ef education jersey 2023 tour de france

• Giro d'Italia

EF Education-EasyPost announce Tour de France lineup full of climbing quality including Carapaz, Uran, Chaves and Cort

The penultimate team to announce their Tour de France 2023 lineup, EF Education-EasyPost have revealed the eight riders tasked with bringing success to the American-based team.

Plenty of climbing quality is on show for EF Education-EasyPost at this year's edition of the race. Richard Carapaz will lead the charge as far as the general classification charge with support from fellow South American's Rigoberto Uran, Esteban Chaves and Andrey Amador .

PREVIEW | Tour de France 2023 - Key stages, how the Pogacar vs Vingegaard battle will unfold and the star-studded peloton

Giro d'Italia stage winner Magnus Cort Nielsen will be hoping to repeat his breakaway success once again, whilst Neilson Powless and James Shaw will also provide some quality climbing support for the leaders with Alberto Bettiol rounding out the 8-man lineup.

EF Education-EasyPost for the 2023 Tour de France:

Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Esteban Chaves, Andrey Amador, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Neilson Powless, James Shaw and Alberto Bettiol.

Final startlist Tour de France with BIB | Vingegaard, Pogacar, Cavendish, Van der Poel, Van Aert, Alaphilippe, Bernal, Pidcock, Sagan and Girmay

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Sun 19 May 2024

Sat 18 May 2024

All the 2023 kits: EF Education-EasyPost share latest collaboration with Rapha

American WorldTour team become latest to release their new 2023 kit, here's the rest

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Teams have begun to share their kit designs for the 2023 season through the off season. There are just a few days until we make it to the new year, but there are still a lot of jerseys to be uncovered. 

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, the artist formerly known as Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, released its new jersey on Christmas Day, which is surely the best present any of us receieved. The highly anticipated EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Tibco-SVB jersey was released in January, and for the first-time ever, Rapha has produced identical eye-catching jerseys for both the men and women. Human Powered Health released its kits for both women and men on Boxing Boxing Day, or the 27 December to the rest of us. Same colours, but a bit different.

In the run up to the big day, Lotto-Dstny, Jumbo-Visma and Ineos Grenadiers all released their kits, with some continuation and other startling changes.

Lotto's kit reflects the team's new sponsors, with blue and orange given pride of place; Jumbo continue with its tried-and-tested yellow and black colours, while Ineos Grenadiers went wild and changed to red and orange.

Astana-Qazaqstan's jersey is barely changed, with the now familiar light blue fading into navy down the chest.

With new sponsors Soudal coming aboard, Soudal Quick-Step have a bit more red on their kit than before, while Israel-Premier Tech's kit is not dissimilar to the one they wore at the Tour de France last year. UAE Team ADQ, meanwhile, stick with largely the same colour scheme of violet, orange and red, but in a new configuration.

Groupama-FDJ’s new jersey sees the team completely overhaul their previous colours, with their new jersey featuring multiple shades of dark blue instead of their previous mainly all-white design. The jersey also features an eye-catching zip in the colours of the French national team. 

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Bora-Hansgrohe have shared their new Le Col kit which has largely retained last year's design in which Jai Hindley rode to victory in the Giro d'Italia. 

Bahrain Victorious’ new kit is largely similar to the previous design manufactured by Alé, but with flashes of black added to the main body and light blue and a zig zagged design on the rear.

UAE Team Emirates has switched kit suppliers for the new season, with Italian brand Pissei taking over from their previous kit provider Gobik. 

The team’s new kit provider will be making their debut on the WorldTour, but the Tuscany-based company has worked on a design that follows a similar pattern to the UAE kit of previous years. 

Meanwhile, Trek-Segafredo has released new kit designs for both its men’s and women’s teams, with both sharing a similar design. Santini will continue as the team’s kit provider for another season. 

In terms of other women's squads, UAE Team ADQ and AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step have provided fresh designs, while Jumbo-Visma and Lotto-Dstny will have the same kits for both their men and women.

We will continue to share new designs as they come in. 

EF EDUCATION-EASYPOST

British cycling brand Rapha has continued its partnership with EF Education-EasyPost for a fifth consecutive season. Rapha have released images of new EF Education signing Richard Carapaz on training rides in the teams new kit which as always, is an eye catching bright pink. A press release from Rapha said the team will debut their new kit on training rides ahead of the fast-approaching Tour down Under, the first WorldTour race of the season. 

Once again, the kit is based on Rapha's Pro Team range, with the cutting edge technology that you would expect from Rapha's elite range. The jersey is once again dominated by the teams iconic pink, although this year's design features panels of varying shades as a nod to the team's past present and future. 

Now in its second year partnering with the women's team, EF Education-Tibco-SVB, Rapha  has produced for the first time ever an identical jersey for the women's team, which will be differentiated from the men's only by sponsor logos. Both teams will race in black bib shorts with the sponsors logos printed in white. The logos on both jerseys are printed in black. For the past two-seasons, Rapha have produced another limited edition kit for the team for the Giro d'Italia in order to avoid a clash with the hallowed Maglia Rosa, or pink jersey, at the Italian Grand Tour which is worn by the race leader. It's highly likely we can expect similar from the partnership later this season.

UAE TEAM EMIRATES

Two time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar , along with new signing Adam Yates, will have a choice of kit depending on the weather next year. 

Pissei will be providing the team with different designs, depending on the weather, with ultralight and breathable fabrics available to the squad in hotter weather.The other design has thermal qualities for when the temperature drops and the cold starts to bite, as it did when Pogačar rode away from his rivals at the 2022 Tirreno-Adriatico in the snow.

Pissei’s first offering as kit provider is very similar to the UAE Team Emirates design of previous season, with a mainly white jersey with flashes of red and black. The logo of Emirates is still clearly visible in a red band, with the UAE, Whoosh and Colnago logos also being prominently displayed.

The sleeves are predominantly black, similar to the design of 2017 and 18, with a large black section on the rear of the jersey on its middle pocket. The hashtag #WeAreUAE is also present in the middle.  

Pissei have also included a motto on the inner collar, “Race with Heart”. 

TREK-SEGAFREDO

The kit produced by Italian giant Santini for Trek-Segafredo is smart and sleek for both men’s and women’s teams and features an eye-catching design on the back of both jerseys.

Both jerseys have a mainly white base, with Trek emblazoned in a red band across the men’s, and in navy for the women’s. The two jerseys share a Trek logo in black down the side of each. They also share a similar pinstripe design on the sleeves, with the men’s being red and the women’s a light, duck-egg blue shade. 

The two jerseys both have a prominent Segafredo logo on the front panelling, with the logos of sponsors SRAM, Bontrager and of course, Santini, all clearly visible in the top corners. 

But it's the back of both jerseys is what really stands out. A new design has been incorporated into both jerseys, using dark blue as the main colour in a pattern consisting of checkerboard and striped blocks.  

In the men’s, red is the second colour to link together with the red Trek band that also features on the rear. For the women, light blue continues as a secondary colour in order to blend together with the navy Trek logo that features on the shoulders of their jersey. 

The shorts for both men and women will stay dark blue, with a red band at the base for the men's, and a light blue line for the women. 

GROUPAMA-FDJ

Groupama-FDJ’s new kit is full to the brim with different shades of dark blue, as well as a nod to their country with the French flag being prominent down the front of the jersey in the zip. 

The front of the jersey is made up of blue panelling, with the Groupama logo present in a dark navy band across the top of the torso and the FDJ logo printed in white on a more royal blue background. Beneath the FDJ logo is another dark navy band which is a very similar colour to the jersey of the French national football team. 

One of the jersey sleeves is the royal blue shade with the other being navy. The back of the jersey features the bands of colour that match with the front, with the Groupama logo backed by the navy shade and the FDJ logo the royal blue. 

The new shorts are the same navy that features in the jersey, with the Groupama logo emblazoned on the thigh and the Alé logo prominent on the upper hip. 

Groupama-FDJ shared a video on Twitter which shows off the new kit in all its glory.

Vous y êtes presque. https://t.co/N3LWyBEuQj December 9, 2022

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS

The likes of Fred Wright, Matej Mohorič and Mikel Landa will be appearing in a kit next season which is largely unchanged from the design that has brought the team so much success.

Touches of black have been added to the traditional red and yellow of the team’s jersey, with the jersey featuring a zig-zag style stripe design in the team's colours on the rear. 

The jerseys produced by Alé are part of the PR-S collection, which the brand dedicates to teams and professional cyclists. The collection is designed to be light, breathable and fast. 

Bahrain Victorious will keep the same black shorts for next season, with a flash of light blue around the base of the thigh. 

Astana-Qazaqstan

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, the saying goes, although it is a bit of a shame that Astana Qazaqstan have stuck with the same kit for the second year in a row. That's why we're using last year's team picture above, because it's exactly the same.

In fact, it's pretty much the same Giordana kit as 2021 too, with just a change in sponsors on the front. Which is all good and sustainable, but what if I want a bit of Kazakh excitement in my life?

Well, I suppose at least you don't have to think too hard about Astana next year, because they are almost exactly the same. Without Miguel Ángel López , though.

👕 Our 2023 kit captured during the official photoshooting in Altea.Indeed, we kept the same design with just some small changes, but we love 😍 it!#AstanaQazaqstanTeam 📷 @SprintCycling pic.twitter.com/nOa2VaY6VS December 15, 2022

Soudal Quick-Step

One thing that you do absolutely have to get your head around is the new Quick-Step, which are now sponsored by Soudal, becoming Soudal Quick-Step. That means a revolution in design to cram Soudal and its customary red bar on the front of the jersey, ending up with this slightly messy looking kit.

There's an  exciting trailer for the new kit  starring Yves Lampaert, and it can already be purchased for €89.95 on Quick-Step's website.

Castelli's second kit for the Belgian super-team is largely blue, with a white bit blasted out of the middle to make way for SOUDAL and its customary red bar. I can already picture Fabio Jakobsen and Julian Alaphilippe winning in it.

Israel-Premier Tech

No longer a WorldTour team, Israel-Premier Tech have turned once again to stycle.design, otherwise known as Stijn Dossche, who designed their Tour de France kit last summer.

It's a mix of hues, with blue, white, pink and purple all in there. 

The jersey is made by its new kit supplier EKOÏ, and is designed to standout in the peloton with its "abstract blue, pink, and orange design of the jersey complimented by simple navy bib shorts which allow the jersey to shine".

Kjell Carlström, the team's general manager, said: "When it came to designing our 2023 kit, we wanted to do something a little different. Our Racing For Change kit at the Tour de France was a huge success and, in our opinion, one of the best kits in the peloton in recent years. 

"So we figured, why not do something a bit different all season long. Blue and white, the Israeli colors, are at the core of our identity. But, as we saw in 2022, there was a lot of blue and white in the peloton. So, we wanted to add some additional color into the mix and create a fresh and modern look that stands out on the bike. 

"Particularly on the back of the jersey, where we have replaced the team logo with the monogram of our star and P from Premier Tech so that we can be easily spotted on television. That’s our aim for 2023: stand out in the peloton when it comes to our kit design and the way we race."

The newly named Women's WorldTour team Israel-Premier Tech Roland have a similar, but not completely identical design.

A post shared by Israel – Premier Tech Roland (@israelpremiertechroland) A photo posted by on

UAE Team ADQ

UAE Team ADQ might share a name, a bike, a name, and a sponsor with the men's UAE Team Emirates, but its jersey is radically different. Also made by Pissei, the  kit is similar to last year, but subtly different.

It has light blue and red that fade into one another, vaguely similar to the Israeli teams above. Maybe its a Middle East thing.

Lotto-Dstny

Lotto-Dstny has changed quite a lot for the 2023 season, with new sponsor Dstny bringing its light blue and orange on board.

With Soudal leaving, the red bar and white middle no longer is required on the front of Lotto's kit, with a light blue lower half coming in its place. That's about it in terms of changes, with the light blue helmets continuing.

The team might no longer be in the WorldTour, but it will still be recognisable at races across the season.

