Since 1903, the Tour de France has encaptured the beauty, rigor and passion of cycling. The race that embarked over a century ago, however, bears many differences to the 2023 Tour de France we will see shortly.
The Tour de France has catapulted to popularity since its early days, becoming the pinnacle of the sport of cycling and inspiring riders for generations to come. The 110th Tour de France is mere weeks away, with NBC and Peacock providing full coverage of the thrilling event. See below for everything you need to know about the highly anticipated 2023 Tour de France.
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When is the 2023 Tour de France?
The 2023 Tour de France will take place from July 1-23. The riders will embark on the first stage in Bilbao on Saturday, July 1, with coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock from start to finish.
As the riders venture along the difficult course, the race will find its finish as it has since 1975, on the street of Champs-Élysées in Paris.
What is the Tour de France schedule and route?
| Stage | Terrain | Date | Start and Finish |
| 1 | HILLY | Saturday, July 1 | BILBAO > BILBAO |
| 2 | HILLY | Sunday, July 2 | VICTORIA-GASTEIZ > SAINT-SEBASTIEN |
| 3 | FLAT | Monday, July 3 | AMOREBIETA-ETXANO > BAYONNE |
| 4 | FLAT | Tuesday, July 4 | DAX > NOGARO |
| 5 | MOUNTAIN | Wednesday, July 5 | PAU > LARUNS |
| 6 | MOUNTAIN | Thursday, July 6 | TARBES > CAUTERETS-CAMBASQUE |
| 7 | FLAT | Friday, July 7 | MONT-DE-MARSAN > BORDEAUX |
| 8 | HILLY | Saturday, July 8 | LIBOURNE > LIMOGES |
| 9 | MOUNTAIN | Sunday, July 9 | SAINT-LÉONARD-DE-NOBLAT > PUY DE DÔME |
| – | REST DAY | Monday, July 10 | CLERMONT-FERRAND |
| 10 | HILLY | Tuesday, July 11 | VULCANIA > ISSOIRE |
| 11 | FLAT | Wednesday, July 12 | CLERMONT-FERRAND > MOULINS |
| 12 | HILLY | Thursday, July 13 | ROANNE > BELLEVILLE-EN-BEAUJOLAIS |
| 13 | MOUNTAIN | Friday, July 14 | CHÂTILLON-SUR-CHALARONNE > GRAND COLOMBIER |
| 14 | MOUNTAIN | Saturday, July 15 | ANNEMASSE > MORZINE LES PORTES DU SOLEIL |
| 15 | MOUNTAIN | Sunday, July 16 | LES GETS LES PORTES DU SOLEIL > SAINT-GERVAIS MONT-BLANC |
| – | REST DAY | Monday, July 17 | SAINT-GERVAIS MONT-BLANC |
| 16 | INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL | Tuesday, July 18 | PASSY > COMBLOUX |
| 17 | MOUNTAIN | Wednesday, July 19 | SAINT-GERVAIS MONT-BLANC > COURCHEVEL |
| 18 | HILLY | Thursday, July 20 | MOÛTIERS > BOURG-EN-BRESSE |
| 19 | FLAT | Friday, July 21 | MOIRANS-EN-MONTAGNE > POLIGNY |
| 20 | MOUNTAIN | Saturday, July 22 | BELFORT > LE MARKSTEIN FELLERING |
| 21 | FLAT | Sunday, July 23 | SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES > PARIS CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES |
How long is this year’s route?
This year’s Tour route is a total of 3,404 km (2,115 miles) that is spread out over a span of three weeks. The riders will complete one stage per day, with two rest days on July 10 (between stages 9 and 10) and July 17 (between stages 15 and 16).
What are the rules of the Tour de France?
While the Tour de France is an event known well by most, fully understanding how the race works can sometimes pose a challenge.
The Tour de France is a team race, featuring a total of 198 cyclists from 22 different teams competing over a span of 21 days. Across these 21 days, riders will complete 21 stages: 6 flat, 6 hilly, 8 mountain and 1 individual time trial.
This year’s race will be the first year since 2015 that the Tour has only one individual time trial rather than two, with just 14 miles of time trial racing on the route.
Each stage winner receives €11,000, with every rider in the top 20 from each stage receiving a cash prize as well.
While the general classification champion of the Tour de France is the rider wearing the yellow jersey as the race concludes, there are numerous accolades to be granted to cyclists throughout the race and at the Tour’s end.
Aside from the yellow jersey, the most notable of these accolades are the green, polka-dot and white jerseys. These achievements all hold different meanings and are accompanied with a cash prize. It is possible for one rider to earn numerous jerseys at the conclusion of the Tour, such as last year’s winner Jonas Vingegaard, who took home both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys.
RELATED: 2023 Tour de France Jerseys: What do the yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys mean?
What does the winner receive?
Throughout the years, the prize awarded to the winner of the Tour de France has varied. The first Tour de France ever staged in 1903 granted a prize of 20,000 francs, which amounts to approximately $22,280.
For 2023, a grand total of €2,308,200 is on offer ($2,526,735). This number, however, is not all given to one rider, but rather split among top general classification riders, stage winners, top sprinters and winners of other minor awards.
The largest share of the prize is granted to the winner of the maillot jaune (general classification), who will take home €500,000. The runner-up receives €200,000, third gets €100,000 and fourth is awarded €70,000.
If a rider is donning the green jersey (maillot vert), however, the prize is divided as follows:
- €25,000
- €15,000
- €10,000
Other prizes are granted to riders, such as those wearing the “King of the Mountains” jersey and the white jersey, along with the cyclist dubbed “Most Aggressive Rider”. Numerous other small prizes will be distributed throughout the tour.
One of the most sought after prizes, however, is the team award. The team who wins the Tour de France is the group that contains the three fastest cumulative finishers on each stage. The amount granted to each team on the podium is as follows:
- €50,000
- €30,000
- €20,000
Last year’s winner was the group hailing from Denmark in Team Jumbo-Visma.
How many teams are in the Tour?
22 teams will make up the peloton of the Tour de France. Of these teams are the 18 UCI WorldTeams that received an automatic invite and four UCI ProTeams.
UCI WorldTeams
- AG2R Citroën Team (Fra)
- Alpecin Deceuninck (Bel)
- Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)
- Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger)
- EF Education-Easypost (Usa)
- Groupama-FDJ (Fra)
- Ineos Grenadiers (Gbr)
- Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (Bel)
- Jumbo-Visma (Ned)
- Movistar Team (Esp)
- Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)
- Team Arkea-Samsic (Fra)
- Team Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
- Team Cofidis (Fra)
- Team DSM (Ned)
- Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
- Trek-Segafredo (Usa)
- UAE Team Emirates (Uae)
UCI ProTeams
- Lotto Dstny (Bel)
- TotalEnergies (Fra)
- Israel-Premier Tech (Isr)
- Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Nor)
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