aspire to use bicycles that weigh no more than the UCI limit , particularly for climbing stages. This was easily attainable until roughly 2020, when teams started to priortize aerodynamics, disc brakes, wider tires, tubeless tires, 12-speed cassettes, and electronic shifting, for example.
• Other components Armstrong used are described in Wired Magazine , July 2004.
• Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France Bikes , Chain Reaction Bicycles, 2001.
• From TVT’s letter . Thanks to James Greenlees for sending me it.

There are 16 comments.

never ceased to amaze me that armstrong demanded such attention to detail on the bike weight and then rode with a gold chain round his neck. ↩ Reply

Why cross out Armstrongs bikes? They didn't dope, he did. SMH ↩ Reply

I guess that could be added as another part to the list of controversies :)

https://felixwong.com/2017/07/which-bicycle-manufacturers-have-won-the-tour-de-france-the-most/ ↩ Reply

How things have come on since the early 00's.

Our first thoughts are probably related to frames but wheels, groupos and other detail parts must have come on strides; plenty of steel framed bikes out there now that are close to or even below the UCI limit... ↩ Reply

Love this info. I am working on a novel in which the 1974 Tour figures prominently. I notice that the year's 74 and 75 are missing from your chart. Why? And can you tell me what Merckx rode to the winner's podium in those years and also suggest what were the major bikes riders were on during those years? The details are important to me in the telling of my story. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you and keep up the great work. That's a beautiful Gitane up there. ↩ Reply

Hi nice web site.

What about TVT bikes?

eg: Lemond in 1990 used one.

Thanks. ↩ Reply

Luis Ocaña rode some stages on a Speedwell Titanium frame. I had one probably weighed about 18 LBS. Andy Gilmour ↩ Reply

"Ever since Lance Armstrong lead the Tour on a stock Trek OCLV in 1999, every winning bike has been made out of carbon fiber."

Oscar Pereiro 2006? ↩ Reply

Thanks for stopping by my website and for pointing out Oscar Pereiro's bike!

It appears his winning bike was made out of magnesium for the main tubes, and carbon fiber for the rear triangle and fork:

That certainly warrants a mention on the page. I've updated now. ↩ Reply

Thanks for putting this together - its an interesting read. However I999 wasn't the first time a titanium bike was ridden in the TDF, in fact Ocana won the 1973 tour on a titanium Speedwell frame, which was badged as a Motobecane. Ocana's winning bike wasn't made in France, but the manufacturing heartland of Great Britain - Birmingham !!!

Best wishes

Rob ↩ Reply

Thank you for the information, Rob! I have confirmed it and updated the page now. Happy cycling. ↩ Reply

The cost of a tour de France bike is highly dependent on the style, technology, and construction of the equipment. For professional bike pricing, UCI allows disc brakes to be used during the Tour de France. Now, a competition bike has at least one disc brake frame and one associated grouping unit. ↩ Reply

I'm glad I "lived" through what are now part of the halcyon/platinum years of the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's...... Before the sport was bastardized and lost its soul. For that matter its heart.

Today and for well into essentially 20 years it's clearly, increasingly become so plastic. So false as it were. Weight weenies/techno/"aero" twinks are now today's "cyclists" on their poofda plastic, Made In China rigs, spinning endlessly, crashing endlessly. It IS so sad. ↩ Reply

John, I have a late 1920's Alcyon (French) racing bicycle, similar to the the bikes ridden to TdF victories by Nicolas Frantz in 1927 and 1928. It weighs just under 26 pounds with all steel components (aluminum components were not available until the 1930's), except the wooden tubular rims. and leather saddle and toe straps. It has no derailleurs (they were banned from the TdF until 1937) but it has a 2 speed freewheel on one side of the rear hub and a fixed cog on the other. Gears were changed by removing the rear wheel with large brass wing nuts and moving the chain to another cog based on the grade, The fixed gear was larger, and used for climbing!

I started racing bicycles in 1974 when "steel was real" and there were no electronic devices, but there were hints of new technologies like the Teledyne Titan and Exxon Graftek bicycles in the mid 1970's, and the Polar heart rate monitor in 1978.