The shorts remain black.

“The launch of this new outfit means that all eyes are now fully on the upcoming season,” Yana Seel, the chief business officer at Lotto-Dstny said in the press release. “We will have been riding in Vermarc Sport kit for more than half of the team’s existence. This says a lot about the quality of the equipment, the mutual trust and the shared love for the sport.”

Ineos Grenadiers

Ineos Grenadiers  will race in red, orange and navy in 2023, with the team deviating from their previous navy jersey.

It is a departure from the team's previous colours, with navy not present as the main colour on the kit; that honour is instead given to a vibrant orange and red, which is perhaps more redolent of Bahrain Victorious.

Only once since the team's inception in 2010 has their main kit been something other than navy or black - 2018's white kit - and so it might take some time for viewers and fans to adjust.

The team are using Ineos' "brigade red" colour, according to the press material. It is the second year that Belgian firm Bioracer has made the team's kit.

The front of the jersey is red, with orange, red, and navy sleeves. The orange featured on the right arm is apparently "safety orange", which is also a colour used by the Ineos Britannia America's Cup team, which is also sponsored by  Jim Ratcliffe , Ineos' owner.

Rod Ellingworth, the team's deputy principal, said in a statement: "The team is shifting up a gear with our 2023 jersey. We’re excited by the evolution of the design and hope our fans love this new look as much as we do. The shift to Ineos' brigade red reflects the way we plan to race - with passion, grit and determination.

“The introduction of the distinctive orange colour is also important. It will increase the visibility of our riders during racing, as the orange kit they wear does whilst they are training, helping to keep them safe on the road and supporting them in all conditions. Bioracer has really risen to the challenge with our 2023 jersey and we’re looking forward to racing in this ‘Visibly Fast’ kit.”

Jumbo-Visma

Jumbo-Visma's new kit is very similar to the old kit. It still is mainly yellow - shock - and has the black band with the sponsors across the middle.

The "roots to rise" jersey will be worn by both the men's and women's team, with only a small change in sponsors between the two.

The difference comes with the rainbow highlight either side of the black band, and the new sponsors, which are Bet City, SRAM and Lease a Bike for the men, and Elfi, and the same latter two for the women.

The kit has been designed to mark ten years of the Dutch team, which began as Blanco Pro Cycling Team in 2013 after the demise of Rabobank - the finance sponsors pulled out due to the prevalence of doping in cycling.

The team was then known as Belkin, before it became LottoNL-Jumbo, and then finally Jumbo-Visma.

"With this jersey, we pay tribute to what we have achieved together over the past ten years, and it is a starting point for further growth over the next ten years”, general manager Richard Plugge said in a statement. 

"We built the team from the ground up to where we are today, with the Tour de France victory last summer being the absolute highlight. By wearing this jersey, we pay tribute to our history, but at the same time, we look forward to the future."

"We have had some wonderful moments in recent years. Think of winning our first grand tour with Primoz Roglic in 2019, the monumental victories, last year's Tour de France, the results of culture carriers like Robert Gesink and Steven Kruijswijk, and the development of talents like Olav Kooij."

“We pioneered new territory a few years ago with the launch of our training and women's teams. We started from scratch and completely redesigned the team. “We now have a solid foundation and will build on the future of the team and Dutch and international cycling."

As a result of it being a 10 year anniversary kit, anyone who buys the jersey before 6 January will received 10 artworks on cards which remember the team's greatest moments, from Lars Boom winning over the cobbles at the Tour de France in 2014 to Jonas Vingegaard winning the Tour de France last year.

AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step

AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step is quite a mouthful of a team, but it is the formalisation of the connection between the all-conquering Quick-Step men's team at the AG Insurance-NXTG women's team, which will be joining the Women's WorldTour next year.

As a result, the team's kit is quite redolent of their Soudal Quick-Step brothers, with the white band across the middle; in fact, it might be exactly the same aside from the different lead sponsors.

Among the riders donning this in 2023 will be Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, who has left SD Worx to be with the new WWT team, and Lotta Henttala, who spent 2022 without a squad.

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty

Last year Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert went for simplicity with coloured sleeves and a plain white front. Now they have changed its name to Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, there has been an explosion of colour on the front of the kit.

The Nalini kit looks a bit like someone has taken a plain white jersey and thrown fluorescent yellow and navy blue paint at it. With 18 sponsors across the kit, it is a heady mix of the old and the new.

One that will stand out in 2023.

Human Powered Health

For its second year as Human Powered Health, the American squad formerly known as Rally has kept the orange and purple that made it stand out in the men's and women's pelotons last year, but made everything a little bit bolder.

The press release for the kit says: "The jersey’s vibrant gradient is refreshed, incorporating rich dark blue and purple hues. The team’s striking bolt symbol is more significant than ever on the front and back of the jersey, and a subtle geometric pattern enhances closer views."

One to watch out for in the Women's WorldTour and the men's ProTour in 2023.

“Our design team has created a kit that is informed by the core principles of our Human Powered Health brand and movement,” the managing director of Circuit Sport, Charles Aaron, said. “It’s about maximizing human performance in the right ways. That means a holistic, whole body and mind approach to performance.” 

These “core principles” that inform Human Powered Health – movement, fuel, recovery and mindset – are reflected in the kit’s rich colour scheme. 

“The warmth and energy of movement and fuel are represented on one end of the gradient,” Human Powered Health’s chief creative officer Sam Wiebe said in the statement, “and on the cooler end of the spectrum are recovery and mindset. We want these cooler colors on our kit to remind people that performance isn’t just about consuming and burning energy. A calmness of mind and body is a critical factor.”

BORA-HANSGROHE

Bora-Hansgrohe have kept a similar design to last year's jersey for their 2023 kit, which will be manufactured by Le Col once more. 

Australian Jai Hindley won the Giro d'Italia for the team last year and as the saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". 

With that in mind, the jersey features the same Bora-Hansgrohe colours of green, black and red, with black panelling making up the left side of the jersey torso and green on the right. 

The logos of sponsors Bora and Hansgrohe occupy the same position on the jersey in large font across the chest, along with other positions on the shoulders. Fellow sponsors logos, Le Col and Specialized, are on display at the top of the front of the jersey too.

Le Col also say that the teams 2023 jersey features a "subtle adjustment" to the design which brought them so much success last year.

Strategically placed tripping panels have been added to the jersey, along with seam layout work. Both additions are in order to increase and smooth the airflow, while also minimising drag to further increase rider efficiency when travelling at speed. 

Bora-Hansgrohe's new shorts are black once more, with the teams other colours visible in coloured panelling at the base of each thigh. White socks will complete their look for the upcoming season. 

Hindley said that he hoped the team could build on Le Col's Grand Tour winning reputation in their new kit in 2023. 

“Winning the Giro earlier this year was a career highlight for me, with the Le Col kit definitely helping along the way," he said. "It’s really exciting to be testing out the new kit for next year’s season and hopefully continue to build on its Grand Tour winning reputation.”

Spanish team Movistar have flipped their kit design on its head for the upcoming season for both their men’s and women’s teams. 

The team have largely been known for their dark blue colours for many years, and that’s still the case this year with the jersey largely being made up of a shade of dark blue which fades out into a lighter shade at the base of the sleeves and towards the waist. 

However, they have opted to lose the horizontal light blue lines across the jersey and chosen the colour fade instead. Another change to the jersey is the sponsors logos are all now white instead of light blue with the large M in its usual positioning in the centre. 

Spanish brand Gobik are manufacturing the team's kit this year after their agreement with La Passione came to an end. To pair with the jersey the team will be racing in dark navy blue shorts with a slightly lighter navy band at the base of each thigh. 

Current World champion Annemiek van Vleuten has gone for a timeless, classic look with her new rainbow jersey, with small rainbow bands appearing on her shorts too. 

Various national champions in the team, including Liane Lippert and Vinicius Rangel Costa, have gone for similar jersey designs to Van Vleuten, with their nations colours proudly on display.  

Cofidis will be appearing on the road in a stylish new kit designed by Decathlon’s cycling brand Van Rysel this season. 

Even though the kit contains the same colours and same sponsors, it’s a stepforward on last year's design and will certainly see Cofidis sporting one of the most eye-catching designs in 2023. 

The red and white colour blocks, which have been a key component of the French squad’s kit for many years, are largely retained. Although the red now stretches up to the neckline instead of finishing half way up the front of the jersey. 

Instead of just a straight ahead red, Van Rysel have added in a tie-dyed pattern across the jersey with the sponsors appearing in white over the top.

The team's sponsors are largely the same as last seasons, although the Look logo has replaced the logo of De Rosa now that Cofidis have changed bike sponsors for the year ahead. 

To go with the new jersey the team are sticking with black shorts once more which are essentially identical to last year’s design. 

JAYCO AlUIa 

The team formerly known as BikeExchange-Jayco have a shiny new Alé kit to go with their name change to Jayco AIUIa for the upcoming season. 

The men’s jersey features various light blue tones to correspond with bike sponsor Giant, with the shoulders largely white apart from the flashes of light blue in various sponsors logos. Jayco’s logo is prominently displayed in large font at the top of the jersey in a sky blue colour, with Giant in the same shade down both sleeves. The AIUla logo sits just underneath Jayco as well as on the side panels. 

The women’s team have a largely similar jersey to the men, but with a darker shade of blue which is verging on purple. The women will ride Liv bikes this season, and the logo of the brand is in the same place as the Giant logo on the men’s jersey down on each sleeve. 

Norwegian team Uno-X Pro Cycling are keeping their kit exactly the same as last seasons, with no changes whatsoever. 

According to the team, this decision is for sustainable purposes and the need to reduce consumption. The team shared the news of their decision on Twitter , with a picture of new signing Alexander Kristoff wearing last season's kit. 

“Our 2023 design. No changes from last season. We need to reduce our consumption. Keeping the design allows us to cut our overall clothing order for 2023,” the team wrote. “Not to mention our fans which will recognise us from day one in the upcoming season.”

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Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

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Tour de France 2023 jersey guide: Who wears the yellow jersey? Green, polka dot and white jerseys explained

Published 03/07/2023 at 15:47 GMT

Each year, new fans flock to cycling due to the allure of the Tour de France. But it's not always the easiest sport to understand, particularly when it comes to the different jerseys on offer at the sport's biggest race. Here, we unpick the yellow, green, polka dot and white jersey competitions. Once you're up to speed, dive back into the Tour live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk.

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Who wears the yellow jersey in the Tour de France?

Who wears the green jersey in the tour de france.

• Flat stages: 50 points, 30, 20, 18, 16 (descending down to 15th position)
• Hilly stages: 30 points, 25, 22, 19, 17 (descending down to 15th position)
• Mountain stages: 20 points, 17, 15, 13, 11 (descending down to 15th position)
• Individual time trial: 20 points, 17, 15, 13, 11 (descending down to 15th position)
• Intermediate sprint: 20 points, 17, 15, 13, 11 (descending down to 15th position)

Who wears the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France?

• Hors Categorie: 20 points, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
• Cat. 1: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1
• Cat. 2: 5, 3, 2, 1
• Cat. 3: 2, 1

Who wears the white jersey in the Tour de France?

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18/10/2023 at 12:09

discovery+ and Eurosport break streaming records for Tour de France coverage

27/07/2023 at 14:07

Vingegaard has 'little way to go' before Merckx comparisons – McEwen

25/07/2023 at 16:44

Results and Highlights From the 2023 Tour de France

Stage-by-stage updates, results, and highlights from this year’s race.

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Read below for stage-by-stage updates, results, and highlights from each stage of the 2023 Tour de France

Stage Winner : Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) was a surprise winner of Stage 21 of the 2023 Tour de France. Meeus won a sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées over the Tour’s top sprinters, Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, and Mads Pedersen.

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) enjoyed some champagne on the ride in and was officially crowned winner of the Tour de France for a second year, winning by 7 minutes, 29 seconds over second place Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)—by the largest margin of victory since 2014.

