The 2023 Tour de France will be the 110th edition of the race and will follow the tradition of starting outside the host nation. However, instead of the Grand Depart taking place in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, or Germany as in past years, this year’s entry on the cycling schedule will be staged in Bilbao, a port city in northern Spain.
The three-week event consists of 21 individual stages. It will feature the world’s strongest riders battling in one of the most grueling endurance competitions in the world.
This year’s edition will be a treat for climbers, as there’s only one 22 km time trial and no cobblestones, like in last year’s race. There will also be no dirt road stage or team time trial this year.
However, this race, one of the top cycling events of the year, will feature five mountain ranges, 30 categorized climbs, a Tour record, and four summit finishes. In addition, this year’s Tour has gone in the opposite direction of the Giro d’Italia, which now has more time trialing than any edition since 2013, and includes a single time trial stage.
Who’s In Contention
Since the 2023 Tour de France cycling odds were published, fans began to speculate if the event will have another repeat winner or if a completely different rider will emerge in the next edition.
Last year’s Tour was rated by many as one of the most exciting in several years, which only makes it more difficult to pick Tour de France outrights. The following riders are at the top of the odds for Tour de France outrights in next year’s race:
Jonas Vingegaard +125
On the next Tour de France date, Vingegaard is expected to come back and defend his 2022 title after stopping Tadej Pogacar from winning his third straight. The route for next year’s event won’t be unfavorable for him, as no one can question his determination to repeat as champion in 2023.
His ability to unseat Pogacar in last year’s Tour completely caught everyone off guard. Vingegaard and team Jumbo-Visma ran a perfect strategy against Pogacar, and now that the Dane is defending the yellow jersey, Tour de France outrights have him favored to win his second straight title.
Tadej Pogacar +175
Based on his record in the Tour de France, Pogacar has to be considered the top rival. He’s the most successful racer in the past three years and showed how hard he’d fight after his team wasn’t at its best in 2022.
COVID-19 had a devastating effect on UAE Team Emirates, but he didn’t let that affect him as he stayed aggressive. He ended the 2022 season with his second straight win at Il Lombardia.
The uphill time trial will certainly remind him of his 2020 Tour victory at Planche des Belle Filles. He says he’s aware of what went wrong last year and knows how to correct it. With all the high mountain stages throughout the race, the Slovenian will be in his element and is one of the favorites to win the 2023 Tour de France.
Remco Evenepoel +275
This young star is quickly rising in the cycling world and has yet to be successful at the Tour de France. The 22-year-old QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team member has no experience with the Tour, and it’s still not certain if he will be there.
However, the chance to ride in the rainbow jersey is not an opportunity anyone would turn down. The expectations haven’t been too much for the Belgian, who many experts predict is on track to dominate the world of cycling for many years to come.
Primoz Roglic +700
The Team Jumbo-Visma member has had his share of bad luck in recent Tours and has a lot of unfinished business. At 32 years old, age is no longer in the Slovenian’s favor after two straight years of injuries and crashes that ended his Tours in 2021 and 2022. However, he’s been successful riding in the Basque country, where the hilly, narrow roads have treated him great in the past.
Roglic should also welcome the return of the Col de La Loze, which was the last occasion where he put pressure on Pogacar on a climb in 2020. Tour de France outright odds still have him as one of the favorites. However, what Roglic needs more than anything else right now is a little luck.
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