My point is that technology always marches on, unless rules are written to discourage it, like derailleurs before 1937, etc. ↩ Reply

First clipless pedal TDF win 1986, last toe clip win was 1987 ↩ Reply

That's a good one! Thanks for the input. I've added this along with a link that corroborates this fact. ↩ Reply

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Greg LeMond Reveals the Backstory to his 1989 Tour de France Win

By Kate Agathon

American cycling legend Greg LeMond talks about trauma, victory, and resilience leading to his 1989 Tour de France win in his new film, The Last Rider.

The last rider will be released in select theaters on june 23..

“Very strange things happen in cycling.You can’t count a race as won until the last minute,”  Spanish cyclist Pedro Delgado says dryly to the camera in The Last Rider (2022). 

The 1988 Tour de France (TDF) champion’s remarks could not more aptly describe the historic 1989 TDF in which one of the greatest moments in cycling ( nay, sports ) history took place. 

That year, American Greg LeMond nabbed the maillot jaune from France’s Laurent Fignon in the final time trial, ultimately winning cycling’s most prestigious event in what remains as one of the biggest sports upsets of all time.

For three weeks and over 2,000 miles, LeMond and Fignon had duked it out on the world’s biggest cycling stage. 

Across the flats from Poitiers to Bordeaux, and in the mountain stages over the Pyrenees and the Alps, the duo battled. 

With neither rider giving in, the final days were dramatic. Although LeMond won Stage 19 Villard-de-Lans to Aix-les-Bains, Fignon was in the lead for GC. Then the final time trial happened.

With a 50-second lead over LeMond going into the final time trial, the egotistical Fignon was confident in winning his third TDF title (he had previously won in 1983 and 1984), and had already begun to celebrate on the train to Paris the night before. 

According to Fignon’s directeur sportif Cyrille Guimard, the premature pouring of champagne was partly Fignon’s way of continuing to aggravate his rivals, but also to hide an embarrassing secret- Fignon was suffering from saddle sores.

Despite Fignon’s physical pain, in their arrogance, neither Guimard or Fignon ever dreamed that LeMond would overtake his lead in the individual time trial (Fignon himself was an adept time trialist). To overcome such a deficit was simply not done and unheard of- until LeMond.

Clad in a specially designed aero helmet and riding a time trial bike tricked out with aero bars and a rear disc wheel, and unaware of his opponent’s affliction, LeMond rode the final day with a nothing-to-lose audacious intensity. 

The effort LeMond put in was incredible, and he emerged victorious.

In the end, a mere eight seconds separated first place (LeMond) from second place (Fignon), while defending TDF champion Delgado took third. To this day, eight seconds remains the smallest winning margin in the race’s history. LeMond’s focus resulted in the fastest ever time trial in TDF history and cemented his TDF legacy.

That year, Fignon was not the only one keeping a secret.

What no one realized was that leading up to his amazing comeback, LeMond himself was also concealing a secret; an assortment of psychological and physical traumas that had tortured him for years.

America’s only TDF champion

What makes The Last Rider unique is that it juxtaposes the public facade of LeMond the G.O.A.T. with the relatively unknown private side of LeMond the Survivor.

“In The Last Rider we get to see what was going on in the background. Trauma changes a person, and unknown to most, I had suffered a lot,” said LeMond from his home in eastern Tennessee over a recent Zoom interview.

 “All people saw was success. But there’s a moment you hit a breaking point,” he continued. 

That breaking point happened in the 1986 TDF when former teammate and five time TDF winner Bernard Hinault famously betrayed LeMond after publicly declaring the previous year that he would support LeMond to victory.

The agony of the psychological stress dealing with Hinault opened up a wound for LeMond that for the first time as an adult, he was forced to address: he was a victim of sexual assault.

For years, he had kept the trauma resulting from the sexual assault a closely guarded, terrible secret that he did not even reveal to his wife, Kathy. 

In addition to the psychological trauma, he also had to contend with physiological trauma from a devastating incident in which he had been accidentally shot with a shotgun.

Compounded with depression, shame, and other dysfunctional family dynamics taking place at the time, he silently tried to manage his layers of trauma alone as he fought to regain top place among the world’s most elite cyclists. 