Final General Classification Standings

• Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma): 82:05:42
• Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): -7:29
• Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates): -10:56
• Simon Yates (Jayco–AlUla): -12:23
• Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers): -13:17

Stage Winner : Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won Stage 20 of the 2023 Tour de France. Pogačar was able to outsprint Jonas Vingegaard and a few other strong riders at the on the flat drag at the top of the Col du Platzerwasel. The win was Pogačar’s second stage win of the this Tour and his 11th career Tour stage win. Vingegaard was third to Pogačar (Stage 17 winner Felix Gall was second), losing just a few bonus seconds, and maintaining his lead in the yellow jersey competition heading into the mostly ceremonial final Stage 21.

The Winner of the Day

He won’t win the yellow jersey in this year’s Tour de France, but Tadej Pogačar was able to go out with a bang on Saturday. Pogačar won a sprint to the finish on a mountain stage—something he’s done many times in the Tour de France. But this win comes only a few days after Pogačar cracked on Stage 17 and effectively lost the GC to Vingegaard. Pogačar never lost faith, securing his 11th TdF stage win and his fourth white jersey of his still very young career.

The Other Winner of the Day

Of course, we be remiss not to mention Jonas Vingegaard, who did exactly what he needed to do on the penultimate stage to win the 2023 Tour de France—barring a Sunday disaster. Stage 20, in fact, mirrored a lot of what Vingegaard was able to do during the middle portion of the Tour, prior to his big gains on the Stage 16 TT and the Stage 17 mountain stage. He hung right with Pogačar and never let his top rival’s advantage on a given stage swell too much. Vingegaard, of course, is a worthy champion that will enjoy some champagne on the Champs-Élysées.

And One More Winner of the Day

Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Lidl) earned maximum points on the first four categorized climbs of the stage, and with it, claimed the King of the Mountains classification at the 2023 Tour de France (as long as he crosses the finish on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday). Ciccone seized the polka dot jersey on Stage 15 and rode brilliantly to pick up points where he could throughout the Tour’s final week. Ciccone becomes the first rider to win the KOM and not win the GC in the same Tour since Romain Bardet in 2019. Sometimes it’s more fun when we spread the wealth.

Best Moment of the Day

It wasn’t a big surprise to see Thibaut Pinot get in the breakaway on the last mountain stage of his storied Tour de France career. And I guess it’s not much of a big surprise that Pinot launched a solo attack with over 30K to go in the stage. The three-time TdF stage winner put on a show for the home fans in France on Stage 20, and what a sight it was to see his supporters on his solo ride up the Petit Ballon. The dream wasn’t to be though, as the yellow jersey group caught Pinot up the Col du Platzerwasel. Merci, Thibaut. Merci.

Stage Winner : Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious)

It doesn’t get any closer than that! Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) took a sprint finish to win Stage 19 of the 2023 Tour de France. Mohorič got in a breakaway that included many of the top sprinters and classics riders. That breakaway included the likes of Jasper Philipsen and Mads Pedersen, so Mohorič knew he had to make a move early and that’s exactly what he did, breaking free, along with Stage 18 winner Kasper Asgreen and Ben O’Connor, of that breakaway with 30K to go in the stage.

Despite a good effort by the chasers—including Philpsen, his Alpecin teammate Mathieu van der Poel, and Pederson—to try and bring back the three attackers, they ultimately couldn’t gain ground and seemed to lack full cooperation. But the pure strength of Mohorič, Asgreen, and O’Connor showed through. Down the final stretch, O’Connor, knowing his speed couldn’t match that of Mohorič or Asgreen, made his move, but that was quickly answered by the pair and it was a drag race between Mohorič and Asgreen, who gapped O’Connor and made their dash for the line. It was a photo finish, but Mohorič narrowly edged out Asgreen for the stage win.

Stage Winner : Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step)

Kasper Asgreen won Stage 18 of the Tour de France in dramatic fashion. Asgreen got in the original breakaway of the day at kilometer zero. On a stage that seemed destined for a sprint finish out of the peloton, Asgreen and the others in the break managed to fend off the hungry peloton. Asgreen outsprinted Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto-Dstny) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) for the win at line.

The Biggest Winner of the Day

It’s no secret that it’s been a rough Tour de France for the Soudal Quick-Step team. The team’s top sprinter, Fabio Jakobsen, withdrew from the race after Stage 12. The squad’s top stage hunting threat, Julian Alaphilippe, has struggled to be a factor in any stage. But Asgreen got Soudal Quick-Step off the schneid Thursday, winning in the most unlikely of ways. Asgreen got himself in the early break and held out just long enough to claim the Stage 18 victory—the first grand tour stage win of his career.

The Biggest Loss of the Day

This goes to anyone from the peloton that was hoping to get the stage win today. The flat stage was tailor-made for the pure sprinters, but the peloton struggled to pull back the four-man breakaway. It seemed in the last 10K that a catch was inevitable, but the break stayed strong and held out just long enough. Alpecin-Deceuninck, which has already racked up four stage wins this Tour, is the team that loses the most on the day. Their top sprinter Jasper Philipsen—responsible for those four wins—was fourth on the stage and the top finisher from the peloton. It would have been his stage to win—if the peloton caught the break, that is.

Stage Winner: Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën)

Felix Gall won Stage 17 of the Tour de France, a stage that ended up being the craziest of the 2023 Tour so far. Gall made his move from the breakaway and rode away from a talented group of riders to claim the first grand tour stage win of his career.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of fireworks behind Gall. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) cracked on the stage losing well over five minutes to Jonas Vingegaard in the yellow jersey. Vingeagaard placed fourth on the stage and gained a significant amount of time that will likely carry him to Paris in the maillot jaune.

We’ll get to the stage winner shortly, but first we must acknowledge that Vingegaard won the 2023 Tour de France on Wednesday. First, Pogačar massively cracked on the Col de la Loze, then Vingagaard went on the offensive to deliver the dagger. Vingegaard finished fourth on the stage, 1:52 back of the stage winner Gall, but more importantly, he gained 5:45 on the man that was by his side for the first 15 stages of the Tour, Pogačar. With just four stages remaining, Vingegaard now leads by a whopping 7:35 over Pogačar. Assuming he stays upright, Vingegaard will win his second straight Tour de France on Sunday.

The Other Biggest Winner of the Day

Felix Gall has been one of the Tour’s revelations, and on Wednesday he confirmed that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with for the future in the WorldTour. The 25-year-old, who entered the day in 10th place in the GC, conquered the Col de la Loze and rode to the win on the stage that many have called “the hardest of the Tour.” Gall emerged on the radar after he took the polka dot jersey after Stage 5 of this year’s Tour. But now he earned his signature moment, winning on an absolutely brutal day in France. Gall moves up the eighth in the GC, but more importantly, he’s etched his name into TdF history forever.

After losing over a minute and a half to the yellow jersey on Tuesday, Pogačar effectively lost the 2023 Tour de France on Wednesday. Pogačar didn’t ride a bad individual time trial on Tuesday’s Stage 16, despite losing 1:38 to Vingegaard. But on Wednesday’s Stage 17, Pogačar had the worst day we’ve ever seen the 24-year-old have at the Tour de France. “I’m gone. I’m dead,” Pogačar said to his team over the radio during the stage after he cracked and lost over five minutes to Vingegaard ending what was a terrific GC battle through the first 16 stages of the Tour.

Other Notable Gains from a Wild Stage

Simon Yates (Jayco–AlUla) made the day’s biggest jump within the top 10 of the GC. While he was second on the stage for the second time this Tour (though this time it was to someone other than his twin brother), Yates moved from eighth to fifth. He’s 12:19 behind the yellow jersey, but just 18 seconds behind Carlos Rodriguez for fourth place in the GC. Simon’s twin brother Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), meanwhile, was able to further solidify his spot on the podium. Adam Yates is in third place with a 1:16 advantage on Rodriguez, who lost time today.

Stage Winner : Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) roared to the Stage 16 win in the 2023 Tour de France’s lone individual time trial. Vingegaard put down an incredible TT over 22.4km and he won the stage by 1:38 over second place Tadej Pogačar, who also happens to be his biggest rival in the GC battle. Vingegaard earned his Jumbo-Visma team its first stage win of the Tour, and more importantly, he made the most significant time gains of the Tour so far.

Jonas Vingegaard is the clear winner of the stage and quite likely the entire 2023 Tour de France after Tuesday. Vingegaard, the defending Tour champion, put down the individual time trial of his life on Tuesday—a day after the rest day—providing further evidence of the Magic of the Yellow Jersey. Vingegaard’s hold on the yellow jersey was just 10 seconds entering Stage 16, but it ballooned all the way to 1:48 after the time trial—a margin that will most likely prove decisive in the battle for the maillot jaune. After a lot of back and forth between Vingegaard and Pogačar in the mountains during the first 15 stages, Vingegaard dealt Pogačar the first major blow of this Tour.

Tadej Pogačar had the second best time of the day on Stage 16—a minute and 13 seconds ahead of Wout Van Aert!—but he may have lost the 2023 Tour de France Tuesday. Very little has separated Vingegaard and Pogačar during the first two weeks of the Tour, but Vingegaard tacking 1:38 in addition to his 10-second advantage on the individual time trial may prove to be decisive in the GC battle. It’s, of course, never over until it’s over. Pogačar will have two significant mountain stages before the Tour reaches Paris on Sunday, so the chances are there. But psychologically, it will be tough for Pogačar to regroup after Tuesday’s time trial.

While it’s clear that Jumbo-Visma’s energy at the 2023 Tour de France has been focused on helping Vingegaard win the yellow jersey—something they’ve been very successful at!—it was still surprising to see the Dutch superteam without a stage win through the first two weeks of the Tour. That changed on Tuesday, thanks to the maillot jaune himself. Vingegaard rode an unbelievable TT to Stage 16 to claim the stage win by 1:38. Surely, the GC gains are the most important, but Jumbo-Visma won’t be too upset to finally snag a TdF stage win in 2023.

Stage Winner : Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious)

Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) won Stage 15 of the 2023 Tour de France, capturing the win from the breakaway and beating a talented group to claim the first TdF stage victory of his career.

Poels spent a lot of time in the breakaway on Sunday, but his strength showed throughout the entire day. He stayed patient in the break and joined an attacking group with around 35K to go in the stage. That quartet included Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Krists Neilands (Israel-PremierTech), and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates). In the early parts of the final climb of the day—Mont Blanc—Poels made his move on Van Aert and extended his lead from there.

The Biggest Loser of the Day

Normally we call this section”The Biggest Loss of the Day” because it sounds nicer. But we’ll throw that out of the window for this one. The biggest loser of the day on Sunday was the fan that interfered with the peloton early in Stage 15, causing a massive crash.

It’s got to be the fans! Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) battled up the Mont Blanc and finished together at the finish of Stage 15. Vingegaard’s yellow jersey advantage remains at 10 seconds as we enter the rest day on Monday before the final week of the Tour de France. The margins couldn’t be closer, and who doesn’t love a tremendously close GC battle in the Tour de France? Fans will enjoy an action-packed—and surely attack-filled—final week of this Tour.

Stage Winner : Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers)

Spain’s Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) won Stage 14 of the 2023 Tour de France during a wild day in the GC. Rodriguez was dropped on the final climb up the Joux Plane, but he was able to return on the ensuing descent, and gap the two GC leaders and ride to the stage win—the second in as many days for INEOS—and improve his own GC positioning.

We expected to see GC fireworks on Stage 14 and we got exactly that. But at the end of the stage, there ultimately wasn’t a ton of change at least as far as the top two in the Tour were concerned. So therefore, the biggest winner of the day is Carlos Rodriguez and his INEOS Grenadiers team. Rodriguez capitalized on Pogačar and Vingegaard focusing on the overall GC situation. He seized his opportunity on the descent in the run-in to the finish and claimed victory on the day and moved into the podium, now sitting in third place overall in the GC, 4:43 back of the yellow jersey.

