Tour de France 2023: How to watch, storylines, teams, and results

Cycling’s most prestigious event is about to get underway.

Starting on Sunday, nearly 200 riders from 22 teams will embark on a 2,115-mile journey from Bilbao, Spain into the heart of Paris. Riders will endure 21 stages over 23 days — meaning just two rest days — as they tackle France’s five biggest mountain ranges.

This year’s event has no shortage of storylines, starting with the battle between Dane Jonas Vingegaard, riding for UCI WorldTeam Jumbo–Visma, and Slovenian Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates.

Vingegaard is the reigning Tour de France champion, winning the 2022 version ahead of his rival Pogačar. The two previous years, the Slovenian was the one to earn the prestigious yellow jersey, the maillot jaune; his victory in 2020 at the age of 21 made him the second-youngest winner in race history. The two are the odds-on favorites to compete for the top spot on the podium again in 2023.

Vingegaard is arguably the best pure climber in the world and he impressed during the lead-up races to the Tour de France. Pogačar, meanwhile, has been ranked the No. 1 rider in the world for a record 92 straight weeks but had only two race days since late April, when he suffered a broken wrist in a crash. Despite their difference in preparation, their expected three-week fight for the victory projects to be an entertaining one — if Pogačar is on form.

The 2023 Tour de France will also have the last three champions in the field for the first time since 2009. That includes Vingegaard and Pogačar, as well as Colombia’s Egan Bernal of Ineos Grenadiers. The winner of the 2019 edition, Bernal became the first South American to finish the race in first place.

There are also some tweaks to the race itself. The opening stage, which is usually either a time trial or flat stage, is on hilly terrain this time around and will likely be a chance for general classification riders to get an early jump on their opponents. In addition, the penultimate 20th stage will not be a time trial this year. Instead, it is now a mountain stage, taking riders from Belfort to Le Markstein, covering 82.9 miles with almost 12,000 feet of climbing.

Another major storyline to watch? British cyclist Mark Cavendish. Cavendish is tied with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx for 34 Tour stage wins, the current record.

Cavendish stated back in May during the Giro d’Italia that he was retiring at the end of this year. A year ago Cavendish was a Tour de France reserve for his previous team, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. Cavendish was announced as a team member by his current team, Astana Qazaqstan.

There are two teams from the United States in the field: EF Education-Easypost and Lidl-Trek. While none of the individual American riders are considered among the favorites for general classification, you could see a United States cyclist secure a stage win or two. Neilson Powless, riding for EF Education-Easypost, finished 13th overall in last year’s Tour de France, has two wins and three top-tens this year, and could secure a stage victory early.

Matteo Jorgenson, who rides for Movistar Team, nearly won Stage 16 last year in his Tour de France debut. He could push for a stage win this year. Another American, Sepp Kuss with Jumbo–Visma, is always strong in the mountains. While his main role with the team is to aid Vingegaard, he has won a Tour stage before.

For more on the Tour de France in general, we would strongly recommend this piece looking at the new Netflix docuseries “Unchained,” which looks at the 2022 Tour de France.

Here is how to watch, a look at each stage, and more.

How to watch the 2023 Tour de France

NBC Sports is your home for every stage of the 110th Tour de France, with the bulk of the coverage airing live each day on Peacock. NBC and USA Network will also air live coverage during the first week of the 2023 Tour de France, along with encores of each stage on USA at 2 a.m. ET most days.

All NBC and USA Network coverage also streams on NBCSports.com/live, as well as the NBC Sports app.

Here is the full broadcast schedule:

What teams are competing in the 2023 Tour de France

22 teams are competing in the 2023 Tour de France: That includes all 18 UCI WorldTeams, and 4 UCI ProTeams.

18 UCI WorldTeams

AG2R Citroën Team
Alpecin-Deceuninck
Arkéa-Samsic
Astana Qazaqstan Team
Bora-Hansgrohe
Cofidis
EF Education-EasyPost
Groupama-FDJ
Ineos Grenadiers
Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
Lidl-Trek
Movistar Team
Soudal—Quick-Step
Team Bahrain Victorious
Team dsm-firmenich
Team Jayco-AlUla
Team Jumbo-Visma
UAE Team Emirates

UCI ProTeams

Israel—Premier Tech
Lotto—Dstny
Team TotalEnergies
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

The 2023 Tour de France map

Here is the official map of the 2023 Tour de France:

You can also view the map on the official Tour de France website.

Stages, dates, and distances for the 2023 Tour de France

Here are the stages for the 2023 Tour de France. There are eight stages considered “flat,” four hill stages, eight mountain stages, and one time trial stage this year.

The toughest stretch of the 2023 Tour de France looks to be Stages 13 through 16. Over three straight days riders will be tested by the French Alps, with a summit finish on both Stage 13 and Stage 15.