Being alone while trying to win the GC title at the TDF was not an enviable position to be in. 

After Hinault’s duplicity became apparent in 1986, a determined LeMond had ridden to victory without the help of his former teammate. Additionally, he rode defiantly in the face of dark rumors among the peloton of others sabotaging his (LeMond’s) performance throughout the remainder of the race.

In 1989, he found himself largely riding alone again as no one had considered him a serious contender for the GC throne and his team was relatively weak.

Without a reliable domestique, LeMond not only had to rely on his own grit to get through the grueling stages of the 1989 TDF, but he also had to contend with the trauma he had bottled up deep inside. Those factors combined may have made him the most successful, yet loneliest rider in the TDF peloton that year.

Due to the lack of support and the resources he needed to win, LeMond’s resilience and ensuing victory in the 1989 TDF made his feat even more remarkable. 

LeMond’s backstory during that time is as much a part of his victory as the final time trial.

“The film is more about the backside story than me winning. I think it is better to understand that side of my career other than just my race victories,” LeMond said emphatically.

Working with Holmes

The world is familiar with LeMond’s persona as America’s greatest cyclist, but what about LeMond the survivor and victim’s advocate? The personal struggles he faced outside of cycling? 

This is where The Last Rider reveals the complexity of LeMond. Here, we explore the B Side of his champion story- all of which came to a head in 1989.

The Last Rider is written and directed by BAFTA award winner Alex Holmes. No stranger to writing/directing documentaries (Holmes wrote and produced 2014’s riveting Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story ), Holmes takes the audience on a deep dive into the stories you already knew (LeMond getting shot during a hunting trip, Hinault’s deception in the 1986 TDF, etc.). 

According to LeMond, Holmes approached him with the idea of doing the film four or five years ago.

“I was reluctant. I’m kind of going, I’ve heard this story over and over,” he said. “But Holmes explained that he wanted to show a more personal side, the other side of my story. For example, when I got shot, I had to pretend I wasn’t really that injured just so I could stay on the team. And I think he wanted to tell that story about me going from winning the TDF to almost quitting the sport and then winning. ”

“And then I said that’s what I’d like. I wouldn’t like a puff piece that was like, you know, I won the TDF in 1989. That was really a great victory, but it was overcoming a lot of stuff that led up to it that I’m more proud of than even that victory,” LeMond explained.

Production took place during the pandemic, and all the interviews were done remotely.

“It was great working with him. He wants to tell emotional stories and make movies that might touch other audiences. There’s a lot of people who are not cyclists who will like the story and I think that’s what his goal was with The Last Rider . He really put this together, he really did,” he praised.

Everyone is vulnerable

Holmes also presents a closer look into personal revelations that LeMond had kept undercover for decades and that had marred his first TDF win in 1986.

Shortly after his win, LeMond’s trauma resurfaced and he was afraid his abuser would speak out now that he had become world famous. Depression later ensued.

“I had no joy from that victory,” he said. “To win the TDF was my dream. But no one knew what I was going through physically and psychologically.”

Cycling was LeMond’s physical and mental outlet, and he was exhausted from the emotional trauma. “It (trauma) was always there. It comes back to hit you,” he said. 

LeMond’s public disclosure about the sexual abuse only happened several years later, during an arbitration hearing for disgraced American cyclist Floyd Landis in 2007.

Audiences, however, are more familiar with another devastating event that created even more trauma for LeMond and, by extension, his family. In 1987, at the peak of his fitness, he was accidentally shot by his brother-in-law, Patrick Blades, during a family trip to hunt turkeys. 

As a result, LeMond lost 25 pounds of muscle mass, three quarters of blood, and suffered a collapsed right lung. 

Deep depression, sudden financial worries (he was unceremoniously dropped from his team), and strained family relations (Blades felt so remorseful for shooting LeMond that he threatened to take his own life and was temporarily put into a psych unit at another hospital), presented LeMond with the darkest two years of his life.

“The stress was incredible. There were a lot of down days and I cried during many of them,” LeMond said.

Eventually, he realized that he needed to ride, and resolved to ride in the TDF once more. 

Going into the 1989 TDF, he competed with 45 lead pellets remaining in his body- including three in the lining of his heart and five more embedded in his liver.  