As we watched the absolute most thrilling stage of the 2023 Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar had Jonas Vingegaard on the ropes and was ready to launch an attack as they approached the top of the Col de Joux Plane. But that plan was foiled. Pogačar attacked, but was forced to stop his acceleration when the motorbikes got in the way. Eventually, Vingegaard was the one to attack and gain the time bonuses on offer at the top of the climb. You can blame the fans. You can blame the motorbikes. But maybe your blame should go to the race organizers, who should have had barrier set up to remove the chance of any interference with the battling riders.

The Other Biggest Loss of the Day

With 146K to go in Stage 14, a massive crash involved a majority of the peloton, leading to the abandonment of five riders. The race was also neutralized—a good decision by the race officials given that there wasn’t even a breakaway formed at the time of the crash. After losing GC hope Richard Carapaz, EF Education EasyPost’s Esteban Chaves and James Shaw were caught up in the crash and forced to abandon the Tour. Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Antonio Pedrero (Movistar) and Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich) also abandoned.

And How About One More Winner of the Day

Despite the motorbikes/fans/race organizers spoiling what could have been a perfect day for Pogačar, the Solvenian’s ability to withstand the torrid pace set all day long by the Jumbo-Visma squad is a big win. Ultimately, Pogačar lost one second to Vingegaard and now trails by 10 seconds in the GC standings, but he’s shown that he may hold a slight advantage in form over Vingegaard. It’s going to be a wild last week of racing.

Stage Winner

Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers) won Stage 13 of the 2023 Tour de France, The 33-year-old won the stage atop the “Beyond Category” Grand Colombier after spending all day in the breakaway and then attacking what was left of it on the lower slopes of the final climb. It was clear throughout most of the 137.8km ride from Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to the summit of the Grand Colombier that UAE Team Emirates wanted to set-up Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar for the win. But Kwiatokoski, a super-domestique with an impressive resume of his own, proved too strong to catch, holding-off Belgium’s Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Soudal) and then Pogačar to take the second Tour de France stage victory of his career.

Biggest Winner of the Day

While they didn’t win the stage, UAE Team Emirates has to be feeling good about its chances of winning its third Tour de France in four years. The team rode an impressive race from start to finish, lined-up at the front of the peloton throughout much of the day and setting a ferocious pace on the final climb to whittle down the yellow jersey group. But that was just an amuse bouche, as Great Britain’s Adam Yates attacked the group about 2 kilometers from the summit, drawing out Vingegaard’s teammate Sepp Kuss, and then Vingegaard and Pogačar themselves. Pogačar saved his own attack for the final ramp to the finish line, and while Vingegaard was able to follow at first he soon succumbed to the Slovenian’s acceleration. Jumbo-Visma clearly thinks the Alps will prove to be the Tour’s most important battlegrounds, but UAE is confident, strong, and looks to have all the firepower they need to win the Tour.

Gutsiest Ride of the Day

Kwiatkowski seems to have been given a free role at INEOS, chasing breakaways despite the fact that the team has two riders, Spain’s Carlos Rodríguez and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock, in the top-10 overall. The 33-year-old rewarded the team’s faith today, ensuring that no matter what happens with its young GC riders, the team won’t go home from the Tour empty-handed.

Unsung Hero/Head-Scratcher

If you watched earlier seasons of the Movistar documentary “The Least Expected Day” on Netflix, then Spain’s Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) should be a familiar name to you. (And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?) The mercurial rider is immensely talented, but he often gave his directors and teammates headaches by making some bone-headed decisions from time to time. After transferring to UAE Team Emirates after the 2021 season, the 29-year-old is now one of Pogačar’s most important domestiques, which he showed with his pace-setting midway up the Grand Colombier. But just for good measure, he also showed why Movistar found him so frustrating: once he pulled off from the yellow jersey group, he caught back on to the back of it, which meant he must have had a little left in the tank that he could have given while he was on the front. His directors will certainly discuss this with him before tomorrow’s stage.

What Were They Thinking?

Intermediate sprints are usually designed for, um, sprinters. But today’s came in the town of Hauteville-Lompnes, midway up a long, gradual climb. We get that these are business decisions (towns pay lots of money to host the Tour’s intermediate sprints), but we can’t help but wonder what the Tour organizers were thinking today. Our best guess is that there were few bidders to host the sprint, leaving ASO with no other choice but to put it on a plateau.

Biggest Loser of the Day

Today was Bastille Day and the French were out in force on the Grand Colombier–so much so that the ascent was closed to anyone hoping to climb it early in the morning. But they had little to cheer for thanks to a lackluster showing from the Tour’s French riders. Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) did his best, attacking on the lower slopes of the Grand Colombier only to be caught by Kwiatkoski and others a little while later.To make matters worse, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Romain Bardet (DSM-firmenich) were both dropped from the yellow jersey group thanks to the pace set by UAE Team Emirates, leaving David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) as the home nation’s best chance for a high finish in Paris (although that’s a bit of stretch given the fact that he’s ninth overall and almost 7 minutes beyond Vingegaard).

Best North American

Sepp Kuss rode valiantly on behalf of Vingegaard, covering Yates’ attack near the top of the Colombier and then hanging on to finish twelfth on the stage. He’s now back into the Tour’s top-10 overall, but will likely sacrifice himself for the sake of Vingegaard in the Alps, where his team thinks the race will be decided.

Rookie of the Day

Riding his first Tour de France and only his second grand tour, Rodríguez maintained his position on the Tour’s General Classification, ending the day fourth overall, 4:48 behind Vingegaard. INEOS is happy to let the 22-year-old (and Pidcock) follow wheels in the yellow jersey group, giving them the space and the freedom to ride their best Tours possible without any pressure from the team.

There’s still a lot of race left, but Rodríguez looks to be a true podium contender–if he can somehow overcome the nearly two minutes that separate him from Australia’s Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe), who currently sits third overall.

Another Two Bite the Dust

Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan (Lotto Destny) was dropped about 55km from the end of the stage and abandoned the Tour soon after. Ewan barely survived the time cut on Stage 13 and was seen clutching his abdomen after getting dropped. Once thought to be a rider who would dominate Tour field sprints for years, Ewan now hasn’t won a stage at the Tour since 2020. INEOS also lost one its domestiques: Great Britain’s Ben Turner. It’s a good thing Kwiatkowski won a stage today, because without Turner, the team will need him to stay back and support Rodríguez and Pidcock in the Alps.

Stage Winner : Ion Izagirre (Cofidis)

Make it two stage wins for the Cofidis team in the 2023 Tour de France. That’s thanks to a brilliant Stage 12 ride by Ion Izagirre. With 30K to go on the final climb of the day, Izagirre broke free of the breakaway that included the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, riding to the day’s stage win. For Izagirre, it’s his second career stage win—he won

Let’s hear it again for Cofidis! The French team ended a 15-year Tour de France stage win drought on Stage 2 when Victor Lafay rode to the victory. But they weren’t finished there. Izagirre made his move on the Mathieu van der Poel and the rest of the breakaway at the perfect time and rode clear to the win. Cofidis also had Gui Martin positioned nicely in that select breakaway as a backup plan. It was terrific execution on the day during what has been a dream Tour for Cofidis.

Thibaut Pinot was surely going for a stage win on Thursday; it was not to be. But the 33-year-old from Groupama-FDJ, riding in his final Tour de France, made the move into the top ten of GC. He shot up from 15th overall, 9:36 behind the yellow jersey to tenth overall, 6:30 down. It’s likely not the last we’ve seen of Pinot’s stage win attempts in this year’s Tour, but regardless, it’s cool to see the veteran in the top ten overall.

The Heartbreak of the Day—and the Whole Tour (So Far)

It’s been a strong couple weeks for American Matteo Jorgensen. But unfortunately for the Movistar rider, he doesn’t have a stage win to show for it. Few riders—if any—have spent more time in the breakaway during the first 12 stages of the Tour, but the big win has been just out of his grasp. No defeat was more heartbreaking than Sunday’s Stage 9 on the Puy de Dôme. On Stage 12, Jorgensen appeared to be the strongest rider in the group chasing Izagirre, but he left it too late. He launched a number of (ultimately futile) attempts to try and bridge the gap, but it wasn’t to be. The good news for the American is that there are plenty of pro-breakaway stages remaining for him to try and claim his well-deserved glory.

Stage Winner : Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Jasper Philipsen won Stage 11 of the 2023 Tour de France, picking up his fourth stage win so far and continuing to assert his dominance in the sprints. It was a wet and technical finish in Moulins on Tuesday, but that didn’t stop Philipsen, who sprinted past Dylan Groenewegen in the closing meters to claim win No. 4 of the Tour.

Philipsen has proven himself to be the king of the sprints in this year’s Tour de France, capturing his fourth stage victory in the first 11 stages. Additionally, he improved upon his lead in the green jersey points competition. He now leads that by a staggering 145 points. What’s perhaps most impressive about his Stage 11 victory was that he did it without the aid of his top Alpecin-Deceuninck comrade Mathieu van der Poel, who was not spotted up front in the run in to the finish. Philipsen has proven that he can win in multiple different ways and he could be well on his way to a second straight Stage 21 victory in Paris.

Another day, another goose egg in the stage win column for Soudal-QuickStep. The QuickStep team was right at the head of the peloton for much of the ride into the finish in Moulins, working for Fabio Jakobsen, but in the final sprint, Jakobsen was a non-factor sitting on the back of the bunch and ultimately finishing 16th on the day. Jakobsen crashed during the tricky Stage 4 finish, and it appears the sprinter hasn’t fully recovered from those injuries.

The Close Call of the Day

Well, that could have been bad. As the pace ramped up with just over 5K to go in the stage, the Jumbo-Visma train was at the front with Soudal Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe sandwiched in between then. The yellow jersey of Jonas Vingegaard made his way along the edge of the road next to Alaphilippe and—perhaps not noticing him—Alaphilippe drifted towards Vingegaard and the pair nearly collided. Thankfully, nothing happened and Alaphilippe gave the maillot jaune an apologetic tap of the back and the run into the finish continued.

Stage Winner : Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious)

Pello Bilbao won a sprint out of the breakaway to claim the Stage 10 victory after a thrilling of racing.

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) takes his first Tour de France stage win at 33-years-old. This is the first win by a Spanish rider in 100 stages. He also slides into the top 5 for the overall standings. Bilbao rode an incredibly smart sprint, shielding himself with Zimmermann and O’Connor as long as possible before throwing the hammer down. Bilbao becomes the 5th first-time stage winner of the tour. In his post-ride interview he dedicated his ride to Gino Mäder, who died recently after suffering a terrible crash in the Tour de Suisse.

Krists Neilands (Israel–Premier Tech) rode a perfectly aggressive race, earned the KOM points on Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse (Cat 3), and just kept building his lead in front of the two chase groups. With 10 km to go, the team radio told him, “It’s the day of your life, the day of your life, let’s go.” But with less than a kilometer to go, he couldn’t hold off the chasers. He put up an incredible battle and came away with 4th place.

Biggest Villain(s) of the Day

The road and the heat. Man-eating speed bumps, loads of gravel, and chipped pavement all made fast descents even more dangerous than usual. And by the end of the race, temperatures soared to 97-degrees and riders had a hard time staying hydrated. Groups of 4-5 stuck together just to survive.

Newest Race Strategy?

Sometimes race leaders wait until the last mile to make their move. And sometimes they do it with 100 miles to go. Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard went on the attack early in the race to split the peloton. That set the pace for an aggressive day. Still with 48 miles to go there was a 14-man breakaway that took off. The pace throughout the stage was bonkers, making it difficult for such riders as Wout van Aert, who always wants to be the one to set an ambitious pace. Riders started dropping like flies with 30 km to go.

The peloton eventually calmed down and came together, led entirely by Jumbo-Visma.

Cutest Couple

Frenemies and cyclocross stars Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert worked together for a bit to attack out of the peloton with 40 km to go. They broke up after 10 km of riding together as Wout dropped Mathieu to ride on. They proved that when conditions are tough, working with anyone is better than no one.