Stage 17, another mountain stage, might be the toughest individual test of the 2023 Tour de France. Riders will tackle a 103.1 mile stage with over 16,000 feet of elevation climb. Stage 17 also features a climb to the top of the 7,559-feet Col de la Loze, the highest point in this year’s Tour and one of the summits considered “beyond category.”

If Stage 17 is not the toughest stage, Stage 6 might be. Another mountain stage, this includes the 6,939-foot Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees, and features the first of the summit finishes in the 2023 Tour de France.

2023 Tour de France results

Stage 1: Bilabo to Bilabo

Stage Winner: Adam Yates, UAE Team Emirates
Overall Leader: Adam Yates, UAE Team Emirates
Yates holds off his twin brother Simon Yates to win Stage 1 of the 2023 Tour de France. It is Yates’ first ever stage win at the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar comes across the line third, giving UAE a first-third start to the 2023 TDF.

Stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint-Sébastien

Stage Winner: Victor Lafay, Cofidis
Overall Leader: Adam Yates, UAE Team Emirates.
Lafay notched the first stage win for Cofidis in 15 years with an impressive showing, breaking clear of the pack in the closing kilometer for his first stage victory. Lafay now sits fourth in the general classification. Adam Yates retained the yellow jersey, with his twin brother Simon six seconds behind him, tied with Pogacar for second in the general classification.

Stage 3: Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne

Stage Winner: Jasper Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck
Overall Leader: Adam Yates, UAE Team Emirates
The first flat stage of the Tour de France offered the first chance for a true sprint finish. Laurent Pichon of Arkéa–Samsic broke away from the peloton early, but the pack slowly reeled him in ahead of the finish. With five kilometers to go, Team Jumbo-Visma made their way to the front, with Vingegaard and Wout van Aert — who was reportedly frustrated after how Stage 2 ended — among those pushing hard. It all set the stage for a high-speed finish that saw Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck secure his first stage win of the 2023 Tour de France. Philipsen won two stages a year ago. Phil Bauhaus, Caleb Ewan, Fabio Jakobsen, and Van Aert round out the top five of the stage. Adam Yates retains the yellow jersey as the overall leader.

Stage 4: Dax to Nogaro

Stage Winner: Jasper Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck
Overall Leader: Adam Yates, UAE Team Emirates
The fourth day of the Tour de France featured a second-straight flat stage, culminating in a wide-open finish at the Paul-Armagnac auto racing track in Nogaro with a 700-meter straight. With just under five miles remaining, the peloton cranked up the pace, pushing upwards of 37 mph as the pack closed in on Paul-Armagnac. When the peloton arrived at the race track, the finish was marred by three different crashes before coming down to a photo-finish between Philipsen and Caleb Ewan of ProTeam Lotto–Dstny. In the end it was Philipsen by half a wheel over Ewan for his second-straight stage victory. Cavendish, seeking his record 35th-stage win, finished fifth. Adam Yates holds onto the yellow jersey as the overall leader.

Stage 5: Pau to Laruns

Stage Winner: Jai Hindley, Bora-Hansgrohe
Overall Leader: Jai Hindley, Bora-Hansgrohe
We have a new leader at the Tour de France.
After two-straight flat stages, the peloton returned to the mountains, winding from Pau to Laruns. The stage included some difficult climbs, including Col de Soudet, Col d’Ichère, and Col de Marie-Blanque. It was Hindley who ultimately broke away, securing his first-ever Tour de France stage victory. His strong ride also saw him take over as the overall leader in the general classification. Jonas Vingegaard pushed hard in the end, and now sits fifth in the general classification. Pogacar, however, struggled on Wednesday and now sits eighth in the general classification, more than 90 seconds behind Hindley.

Stage 6: Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque

Stage Winner: Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates
Overall Leader: Jonas Vingegaard, Team Jumbo-Visma
Thursday delivered the first true duel between the heavyweights, Pogacar and Vingegaard. For the second day in a row the riders tackled a mountain stage, complete with a climb up Col du Tourmalet, a 6,939-foot climb in the Pyrenees. A group of about 20 riders broke away early, but in the closing kilometers it was down to Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers). Kwiatkowski eventually sat up before the finish, leaving just Pogacar and Vingegaard to battle it out over the final three kilometers. Pogacar attacked with 2.7 kilometers to go, and eventually came across with his first stage win of the 2023 Tour. However, it was Vingegaard who took over as the leader for the general classification, with Pogacar just 25 seconds behind.

Stage 7: Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux

Stage Winner: Jasper Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck
Overall Leader: Jonas Vingegaard, Team Jumbo-Visma
After two mountain stages, the 2023 Tour de France returned to more flat terrain, offering up another potential sprint. That opened the door for Mark Cavendish to set the all-time mark for stage wins, and the Astana rider made a push in the closing kilometers. But he was not alone, and at the end Jasper Philipsen nipped him for his third stage win of the 2023 Tour, denying Cavendish his record.
Vingegaard finished 22nd, but retained the yellow jersey.