“I don’t think people have really appreciated the serious injury that I had. And it has kind of been discounted and it set me up because I had to pretend I wasn’t that injured,” said LeMond.

“So it set me up so that when I wasn’t performing, they’d look at me and say I wasn’t being professional, I wasn’t training right, I wasn’t eating right. Which was the opposite- you don’t win the tour without knowing how to do it.”

“And it set up, even to this day, the idea that I’m the one who set the example of focusing solely on the TDF as my only goal. That was out of survival , not intention. I loved The Classics, I wanted to do every race!” he exclaimed.

LeMond continued, “I would have loved to have seen what my career would have been like without the accident. I think I would have been a better palmares and my resume would have been a lot stronger. I guess I’m fortunate that I even got to race again.” 

While the struggles LeMond had to overcome to win the 1989 TDF were substantial, so was his rivalry with Fignon.

Rivalry for the ages

“Anybody who threatens me or bullies me, I’m done. I will go for the throat!” LeMond exclaimed. 

And LeMond did. With voracious tenacity.

Like a favorite book to be re-read (even if you know the ending by heart), cycling fans can’t get enough of revisiting the dramatic 1986 and 1989 Tour de Frances.

As an aficionado of cycling films ( Slaying the Badger , Band of Brothers , and All for One remain favorites), I’ve seen numerous films telling the incredible story of LeMond. However, The Last Rider differentiates itself because it is so masterfully done you can’t help yourself but get caught up in the moment.

Imagine a TDF where one team’s support vehicle sideswipes the other like a bumper car to prevent them from speeding ahead to share crucial information about their opponent (LeMond’s team support car managed to hold off Fignon’s for 1 or 2 kilometers on the Alpe d’Huez).

Or one where the GC is criticized by other GC contenders (Delgado and Fignon) for the perceived unsporting behavior of “not riding like a GC.”

During the last 20 minutes of the film, I found myself literally sitting on the edge of my seat, booing at the arrogant Fignon (cycling’s equivalent to Draco Malfoy) and cheering loudly when it became apparent to LeMond that, against all odds, he had won his second TDF. 

Even though I already knew the outcome, I was so invested in LeMond’s journey that by the time the showdown in the final time trial arrived, I had teared up in emotion. I felt myself living in the moment of a victory that happened 35 years ago this July. LeMond wins!! Yes!!!

For LeMond, winning the TDF was a relief.

It not only healed his inner pain and uncertainty in his return to racing, but healed the uncomfortable rift in the LeMond family that had been omnipresent following the shooting incident in 1987. 

The 1989 TDF is one of the most memorable cycling events of all time. 

LeMond had been absent from professional cycling for two years. He entered the race with a new team, a damaged body, a new mindset, and a formidable foe in Fignon. Many of the obstacles he had to overcome were unknown to the public and makes LeMond’s comeback story even more incredible.

While he continued to struggle silently with trauma, LeMond’s legend as a cyclist grew. After his 1989 TDF win, he donned the rainbow stripes when he won the World Championship that August, and won his third and final TDF in 1990.

In the aftermath of Armstrong’s stunning confession of doping in 2013, LeMond’s comeback story from the brink of death is even more compelling and his staunch anti-doping

 stance even more respected. 

A man of firsts

LeMond is a man of firsts. 

First and foremost, the first and only American cyclist to win the Tour de France multiple times.

Before Tadej Pogačar’s stunning time trial win over Primož Roglič in the 2020 TDF (thus winning the stage and GC), LeMond did it first. Before Jens Voigt made his moral anti-doping stance public, LeMond spoke out first.

Finally, several years after LeMond revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse, 2012 TDF winner Sir Bradley Wiggins also opened up about being a victim of sexual abuse (he was abused at the same age Greg was) and its impact on his life. Like LeMond, he used cycling as a coping mechanism.

It seems fitting that The Last Rider was made during a time in which elite athletes are becoming more vocal about abuse they have suffered at the hands of others (i.e. Larry Nassar and members of the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team), and have no qualm publicly discussing the stress from unseen grief or trauma they endure under immense pressure while competing (i.e. Simone Biles, Mikaela Shiffrin). 