Stage Winner: Mike Woods (Israel-PremierTech)

Canada’s Mike Woods (Israel-PremierTech) won Stage 9 atop the Hors Categorie (“Beyond Category”) Puy de Dôme, one of the most famous climbs in Tour history. The 36-year-old from Toronto paced himself from the base of the climb, catching four riders on his way to his first Tour de France stage victory.

France’s Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) finished second and Slovenia’s Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) finished third. After an aggressive day of racing from the breakaway, American Neilson Powless held on to finish sixth on the Puy de Dôme, extending his lead in the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. He’ll wear the polka dot jersey into the first rest day and to start the Tour’s second week

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) clawed back 8 more seconds, and now sits just 17 seconds behind Denmarks’ Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on the Tour’s General Classification. It seems like an eternity since the two-time Tour winner lost over a minute to Vingegaard at the end of Stage 5, and he’s now regained almost all the time he conceded. More importantly, after gapping the Dane on Stage 6 and Stage 9’s summit finishes, he clearly has a mental edge of his biggest rival to win the Tour.

American Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) attacked the 14-rider breakaway with about 40km to go, heading up the road on his own and slowly extending his lead. Helped by the fact that the four riders chasing him weren’t working well together, it looked for a while as if the 24-year-old from Boise, Idaho was about to take his first Tour de France stage win.

But as the climb steepened, word came that Woods was steadily closing the gap from further down the mountain, and before we knew it, there he was. Jorgenson was clearly running on fumes as first Woods and then France’s Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Slovenia’s Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) caught the American. He ended the day one spot away from the podium, a painful result considering how close he came to winning–and his two fourth-place finishes in last year’s Tour.

Best Mathlete

American Neilson Powless went on the attack again today, joining the breakaway in an attempt to pad his lead in the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. Well, Powless needs to send a thank you note to his elementary school math teacher (or at least his director sportif): by winning each of categorized climbs in the middle of the stage, Powless ensured that he had enough points to keep the polka dot jersey–no matter what happened on the Puy de Dôme, which awarded 20 points to the rider who was first to the summit. Powless’ sixth-place finish on the stage earned him another six KOM points, extending his lead even more.

Powless now leads Austria’s Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën) by 18 points and with only 16 points available between Stages 10 and 11, the American is guaranteed to wear the jersey through Thursday. Look for him to continue his polka dot assault: Gall might be given more freedom to fight for the jersey himself after his captain, Australia’s Ben O’Connor, lost more time at the end of Stage 9, meaning his team might be shifting its goals to fight for stage wins–and the King of Mountains prize.

Unsung Hero

American Sepp Kuss and Belgian Wout van Aert get all the prestige as Vingeggard’s top two domestiques (deservedly so), but let’s take a minute to recognize the pace-setting done by Dutchman Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma). Today he took over after van Aert pulled off and before Kuss took his turn, shedding more riders from the GC group. It’s too bad that Pogačar seems to be profiting from the hard work being done by Vingegaard’s team. Perhaps we won’t see so much of Kelderman, Kuss, van Aert, and co. at the front during the Tour’s second week.

Eeriest Moment

One of the conditions of the agreement that allowed the Tour to revisit the Puy de Dôme was that fans would not be allowed to line the climb’s upper slopes, which meant an eerie almost awkward silence as the riders tackled the final portion of the ascent. In a Tour that’s already seen overzealous fans cause some mayhem, the silence was likely a welcome treat for riders annoyed by fans getting in their faces during the Tour’s most important–and painful–moments.

Worst Luck?

Jorgenson needed a bottle at about 33km to go, but was unable to get one because the cars and motorbikes had been moved out of the gap as his pursuers dangled close behind. On a sweltering day that asked a lot of the riders in terms of hydrating and fueling, those few minutes without a bottle–and without his team car–might have made the difference between winning and losing the stage.

A day after they won Stage 8, today could have been another chance for Lidl-Trek, with Denmark’s Martin Skjelmose and Italy’s Giulio Ciccone contenders to win on the Puy de Dôme. But the team missed the move, a tactical blunder that cost them a chance to take a historic victory. To his credit, Skjelmose tried to bridge up to the move after it escaped, but he was joined by Italy’s Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost), who already had Powless up the road and was ordered not to work with the Dane.

And to the idiot gentleman who brought a clothesline to the roadside of the Tour de France: Please leave your laundry at home!

Stage Winner : Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) won a Stage 8 sprint, holding off Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) to win his first stage of the 2023 Tour de France. The run-in to the finish saw some punchy climbs, but the top sprinters were all there and Pedersen took the win in the end.

Pedersen claimed his second career Tour de France stage win. It was stage that was designed nicely for his strengths with some climbs near the end and a technical finish. The Lidl-Trek team was perfectly positioned to springboard Pedersen to the finish. Alpecin-Deceuninck had a strong leadout train as well, putting Philipsen in good position to win his fourth stage of the Tour. But Pedersen had the advantage from the start of the sprint and was able to hold off Philipsen in what seemed like an impossibly long final stretch to the line.

Stage 8 saw the withdrawal of Mark Cavendish, one of the all-time great Tour de France riders. Cav suffered a collarbone injury and was forced to abandon , ruining his chance of breaking the all-time TdF stage wins record. It’s an especially hard pill to swallow for Cavendish and cycling fans alike, with the crash coming a day after the Manx Missile nearly captured his record-breaking stage win were it not for a mechanical issue in the closing meters. Although he announced his retirement at the end of the season in May, maybe there’s a chance

Simon Yates (Jayco–AlUla) was the lone GC rider to lose time on Saturday, crashing with about 6K to go in the stage—outside of the 3K safe zone where riders don’t lose any time for crashes.. Simon Yates entered the stage in fourth place in the GC, 3:14 off the yellow jersey and now he sits in sixth place, 4:01 back and now behind Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) and his twin brother Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates).

The Run-Through-A-Brick-Wall Moment of the Day

How about the reaction from the Lidl-Trek team car after Pedersen’s epic Stage 8 win? Listen for yourself and get pumped up on this Saturday.

This was a stage that had cycling fans screaming at the top of their lungs at the finish. After a long, sleepy, and mostly flat stage, all the action was crammed into the last 3K. Why all the screaming? Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) came this close to winning the stage and breaking the TdF stage wins record, only to be passed by the seemingly unstoppable Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) with 500 meters to go.

Philipsen was once again positioned perfectly for the win by his leadout ace during this year’s Tour, Mathieu van der Poel, in what he referred to as the team’s “dream Tour” during post race interviews. Cavendish, however, made it very clear that he is more than capable of winning a stage this year, with a second place finish being his best one yet. If Cav keeps getting stronger as he seems to be, there will very likely be more screaming fans tomorrow.

Biggest Winners of the Day

The Alpecin lead out train offered another masterclass in how to win stages in this year’s Tour, with Mathieu van der Poel delivering Jasper Philipsen to another stage win. The other big winner for us during this stage was the one and only Mark Cavendish, who almost made it to the line first before Philipsen overtook him at the last moment. The fact that the Manx Missile’s finish position has come closer and closer to number one with every sprint stage, we think he has the power and form necessary to win number 35 this year. For today, Philipsen keeps the green jersey for another day.

Biggest Surprise of the Day

On a stage that often resembled a recovery ride until the last 10km as the riders gave their legs a bit of a break after two stages in the Pyrenees, the commentary surrounding Wout van Aert and whether he’s on the wrong team was loud and impossible to miss. Christian Vande Velde openly questioned on air what Wout would be able to do if he were on a team he could lead during the Tour instead of having to work for Jonas Vingegaard. With persistent media speculations about tension between Van Aert and Vingegaard on the Jumbo-Visma squad, the riders have routinely denied that anything is amiss, but the questions about whether that’s true have never been this blunt.

Gutsiest—Erm, or Maybe Stupidest—Ride of the Day

With approximately 20K to go, French riders Pierre Latour, the white jersey winner of 2018, and Nans Peters, a 2020 Tour stage winner, took off, working together in an attack that it seemed impossible to hold to the line. This didn’t seem to phase these two, as they spiced up an otherwise sleepy stage, putting up to 40 seconds on the peloton. Eventually Latour went solo in an all out effort, putting the sprinters on notice before blowing up with 3.5K to go.

Strongest American Rider of the Day - Nielsen Powless

Polka Dot Powless kept the King of the Mountains jersey for another day after recapturing it yesterday. The California native has become the de facto team leader for EF Education-EasyPost after Richard Carapaz crashed during Stage 1 and was forced by his injuries to leave the race. Powless went after the KOM competition right out of the gate during this year’s Tour, and so far he’s worn polka dots six out of the seven stages.

Tadej Pogačar won Stage 6 of the 2023 Tour de France, and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) took the yellow leader's jersey during an busy day in the Pyranees. While Vingegaard took over the GC lead, Pogačar made the biggest statement of the day, passing and gapping Vingegaard on the final climb of the day. Pogačar won the stage and narrowed the gap to Vingegaard.

Tadej Pogačar, who made us think that maybe he was playing with us all day. He saved it all for the last 2 km. taking even Jonas Vingegaard by surprise. He took back much of his deficit on the yellow jersey today. He put himself back in the race.

With 2.5K to go on the climb to Cauterets up the Plateau du Cambasque, Tadej Pogačar attacked Vingegaard with a huge surge. Today’s final stretch hints that this whole tour might come down to seconds. Pogačar ended up 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard on the stage.

Wout van Aert can lead a race forever. The super-domestique did so much work to set the pace for this entire stage. The pacemaking was literally perfect, many times looking like the only one working. With 4.4 km. to go he finally pulled over and left it up to Vingegaard looking like he had given it every ounce of his being.

Strongest American Rider(s) of the Day

Neilson Powless (EF Education–EasyPost) had a very strong day earning the overall KOM on the climbs.

And Sepp Kuss has been wildly consistent through the tour so far. Today, as usual, he dropped every one of his competitors to bring Jonas Vingegaard up the climbs. He’s easily one of the most valuable riders for Vingegaard.

Stage Winner : Jai Hindley (Bora–Hansgrohe)

Jai Hindley won Stage 5 of the 2023 Tour de France, claiming the yellow leader’s jersey along with it. It was an eventful first day in the Pyrenees as the top climbers in the world shined and shook up the GC in a big way. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek) was second in the stage and Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën) came across third on the day. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora–Hansgrohe) was fourth and Jonas Vingegaard was fifth on the stage. Ciccone, Gall, and Buchmann were all 32 seconds behind Hindley and Vingegaard was 34 seconds behind the stage winner.

Jai Hindley put himself in the right breakaway and made all the correct moves on Stage 5 to rocket himself to the stage victory and the yellow jersey. It was an absolutely brilliant day in the saddle for the Australian, who said after the race that he was merely “improvising.” Hindley is no stranger to wearing the leader’s jersey at a Grand Tour; he won the 2022 Giro d’Italia. This may not necessarily be just one quick day in yellow tomorrow for Hindley. More on that in a bit.

When Jonas Vingegaard attacked off the wheels of his teammate Sepp Kuss on the Col de Marie Blanque with 19K to go in the stage, it was our first opportunity of the Tour to see if co-favorite Tadej Pogačar had the legs to match him. He did not. Vingegaard blazed ahead up the climb and maintained that advantage even on the descent of the Col de Marie Blanque. All told, Vingegaard finished 1:04 ahead of Pogačar on the stage, and is 53 seconds up on him in the GC.

Pogačar is in a tough position after Stage 5, now 53 seconds behind the reigning Tour champion Vingegaard. Pogačar, who won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, has a lot of work to do over the next few weeks to attempt a comeback on Vingegaard. Pogačar suffered a fractured wrist in April and lost some time on the bike while he recovered. Is that lost fitness the difference maker here?

Could it be the 47 seconds that Vingegaard surrendered to Hindley? Hindley is, of course, a former Grand Tour winner and not a rider to be taken lightly. It may have been a bit surprising that the Bora–Hansgrohe rider was allowed to get in the breakaway that eventually launched Hindley to the win. But that was the calculation that the Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates squads made. It’s possible that Thursday’s stage—once again in the Pyranees— is Hindley’s lone day in the yellow jersey. It’s also possible that Hindley is in yellow for much longer than that. Never doubt the power of the maillot jaune.

The Moment of the Day

The official Tour de France YouTube has made some great highlight videos. But they’ve also been great about showing fans the terrific raw—erm, unedited—emotion that the Tour brings out. Take the above video of Hindley after the stage as evidence.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claimed his second stage win of the 2023 Tour de France, sprinting to the Stage 4 victory on Tuesday. It was a crash-marred last 5K after a very slow day in the peloton. Philipsen’s Alpecin-Deceuninck team once again delivered a great leadout and Philipsen had the legs at the end to hold off a hard-charging Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny). Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) was third across the line to make for the same three men on the podium as Stage 3 (just flip Ewan and Bauhaus).

Alpecin-Deceuninck continued to assert its dominance, claiming the stage win for a second straight day. But Stage 4 was a lot different than Stage 3, despite both days being relatively flat stages. The Stage 4 finish on the motorsport track, Circuit Paul Armagnac created plenty of chaos, which saw three different crashes in the final 2K. But the Alpecin team once again held strong and Mathieu van der Poel emerged at just the right moment to deliver Philipsen to his second win in as many days.

Jasper Philipsen won Stage 3 of the Tour de France, capturing a sprint victory over Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny). Philipsen received a terrific leadout from his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel and was delivered to the finish in great position to use his power to take the stage win.

It was a bit of a controversial finish, as race organizers took a little while after the finish before declaring Philipsen as the stage winner officially. There was some question about whether Philipsen drifted into Wout Van Aert’s line in the closing meters of the finish. Ultimately, there would be no relegation and Philipsen was given the stage victory.

Winner of the Day

It’s Alpecin-Deceuninck. Who is going to be able to beat this team when Mathieu freakin’ van der Poel is providing a picture perfect leadout? Meanwhile, Philipsen’s speed these days seems to be the best in the world. Between Philipsen and MVDP, we likely haven’t seen the last stage win for Alpecin in this Tour.

Biggest Loss of the Day

This goes to Wout Van Aert and Jumbo-Visma for a second straight day . After a miscalculation in the sprint finish on Sunday’s Stage 2, Van Aert missed out on another good opportunity to grab a stage win on Monday’s Stage 3. This sprint, however, was a little different—and maybe he has a complaint for the ASO. Neck and neck with Philipsen in the closing meters, Van Aert looked to be running out of room between Philipsen and the barriers. Van Aert let up—possibly to avoid a crash?—and Philipsen rode to the stage win (though there was a fairly lengthy delay before race officials declared Philipsen the winner). Did Philipsen impede Van Aert? Watch for yourself and you be the judge.

Touching Moment of the Day

This came from the Arkéa–Samsic team car as the lone holdout of the breakaway, Laurent Pichon, rode solo through the streets of Spain. Over the radio the team told Pichon: “I’m so proud of you. You are a warrior. You give us so much great emotion. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! I love you very much.”

Pinchon, for his efforts on the day, was given the combativity award—and rightfully so. How can you not get emotional about the Tour de France?

Celebration(s) of the Day

Nothing against Philipsen’s fist pump as he crossed the finish line of Stage 3, but let’s give it up for Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost). The American, once again, spent the majority of the day in the breakaway to gain precious King of the Mountains points to retain his polka dot jersey. He summiting all four climbs first and gave the fans a nice waving of his arms at the top—a rare mid-race celebration that we can all appreciate! Powless claimed the maximum seven KOM points on offer on Stage 3 and extended his lead in the competition as we head into another sprint stage on Tuesday.

Stage Winner : Victor Lafay (Cofidis)

Victor Lafay won Stage 2 of the 2023 Tour de France. The Cofidis rider broke free of the lead group of riders that included many of the race favorites with 1K to go in the Tour’s longest stage (208.9K). It was a surprise victory for Lafay, who managed to hold off a hard-charging Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar in the waning meters to capture his first-career stage win.

Victor Lafay and the whole Cofidis team are easily the biggest winners of the day. It’s been 15 years since the French team has won a stage in the Tour de France, and on Sunday, Lafay came through in thrilling fashion to get Cofidis the win on the day. With Van Aert in the reduced peloton coming to the finish, Lafay knew his only shot of taking the stage would be by launching an early attack. He went with 1K to go, and thanks to a bit of misjudgement on Van Aert’s part and some pure guts on Lafay’s part, he won the sprint and earned the first stage win for Cofidis since Sylvain Chavanel in 2008.

It’s unquestionably Wout Van Aert and the Jumbo-Visma squad for missing a surefire opportunity at a stage win. Jumbo had both the numbers and the speed in the reduced peloton for the bunch sprint at the end. But the tactics just weren’t there for the Dutch superteam. Van Aert made his emotions known just as he crossed the finish line, slamming his handlebars, knowing full well he left it too late to take his tenth career TdF stage win.

Another Big Day for the American

Neilson Powless will keep the polka dot jersey for another day—and it’s been well-earned. The American riding for EF Education-EasyPost got himself in the break and banked key King of the Mountains points. Powless was first over four climbs that offered points and he now holds a four-point lead over Tadej Pogačar in the KOM competition. It looked for a time that Powless might be able to hold out for the stage win—and perhaps a shot at the yellow jersey. But a motivated peloton brought him back on the last major climb of the day.

Carapaz Abandons

After a Stage 1 crash involving Enric Mas (Movistar) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) forced Mas to abandon the 2023 Tour de France, Carapaz was able to limp to the finish of the opening stage. But unfortunately for the Ecuadorian national champion, he wouldn’t start Sunday’s second stage, suffering a fractured kneecap. It’s never fun to see two of the peloton’s top stars leave the Tour after just one stage.

Stage Winner : Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates)

Adam Yates (UAE team Emirates) claimed Stage 1 of the 2023 Tour de France, winning an unusually difficult opening stage and claiming the race’s first yellow jersey. Adam Yates outlasted his twin brother, Simon Yates (Jayco–AlUla), as the two riders broke free after the final climb of the day.

It’s gotta be the Yates family, right? There simply cannot be a better feeling for Adam and Simon’s loved ones than watching the two twin brothers battle it out for not only a stage win in the Tour de France, but also the maillot jaune.

Who Was the Other Biggest Winner of the Day?

We’ve never seen a Grand Départ this tough before—and we’re better for it. An opening stage prologue or short time trial always felt like a bit of a tease. It was always the Tour, but was it really the Tour?

Instead this year, we didn’t have to wait too long for the fireworks. There was a nervousness in the peloton that is normally reserved for later in the race. With the prize of a guaranteed yellow jersey for the stage winner at the end, anything could happen. The punchy climbs of the Basque region of Spain—particularly the last three—provided some terrific Stage 1 excitement.

The downside of an action-packed first stage is the inevitability of a crash and that’s just what we saw on the descent of the Côte de Vivero. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) went down with around 23K to go in the stage. Mas entered the Tour as a top podium threat and was ultimately forced to abandon, while Carapaz managed to get back on his bike and finish the stage, but lost enough time to take him out of podium contention.

Top American of the Day

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) will become the first American to wear the polka dot jersey since Nate Brown in 2017. Powless, who very nearly claimed the yellow jersey at the Tour last year, was first across the top of the second category Côte de Vivero. Powless figures to be a major player in the mountains classification—and Saturday marks a strong start for him.

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Rapha collaborates with palace on new ef education kits for tour de france and tour de france femmes, team sponsors cannondale, poc, whoop, and wahoo are providing new bikes and gear to match..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Ducks are out. Dragons are in.

EF Education–EasyPost , EF Education-Tibco-SVB and team kit sponsor Rapha have once again collaborated with skate and streetwear brand Palace on a limited edition kit design, this time for the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes .

It’s a decidedly tamer design than the last time the WorldTour team and Palace collaborated on a kit, a design for the 2020 Giro d’Italia which featured a cartoon duck and color scheme departing majorly from the team’s usual pink. But this time around, the jersey isn’t meant simply to avoid confusion with the maglia rosa leader’s jersey and drum up press; it celebrates the return of the Tour de France Femmes.

The new kit maintains the men’s and women’s teams’ trademark pink, while incorporating a large female gender symbol, a circle with a cross below it, on the front of the jersey. Two green cartoon dragons rest their arms on the cross of the symbol.

“The dragon is a symbol of supernatural power, wisdom, strength, and hidden knowledge,” said Rapha’s head of marketing for North America, Brandon Camarda. “It’s not gender specific, but we felt it was a great way of encapsulating the spirit of the women who ride for EF Education-TIBCO-SVB.”

And it’s not just Rapha getting in on the fun. Other team sponsors are joining in, with POC, WHOOP, and Wahoo designing gear to match. Apparently, rubber shoe company Crocs, whose shoes oscillate in and out of style, is also in on the collaboration, but we’ve yet to see what the brand has pulled together.

For its part, Cannondale is providing the team refreshed paint on its SuperSix Evo, SystemSix and SuperSlice bikes. Going from the headtube back, the paint fades from pink to white to blue, with the female symbol and several Palace logos featuring prominently. At the front, the handlebar tape matches the green of the Palace logos and cartoon dragons. And the design gets unique in the true sense of the word for the bikes, with each rider’s SuperSlice time trial frame including easter eggs specifically for each rider.  

The Rapha team kit will include the men’s and women’s versions of the Pro Team Aero Jersey, Pro Team Training Jersey and Pro Team Bib Shorts II. Both team kits are rounded out by matching editions socks, caps, and musettes.

Rapha has also announced off-bike casual clothing as part of the collaboration, but hasn’t yet released images or other details.  

The teams will be riding the special kit and bikes only for the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes. But there’s good news for fans of the collaboration who aren’t good enough to make the EF Tour rosters: both the Rapha team kit and Cannondale SuperSix Evo frame will be available to purchase.

Demand was high last time around. The first Rapha-Palace kit sold out quickly, with kits soon ending up on resale sites at marked up prices. Rapha will be releasing the kits in three drops, one for the US/Canada, one for Europe, and one for the Asia-Pacific region to provide riders around the world a better shot at buying the kit. The kits will be available through both Rapha’s and Palace’s websites and retail stores.

The SuperSix Evo frame will be available from Cannondale, Rapha, and Palace’s websites.  

Availability date for the kits and frames has not been released yet.

EF Education–EasyPost has a history of eye-catching designs since that initial swap out kit with Palace at the 2020 Giro. For the previous two editions, 2021 and 2022 , the team has also swapped out its pink jerseys, though those last two kits haven’t brought in outside collaborators like Palace.  