After seeing The Last Rider, I won’t quite view cycling’s elite in the same way again. Is LeMond sympathetic to 2019 TDF winner Egan Bernal, who suffered a horrendous training crash in 2022? What unseen struggles are cycling’s current stars dealing with?

For LeMond to reveal his vulnerabilities in a feature-length film and share a behind-the-scenes-look where things were not so rosy, takes immense courage. 

His unwavering anti-doping stance during his entire career and afterwards (i.e. Armstrong’s vicious attacks) took courage. His personal truth only adds to his cycling legend, making his stories one of the greatest in sports history. Sharing his struggles doesn’t damage the luster to his legacy at all, it only enhances it.

I hope The Last Rider eventually becomes available to stream or rent, because this is the type of film you watch multiple times. Masterfully done, it is a must-see for cycling aficionados and sports enthusiasts. Engaging like no other, The Last Rider is a film that you will not want to miss.

One week shy of 62, LeMond no longer keeps secrets tucked away.

“I’m an open book! I’ve been to therapy, my wife has been incredibly supportive. I’m not ashamed of what’s happened to me in the past and I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done,” he proclaimed.

As for his thoughts on The Last Rider? 

“I think people will like it. Stories are timeless. Cycling is an incredibly exciting sport and there’s a human side that they get to see,” finished LeMond.

See the film

Just in time for the 2023 TDF, The Last Rider (2022) drops in theaters across the country on June 23. 

More information can be found here . Along the Front Range, The Last Rider will screen at Century 16 in Boulder, Cinemark 16 in Fort Collins, Westminster Promenade 24, and Tinseltown 20 in Colorado Springs.  

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kWF4FmllqM

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Yates Brothers Lead Britain’s Hopes at 2024 Tour de France

Twin brothers expected to lead the nation's hopes again.

The Tour de France has been won by riders from Great Britain on six occasions split between three individuals.

Chris Froome has been the most successful British cyclist, having won the competition four times between 2013 and 2017. Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas also won a single edition of the event on either side of Froome’s domination.

Since Thomas won in 2018, Britain has endured a five-year winless drought in the Tour de France. This is unlikely to change heading into the 2024 competition.

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Yates ⚔️ Yates #TDF2023 | @AdamYates7 🏆 pic.twitter.com/a7Tznt8FKC — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023

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Simon Yates While Adam Yates is by far Britain’s greatest hope at the Tour de France, his twin brother Simon Yates still represents one of the nation’s top riders set to travel across the channel.

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Simon Yates reflects on “unbelievable” achievement @lavuelta & “an astonishing year for British cycling”. Credits national system, lottery funding, pro team. Says “there will always be doubters” re doping in cycling but adds “it’s a completely different sport to those years ago” pic.twitter.com/QPj5F5ZJRw — David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 17, 2018

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Foiano di Val Fortore - Francavilla al Mare

Giro d'Italia 2024

Stage clearly divided into two parts. The first crosses the Apennines to Termoli and the second, entirely flat, is played out along the ss.16 state road and the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

Martinsicuro - Fano

A flat stage for the first 50 km and then studded with walls and hairpin bends to the finish. After a rather simple initial part along the Adriatic coast, the stage moves away from the sea to face repeated short, steep climbs that come in the final two thirds of the route.

Riccione - Cento

Completely flat stage through the plains of Emilia-Romagna.

Castiglione delle Stiviere - Desenzano del Garda TUDOR ITT

The second time trial test is predominantly flat with several undulations within it and an elevation gain of roughly 250 metres. The riders cross a few villages and a series of minor ups and downs. The road is almost constantly slightly downhill heading towards the shore of Lake Garda.

Manerba del Garda - Livigno (Mottolino)

Stage 15, arguably the hardest of the entire Giro, sees the start of a tough week of mountains. The route from Manerba del Garda to Livigno amounts to 220 kilometres and takes in an elevation gain of 5,700 metres.

Livigno - Santa Cristina Val Gardena/St. Christina in Gröden (Monte Pana)

A high mountain fraction broken up by the Adige and Isarco valleys, basically a 3-part stage: mountain, with Foscagno Stelvio (this year’s Cima Coppi, the highest point of the race); plain, from Prato allo Stevio until shortly after Bolzano; mountain, with the ascent of Passo Pinei and the finish in Val Gardena.

Selva di Val Gardena/Wolkenstein in Gröden - Passo del Brocon

Intense climbing stage with brutal amount of elevation gain despite its short distance. The route climbs from the start on the Passo Sella, followed by a flat section in the Fassa and Fiemme Valleys all the way to Predazzo.

Fiera di Primiero - Padova

This stage features a single, rather modest climb in the opening half of the route (the KOM of Lamon) followed by about 150 km of slightly downhill false flat.

Mortegliano - Sappada

The stage begins by riding up the Tagliamento Valley, heading north and crossing the towns of San Daniele del Friuli, Forgaria nel Friuli and Peonis. After Tolmezzo, the succession of climbs leading to the finish line begins: Passo Duron, Sella Valcalda and Cima Sappada.

Alpago - Bassano del Grappa

Relatively flat opening at Lake Santa Croce, heading downhill to Vittorio Veneto and the Muro di Ca' del Poggio, which leads into the Prosecco area. After crossing the Piave River, the route reaches the slopes of the brutal Monte Grappa, which will be tackled twice.

Roma - Roma

The final stage is divided into two parts: the first is the peloton’s outing to Lido di Castel Fusano on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It's 16 kilometres one way and another 16 kilometres back before the stage enters its second and final part, the finishing circuit (8 laps) of 9.5 kilometres, which very much resembles last year’s lap through the eternal city.

Venaria Reale - Torino

Stage 1 kicks off in the suburbs of Turin and finishes in the centre. After a flat initial phase of around 45 km, the riders will tackle three climbs.

San Francesco al Campo - Santuario di Oropa (Biella)

Challenging stage featuring the first summit finish. After a flat run-up across Canavese and Vercellese areas the pink caravan will reach Valdengo, where a succession of minor climbs begins.

Novara - Fossano

Predominantly flat stage with some minor ups and downs in the central part.

Acqui Terme - Andora

A fairly flat stage, the only obstacles are the Col di Melogno climb (8 km at around 5%) midway through the stage and the final Capo Mele, which is tackled from the same side as during the Milano-Sanremo.

Genova - Lucca

The riders leave the city of Genova and travel along the coast on the Aurelia state road in the first 50 km. The stage has just two climbs on the menu.

Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) - Rapolano Terme

A demanding stage characterised by a hilly second part and three gravel sectors totalling almost 12 km. The first two are shared with the Strade Bianche, the third is a new one.

Foligno - Perugia TUDOR ITT

Individual time trial clearly divided into two parts. The first 32 km, flat and largely non-technical, lead to the foot of Umbria’s capital city of Perugia. The riders then tackle the ascent of Casaglia, with gradients up to 16%.

Spoleto - Prati di Tivo

Short stage with no flat ground to play with and plenty of elevation gain.

Avezzano - Napoli

Stage clearly divided into two parts. The first 180 km are the run-up to a demanding finale with short and punchy climbs.

Pompei - Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva)

The stage begins calmly with the first part of the race as good as flat.

Jersey Wearers

POGACAR Tadej

MILAN Jonathan

UIJTDEBROEKS Cian

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Tour de France 2023: How to watch, schedule, odds and storylines you need to know

The Tour de France returns Saturday for its 110th edition, this time beginning in Spain’s Basque Country, and will end on Sunday, July 23, in Paris. As always, the race — which recently got the “Drive to Survive”-style docuseries treatment on Netflix — will feature 21 stages. There will be eight flat stages, four hilly stages, eight mountain stages with four summit finishes, just one individual time trial (down from the usual two) and two rest days.

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Here’s what you need to know to follow along:

How to watch the 2023 Tour de France

Peacock, NBC and USA Network will carry the Tour in the United States (NBC Sports and the Tour recently announced a six-year extension of their exclusive U.S. rights agreement, which now runs through 2029).

Peacock will stream every stage live and have daily pre-race shows. The streamer will also have stage replays, recaps, highlights, rider interviews and more, NBC Sports said.