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\"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"giro d\u0027italia stage 12: resurgent alaphilippe rampages to breakaway win, no problems for poga\u010dar in gc group\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-12-resurgent-julian-alaphilippe-rampages-to-breakaway-win\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"giro d\u0027italia stage 12: resurgent alaphilippe rampages to breakaway win, no problems for poga\u010dar in gc group\"}}\u0027>\n giro d\u0027italia stage 12: resurgent alaphilippe rampages to breakaway win, no problems for poga\u010dar in gc group\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"review: the new sram red axs groupset pulls out all the stops","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/first-ride-review-sram-red-axs\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/first-ride-review-sram-red-axs\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"review: the new sram red axs groupset pulls out all the stops\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/first-ride-review-sram-red-axs\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"review: the new sram red axs groupset pulls out all the stops\"}}\u0027>\n review: the new sram red axs groupset pulls out all the stops\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"is tadej poga\u010dar\u2019s biggest problem a giro d\u2019italia virus sickness sweeps peloton as 21st rider abandons","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/is-tadej-pogacars-biggest-problem-a-giro-ditalia-virus-sickness-sweeps-peloton-as-21st-rider-abandons\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/is-tadej-pogacars-biggest-problem-a-giro-ditalia-virus-sickness-sweeps-peloton-as-21st-rider-abandons\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"is tadej poga\u010dar\u2019s biggest problem a giro d\u2019italia virus sickness sweeps peloton as 21st rider abandons\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/is-tadej-pogacars-biggest-problem-a-giro-ditalia-virus-sickness-sweeps-peloton-as-21st-rider-abandons\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"is tadej poga\u010dar\u2019s biggest problem a giro d\u2019italia virus sickness sweeps peloton as 21st rider abandons\"}}\u0027>\n is tadej poga\u010dar\u2019s biggest problem a giro d\u2019italia virus sickness sweeps peloton as 21st rider abandons\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"spotted: new sram red axs ridden to itzulia women victory by demi vollering","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/spotted-new-sram-red-axs\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/spotted-new-sram-red-axs\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"spotted: new sram red axs ridden to itzulia women victory by demi vollering\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/spotted-new-sram-red-axs\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"spotted: new sram red axs ridden to itzulia women victory by demi vollering\"}}\u0027>\n spotted: new sram red axs ridden to itzulia women victory by demi vollering\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"giro d\u0027italia stage 11: jonathan milan wins crash-marred sprint, tim merlier relegated","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-11-jonathan-milan-wins-tense-high-speed-sprint\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-11-jonathan-milan-wins-tense-high-speed-sprint\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"giro d\u0027italia stage 11: jonathan milan wins crash-marred sprint, tim merlier relegated\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-11-jonathan-milan-wins-tense-high-speed-sprint\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"giro d\u0027italia stage 11: jonathan milan wins crash-marred sprint, tim merlier relegated\"}}\u0027>\n giro d\u0027italia stage 11: jonathan milan wins crash-marred sprint, tim merlier relegated\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"\u2018we need to share a piece of the pie\u2019: \u0027greedy\u0027 tadej poga\u010dar plays diplomat at giro d\u2019italia","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/cannibal-tadej-pogacar-plays-diplomat-at-giro-ditalia\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/cannibal-tadej-pogacar-plays-diplomat-at-giro-ditalia\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"\u2018we need to share a piece of the pie\u2019: \u0027greedy\u0027 tadej poga\u010dar plays diplomat at giro d\u2019italia\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/cannibal-tadej-pogacar-plays-diplomat-at-giro-ditalia\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"\u2018we need to share a piece of the pie\u2019: \u0027greedy\u0027 tadej poga\u010dar plays diplomat at giro d\u2019italia\"}}\u0027>\n \u2018we need to share a piece of the pie\u2019: \u0027greedy\u0027 tadej poga\u010dar plays diplomat at giro d\u2019italia\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"review: third generation hammerhead karoo cements a place with the best","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/review-third-generation-hammerhead-karoo\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/review-third-generation-hammerhead-karoo\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"review: third generation hammerhead karoo cements a place with the best\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/review-third-generation-hammerhead-karoo\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"review: third generation hammerhead karoo cements a place with the best\"}}\u0027>\n review: third generation hammerhead karoo cements a place with the best\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"mcnulty defends us time trial national title, triathlete taylor knibb upsets field","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/us-pro-road-cycling-championships-elite-time-trial-results-brandon-mcnulty-taylor-knibb\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/us-pro-road-cycling-championships-elite-time-trial-results-brandon-mcnulty-taylor-knibb\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"mcnulty defends us time trial national title, triathlete taylor knibb upsets field\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/us-pro-road-cycling-championships-elite-time-trial-results-brandon-mcnulty-taylor-knibb\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"mcnulty defends us time trial national title, triathlete taylor knibb upsets field\"}}\u0027>\n mcnulty defends us time trial national title, triathlete taylor knibb upsets field\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"alexey vermeulen has to miss unbound gravel. his backup plan qualifying for the olympics.","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/alexey-vermeulen-time-trial-nationals\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/alexey-vermeulen-time-trial-nationals\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"alexey vermeulen has to miss unbound gravel. his backup plan qualifying for the olympics.\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/alexey-vermeulen-time-trial-nationals\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"alexey vermeulen has to miss unbound gravel. his backup plan qualifying for the olympics.\"}}\u0027>\n alexey vermeulen has to miss unbound gravel. his backup plan qualifying for the olympics.\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"team car hits cyclist in french junior national championships","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/team-car-hits-cyclist-french-junior-national-championships\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/team-car-hits-cyclist-french-junior-national-championships\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"team car hits cyclist in french junior national championships\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/team-car-hits-cyclist-french-junior-national-championships\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"team car hits cyclist in french junior national championships\"}}\u0027>\n team car hits cyclist in french junior national championships\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"giro d\u0027italia stage 10: paret-peintre denies tratnik for mountaintop win, poga\u010dar fends off late gc pressure","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-10-paret-peintre-denies-tratnik-for-mountaintop-win-pogacar-fends-off-late-pressure\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-10-paret-peintre-denies-tratnik-for-mountaintop-win-pogacar-fends-off-late-pressure\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"giro d\u0027italia stage 10: paret-peintre denies tratnik for mountaintop win, poga\u010dar fends off late gc pressure\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/giro-ditalia-stage-10-paret-peintre-denies-tratnik-for-mountaintop-win-pogacar-fends-off-late-pressure\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"giro d\u0027italia stage 10: paret-peintre denies tratnik for mountaintop win, poga\u010dar fends off late gc pressure\"}}\u0027>\n giro d\u0027italia stage 10: paret-peintre denies tratnik for mountaintop win, poga\u010dar fends off late gc pressure\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"wheels continue to come off visma-lease a bike: cian uijtdebroeks exits giro d\u0027italia","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/wheels-continue-to-come-off-visma-lease-a-bike-cian-uijtdebroeks-exits-giro-ditalia\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/wheels-continue-to-come-off-visma-lease-a-bike-cian-uijtdebroeks-exits-giro-ditalia\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"wheels continue to come off visma-lease a bike: cian uijtdebroeks exits giro d\u0027italia\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/wheels-continue-to-come-off-visma-lease-a-bike-cian-uijtdebroeks-exits-giro-ditalia\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"wheels continue to come off visma-lease a bike: cian uijtdebroeks exits giro d\u0027italia\"}}\u0027>\n wheels continue to come off visma-lease a bike: cian uijtdebroeks exits giro d\u0027italia\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"opinion: tadej poga\u010dar might be king of the hill, but fortune and favor can prove fleeting","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/opinion-tadej-pogacar-might-be-king-of-the-hill-but-fortune-and-favor-can-prove-fleeting\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/opinion-tadej-pogacar-might-be-king-of-the-hill-but-fortune-and-favor-can-prove-fleeting\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"opinion: tadej poga\u010dar might be king of the hill, but fortune and favor can prove fleeting\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/opinion-tadej-pogacar-might-be-king-of-the-hill-but-fortune-and-favor-can-prove-fleeting\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"opinion: tadej poga\u010dar might be king of the hill, but fortune and favor can prove fleeting\"}}\u0027>\n opinion: tadej poga\u010dar might be king of the hill, but fortune and favor can prove fleeting\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"new shimano patent details 13-speed wireless drivetrain","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-shimano-patent-details-13-speed-wireless-drivetrain\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-shimano-patent-details-13-speed-wireless-drivetrain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new shimano patent details 13-speed wireless drivetrain\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-shimano-patent-details-13-speed-wireless-drivetrain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new shimano patent details 13-speed wireless drivetrain\"}}\u0027>\n new shimano patent details 13-speed wireless drivetrain\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"notebook: cavendish rediscovers mojo, stelvio snowed in, poga\u010dar being too greedy","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/cavendish-rediscovers-mojo-stelvio-snowed-in-pogacar-being-too-greedy\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/cavendish-rediscovers-mojo-stelvio-snowed-in-pogacar-being-too-greedy\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"notebook: cavendish rediscovers mojo, stelvio snowed in, poga\u010dar being too greedy\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/cavendish-rediscovers-mojo-stelvio-snowed-in-pogacar-being-too-greedy\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"notebook: cavendish rediscovers mojo, stelvio snowed in, poga\u010dar being too greedy\"}}\u0027>\n notebook: cavendish rediscovers mojo, stelvio snowed in, poga\u010dar being too greedy\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"inside the placebos, half-percenters, and performance science of giro d\u0027italia recovery","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/the-placebos-and-sport-science-of-giro-ditalia-recovery\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/the-placebos-and-sport-science-of-giro-ditalia-recovery\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"inside the placebos, half-percenters, and performance science of giro d\u0027italia recovery\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/the-placebos-and-sport-science-of-giro-ditalia-recovery\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"inside the placebos, half-percenters, and performance science of giro d\u0027italia recovery\"}}\u0027>\n inside the placebos, half-percenters, and performance science of giro d\u0027italia recovery\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"pogacar\u0027s pink colnago v4rs for the giro d\u0027italia","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/pogacars-pink-colnago-v4rs-for-the-giro-ditalia\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/pogacars-pink-colnago-v4rs-for-the-giro-ditalia\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"pogacar\u0027s pink colnago v4rs for the giro d\u0027italia\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/giro-ditalia\/pogacars-pink-colnago-v4rs-for-the-giro-ditalia\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"pogacar\u0027s pink colnago v4rs for the giro d\u0027italia\"}}\u0027>\n pogacar\u0027s pink colnago v4rs for the giro d\u0027italia\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"defending champions chlo\u00e9 dygert, quinn simmons both skipping us nationals","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/defending-champions-chloe-dygert-quinn-simmons-both-skipping-us-nationals\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/defending-champions-chloe-dygert-quinn-simmons-both-skipping-us-nationals\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"defending champions chlo\u00e9 dygert, quinn simmons both skipping us nationals\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/defending-champions-chloe-dygert-quinn-simmons-both-skipping-us-nationals\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"defending champions chlo\u00e9 dygert, quinn simmons both skipping us nationals\"}}\u0027>\n defending champions chlo\u00e9 dygert, quinn simmons both skipping us nationals\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"elisa balsamo suffers fractures in high-speed crash into barriers in burgos opener","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/elisa-balsamo-suffers-fractures-in-high-speed-crash-into-barriers-in-burgos-opener\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/elisa-balsamo-suffers-fractures-in-high-speed-crash-into-barriers-in-burgos-opener\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"elisa balsamo suffers fractures in high-speed crash into barriers in burgos opener\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/elisa-balsamo-suffers-fractures-in-high-speed-crash-into-barriers-in-burgos-opener\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"elisa balsamo suffers fractures in high-speed crash into barriers in burgos opener\"}}\u0027>\n elisa balsamo suffers fractures in high-speed crash into barriers in burgos opener\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "}]' > >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>advertise >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>privacy policy >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>contact >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>careers >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>terms of use >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>site map >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>my newsletters manage cookie preferences privacy request healthy living.

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• As it happened: Ganna holds off Pogačar to take time trial victory

​​Five moments that defined the 2023 Tour de France

Through the phases of the Vingegaard-Pogačar duel

The Tour de France again produced a duel between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar , though few could have anticipated the gap that would ultimately form between the two outstanding favourites in the final week.

Then again, perhaps a race as attritional as this one was always likely to take a toll. Peter Sagan was riding his final Tour de France and he suggested he had never competed in one as intense as this, with only two days where the racing wasn’t full-throated from the very outset.

Indeed, Vingegaard and Pogačar’s running duel was such that they even found themselves on the attack in the opening kilometres of stage 10, which had been ostensibly billed as a transition stage, a day for an early break to sally clear. The Tour of 2023, however, rarely afforded such respite.

It was still, of course, a race of a thousand stories. Thibaut Pinot’s farewell in the Vosges will endure in the memory. Pello Bilbao and Matej Mohorič scored fine breakaway wins and spoke poignantly of the loss of Gino Mäder and the realities of their lives as bike riders. Jasper Philipsen dominated the sprints, while Mark Cavendish came close to adding to his own history in the race.

The dominant thread, however, was the remarkable contest between Vingegaard and Pogačar. Cyclingnews looks back at some of the moments that defined the race.

Fast start sets the tone

Just days before the Grand Départ, when UAE named Adam Yates as Tour de France co-leader for their team, it was widely regarded as a way of easing pressure on Tadej Pogačar given his uneven build-up.

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The real limits on Yates’ role remained blurry until deep into the third week when UAE made a concerted effort to keep on the podium. However, that was just one rider in a bigger picture: back in Bilbao on the opening stage, right from the gun UAE’s collective gung-ho attitude to the Tour made itself very clear.

If any confirmation had been needed that it was the UAE squad who’d give Jumbo-Visma the biggest run for their money, in the three weeks to come, on the gritty, technical ascents in the Bilbao industrial hinterland, Mikkel Bjerg, Adam Yates and Pogačar provided that evidence in abundance. 

When the UAE push came to shove towards the summit of the Pike, the last and most hotly disputed climb of all, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard was almost duty-bound to be up there in person. But in fact only he and stage 2 winner Victor Lafay (Cofidis) could follow UAE’s two co-leaders, Adam Yates and Pogačar.

As more riders then came across to the leading quartet on the false flat and fast descent that followed, Adam Yates soared away towards a solo victory and the first yellow jersey with only his brother Simon (Jayco-AIUIa) for company.

But the big news was that thanks to UAE, the main peloton had definitively shattered, ultimately leaving a group of 12 top favourites ahead at Bilbao. When Pogačar crossed the line with his arms held aloft at the celebration of UAE’s first of three stage wins, there was more satisfaction that he’d taken third and stolen a march on Vingegaard with bonus seconds. Yet perhaps most importantly of all, stage 1 was a day where UAE had made it plain that in their much stronger lineup compared to 2022, they meant serious Tour business.

The war from the gun wasn’t just at the front end of the bunch. The frenetic approach to the Pike saw the first GC contender, Enric Mas (Movistar) crash out with a broken shoulder blade, and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) suffered injuries that would see him lose 15 minutes then leave the race on stage 2 as well. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) showed that any dreams of a return to the GC battle needed putting on hold for now, while both Romain Bardet (DSM) and Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) found themselves in trouble.

The fallout from UAE’s constant presence on the front was less severe on stage 2 over the Clásica San Sebastián’s most emblematic climb, the Jaizkebel. But as there were bonus seconds on offer at the summit, Bilbao’s display of strength had been so impressive it felt almost inevitable that a hyper-active Pogačar would zip off the front, then snatch yet more seconds at the finish with third place behind stage winner Victor Lafay (Cofidis).

This fussy, snappy, adrenalin-fuelled, all-out approach by UAE helped set the general tone of the next two weeks. It was instantly plain that Pogačar was determined to fight Vingegaard for every second on offer and would look to test his rival at every point possible. And with the glorious benefit of hindsight, it would be possible to read feelings of general insecurity over his underlying form into his persistent quest to gain even the slightest advantage.

At the same time, Vingegaard’s persistent trekking of Pogačar both on the Pike and again on the Jaizkibel strongly suggested that Jumbo-Visma’s policy of wearing down the Slovenian in the first two weeks rather than crushing him was in operation from the get-go.

But on stages 1 and 2, the way UAE were racing just felt like the suggestion of an even bigger Slovenian whirlwind to come.

But for whatever reason, the toughest Tour de France start in history also produced one of the most nervous, exciting opening chapters as well.

Pogačar bounces back in the Pyrenees

It’s very easy to forget, given the way the cards finally fell for Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar in this year’s Tour, that less than a week into the race it had all looked like it was already over for the Slovenian.

Long before Pogačar’s now famous utterance of “I’m dead, I’m gone” on race radio on the Col de la Loze confirmed his surrender in GC battle, the first stage in the Pyrenees over the Col de Marie-Blanque had strongly indicated that the UAE Team Emirates leader was nowhere near the form of Jonas Vingegaard. On stage 5, the defending champion gained more than a minute on a struggling Pogačar, whose Basque Country fireworks fizzled out on a murky Pyrenean day. Even if the lead fell into the hands of Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Pogačar’s falling to sixth place and time loss seemingly gave Vingegaard the kind of momentum and advantage not even the Dane suspected he could gain.

However, just when the most pessimistic observers were predicting two and a half weeks of tedium as Vingegaard simply took control of the race whenever suited him, 24 hours later Pogačar bounced back. Big time.

In what was to prove the Dane’s most important defeat of the entire race, in the closing kilometres of stage 6 to Cauterets Pogačar laid down a devastating acceleration that Vingegaard simply could not match, and gained 24 seconds by the finish line.

It wasn’t a massive time gain, and Vingegaard actually took the yellow that day and never relinquished it over the following 15 stages. But Cauterets proved that Pogačar was not a spent force even before the Tour had really begun, and his process of chipping away at Vingegaard’s lead over the next two stages was underway as well.

Pogačar’s defiance gained even greater credibility given it had been Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team, principally in the shape of Wout van Aert , that appeared to have wanted to lay down the law all the way over the Tourmalet. Vingegaard had laid down a searing acceleration towards the summit of the Pyrenees’ hardest climb that only Pogačar could follow, and then again some five kilometres from the summit. After Pogačar’s defeat on the Marie-Blanque stage, it felt like Vingegaard wanted to take a stranglehold on the race.

Instead, 2.6 kilometres from the finish, Pogačar lifted himself out of the saddle and instantly opened a sizable gap on the Dane. Ultimately this proved to be the high point of his battle against Vingegaard - but at the time it felt like a tide had turned.

Motorbikes block Pogačar’s sprint on the Col de Joux Plane

Everybody on the mountain knew what was coming when Pogačar lifted himself from the saddle 550 metres or so from the summit of the Col de Joux Plane on stage 14, not least Vingegaard, who could sense the Slovenian moving up on his shoulder.

An attack from a similar position the previous day on the Grand Colombier had seen Pogačar prise four seconds – plus another four in bonuses – from Vingegaard, and UAE Team Emirates directeur sportif Andrej Hauptman suggested afterwards that this kind of explosive effort was precisely where his rider could tip the balance of the contest.

At that point, their duel seemed destined to be decided by seconds, and Pogačar was diligently chipping away at his early deficit. Unlike in 2022, when he simply couldn’t shake off Vingegaard, Pogačar’s accelerations were now consistently achieving a degree of separation on this Tour, even if the Dane always managed to limit the damage.

It all meant Pogačar was just nine seconds down coming into stage 14, and although Jumbo-Visma dictated terms for most of the day, it was UAE Team Emirates who seized the initiative on the Joux Plane, where there were precious bonus seconds on offer at the top. Vingegaard withstood Pogačar’s initial onslaught, but he was braced for a more severe impact as they approached the bonus sprint at the summit.

The pair of motorbikes travelling a small distance in front of the two leaders, however, were unprepared for Pogačar’s sudden launch. Or perhaps more accurately, the sheer volume of fans and lack of barriers meant they were simply unable to get out of the way quickly enough. When Pogačar reached them, barely 40m into his effort, he was forced to brake and desist .

Worse was to follow for Pogačar, who was then caught flat-footed in the closing metres of the mountain, where Vingegaard outkicked him for the full quota of bonus seconds at the summit, temporarily adding three seconds to his advantage in the overall standings. Pogačar would outsprint Vingegaard for second place in Morzine to cut the overall deficit to ten seconds once again, but that did little to temper the furore.

In the moment, with the Tour being billed as the tightest since Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon’s eternal 1989 duel, the Joux Plane motorbike incident felt as though it might distort the outcome of the entire race. Vingegaard, mind, continued to quietly insist the race would be decided by minutes rather than seconds.

Vingegaard’s time trial exhibition

When the Tour route was announced last October, the mountain stages drew the eye. The Pyrenees came early, the Massif Central and the Jura featured ahead of some redoubtable days in the Alps, and there was a potentially explosive grand finale in the Vosges. It was all too easy to overlook the significance of the meagre ration of 22.4km in time trialling, all concentrated in stage 16 to Combloux .

As the race drew on, however, it became increasingly likely that the individual test would serve as something of a tiebreaker between two men who seemed to have one another’s measure, more or less, when the road climbed. Pogačar had a 6-3 head-to-head record in time trials against Vingegaard over the years, but it wasn’t clear how relevant that track record would be to this hybrid test, which included the Côte de Domancy.

Most observers reckoned that Vingegaard and Pogačar would place first and second in the time trial, but it was hard to say in what order. The gap, most agreed, would still be measured in seconds rather than minutes.

And then Vingegaard went out and showed that everything we thought we knew about cycling was false.

He was already 16 seconds ahead after 7km, almost doubling his lead to 31 seconds by the 16km mark. On the short Côte de Domancy, which he tackled on his time trial, Vingegaard put another 34 seconds into Pogačar. In just 22.4km, he gained 1:38 on Pogačar, dominating his rival in every facet of the course.

All told, Vingegaard was almost 2kph quicker than his rival, and Pogačar wasn’t exactly standing still. The Slovenian took second on the stage, while third-placed Wout van Aert – hardly a slouch against the watch – was 2:51 down. Vingegaard’s performance was from an entirely different stratosphere. Or, as L’Équipe’s loaded headline the following day put it: “From another planet.”

By then, Vingegaard and Pogačar’s supersonic climbing displays had already raised questions given that they had beaten the 30-year-old record for the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet. “I fully understand the scepticism and I think we have to be sceptical because of what happened in the past,” Vingegaard said in Saint Gervais after stage 15, striking a conciliatory note.

Jumbo-Visma manager Richard Plugge was a little more indignant on Vingegaard’s behalf, insisting that the hefty winning margin was the result of the team’s season-long focus on the stage. He also claimed his team had already demonstrated their bona fides. “We open our doors always, and I think that especially journalists should put a little more effort into [analysing] what’s happening,” he said.

But perhaps the key questions should be directed elsewhere, namely to the UCI. Since the governing body put doping controls in the hands of the ITA at the start of 2021, not a single rider has tested positive in the men’s WorldTour, while the biological passport has not successfully prosecuted a top-level rider in years.

In short, it begs the same question we asked this time last year: does this mean doping has been eradicated or is the testing simply not adequate?

Until such doubts are assuaged, the robust and repeated questioning of Tour winners’ credibility will inevitably continue.

‘I’m gone. I’m dead’ – Pogačar’s challenge ends on the Col de la Loze

In truth, the race was already over after the Combloux time trial, but Pogačar’s remarkable gifts – and his refusal to lay down arms – meant that there was still the prospect that he might at least make things uncomfortable for Vingegaard in the final days of the race.

Those illusions faded about 8km or so from the summit of the Col de la Loze on stage 17 , when Pogačar reached for the radio and told his team the dream was over: “I’m gone, I’m dead.” Vingegaard, seeing his rival floundering, didn’t need a second invitation to pile on the pressure.

The remainder of the day was an ordeal for Pogačar. A 50m deficit became five minutes by the top of the climb and almost six at the finish over the other side in Courchevel. At one point, even his place on the podium looked at risk. He endured defeats on the Col du Granon and Hautacam at last year’s Tour, but this was the heaviest yet.

The eternally upbeat Mauro Gianetti preferred to focus on Pogačar’s resilience in completing the course and saving the podium spot, and the UAE Team Emirates manager had further reason for calm when his rider won at Le Markstein on stage 20 and Adam Yates secured the third step of the podium.

Pogačar’s second straight Tour defeat does, however, beg questions about his approach to the 2024 race. The Slovenian’s remarkable dexterity carried him to victory at the Tour of Flanders , Flèche Wallonne, Amstel Gold Race and Paris-Nice in the Spring, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling that he later paid a price for those unsparing efforts in July.

UAE have understandably pointed to the broken wrist Pogačar suffered at Liège-Bastogne-Liège as the biggest hindrance to his preparation, but it will be fascinating to see if they also consider diverting him towards a more traditional Tour build-up in 2024. Pogačar remains the best cyclist in the world, but Vingegaard is the best cyclist in July. He might have to do something different to change that dynamic.

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews , he has also written for The Independent ,  The Guardian ,  ProCycling , The Express and Reuters .

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