Phil Liggett, a.k.a. “the voice of cycling,” will be on the call for his 51st tour, joined by analyst Bob Roll. Steve Porino and former professional cyclist Christian Vande Velde will also be reporting from on site, with the latter giving real-time updates while traveling the course on a motorcycle.

For the first time, NBC Sports’ broadcasts will feature clips from team radio, like communication between team directors and riders.

FloSports will stream the event in Canada.

How long is the Tour de France route?

This year’s route runs about 3,406 kilometers (about 2,116 miles). Stage 2, the longest single stage, is 209 km (about 130 miles).

The 22.4-km (about 14-mile) time trial will be held in the Alps in Stage 16.

How much money is on the line?

A total of €2.3 million (about $2.5 million) will be given out to the teams and riders, including €500,000 (about $546,000) to the winner of the overall individual classification.

How many riders are on the Tour?

Each of the 22 teams this year has eight riders, making for 176 total.

Recent Tour de France winners

• 2022 — Jonas Vingegaard (DEN)
• 2021 — Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
• 2020 — Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
• 2019 — Egan Bernal (COL)
• 2018 — Geraint Thomas (GBR)
• 2017 — Chris Froome (GBR)
• 2016 — Chris Froome (GBR)
• 2015 — Chris Froome (GBR)
• 2014 — Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
• 2013 — Chris Froome (GBR)

Riders to watch

This year is expected to be a two-man battle for the general classification between two-time winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), who emerged triumphant last year.

The 24-year-old Pogačar, regarded as the rider of his generation, was poised for a third straight title last year before Vingegaard, backed by a strong Jumbo-Visma squad, spoiled the campaign in the mountains. While the Slovenian Pogačar often has to fend for himself, the Danish Vingegaard, 26, has the backing of a “superteam” that includes do-it-all Belgian Wout van Aert and American Sepp Kuss to deliver him the yellow jersey.

Pogačar will undoubtedly be out for revenge, but questions are swirling about his fitness after he broke his wrist in a race earlier this year and had to miss some time. Whichever way the race goes, it’s always worth a reminder that this pair gave us an iconic moment of sportsmanship last year.

In the “last dance” category, we have British veteran Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), French fan favorite Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Slovakian sprint star Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies). All three plan to retire after the 2023 season (though Sagan said he plans to compete in mountain biking at the Paris Olympics).

Cavendish, 38, has 34 stage wins on the Tour — tied for the most ever with Eddy Merckx (who reached the mark in 1975). Cavendish is seeking one last win in his 14th Tour to retire as the record-holder after sitting out last year.

The 33-year-old Pinot won the young rider classification in 2014 and has since won three stages, most recently in 2019 (when he had to abandon the race with two stages to go after tearing a leg muscle while in fifth place).

Sagan, 33, owns a record seven green jersey wins and has won 12 stages, the last coming in 2019.

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), the last man not named Pogačar or Vingegaard to win the Tour, will be in the peloton for the first time since 2020 after returning from a near-fatal crash in January 2022.

If you’ve followed the last few tours, you might also be wondering what’s up with Primož Roglič. The 2020 runner-up had to abandon the 2021 Tour before the ninth stage, and after starting the 2022 race as a Jumbo-Visma co-leader with Vingegaard, dropped out before the final rest day due to injuries. He did win the Giro d’Italia in May, but said he would take a break from racing to celebrate.

Beyond the general classification, you can monitor the additional races within the Tour: for the green jersey (points classification, generally considered a sprint competition) and polka dot jersey (king of the mountains).

Tour de France GC odds, via BetMGM

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) — +110
• Tadej Pogačar (SLO) — +115
• Jai Hindley (AUS) — +1400
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN) — +2500
• Enric Mas (ESP)/Richard Carapaz (ECU)/Ben O’Connor (AUS)/Adam Yates (GBR) — +3300
• Simon Yates (GBR)/David Gaudu (FRA) — +5000

(Photos: Getty Images; iStock / Design: Eamonn Dalton and Rachel Orr)

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Torrey is a staff editor on The Athletic’s news team. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a digital editorial producer at NBC Olympics. Prior to that, she was a news editor at Front Office Sports, worked as an editorial production assistant for Pac-12 Networks and wrote for outlets including Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated.