The 2023 Tour de France is expected to include a team time trial in the first week, an individual time trial in the Alps, and a number of mountain stages, but not a final time trial before entering Paris.

The full route will be announced in Paris on Thursday, but detailed reports on the VeloWire website (opens in new tab) and French news network France Bleu (opens in new tab) have lifted the lid on the leading route and revealed details of the time trial.

The French Grand Tour also includes a brief but intense visit to the Pyrenees, a finish atop the dormant volcano Puy de Dome in Massif Central, a finish at the Grand Colombier in Bastille Day, via the Col de Joux Plane and its testing descent It is expected to include many mountains, including eight days in the Alps, including a stage to Morzine.

The Alpine time trial will take place after a second day of rest, with stage 17 taking the 2,304-meter summit up the Pass de la Roze, where Primoz Roglicu closed the distance with Tadei Pogachar in 2020, to the Altiport of Courchevel.

The final week of the Tour will take the riders north through the Vosges Mountains and up the Grand Baron, finishing at the ski resort of Le Marquesien on the final Saturday.

The 2023 Tour de France will start in Bilbao in the Basque Country on Saturday, July 1 and end in Paris on Sunday, July 23.

The Tour has not included a team time trial since 2019, when Jumbo Visma won a 27.6 km stage around Brussels. Race organizer ASO had complained that some teams dominated the team time trial, gaining significant time from weaker rivals, especially French teams.

The team time trial is scheduled for stage 6, around the town of Tarbes in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The distance is unknown, but probably less than 30 km. Remco Evenpole may compete in the Tour de France, and there is also expected to be a huge battle for one second between Jumbo Visma, UAE Team Emirates, and Ineos Grenadier.

Prior to the team time trial, the first mountain stage is expected to head to Cortale via the Pont d'Espagne. After that, the race will head from Mont-de-Marsan, home of 1973 Tour winner Luis Ocaña, to Bordeaux and then on to Massif Central.

Reports of a return to the Puy de Dome have been circulating for some time, and the mountain will dominate the second weekend.

The climb up the dormant volcano has not been used since 1988, but has historical episodes such as the duel between Poulidor and Anquetil in 1964 and the punching of Eddy Merckx by a spectator in 1975. Although not very long, the main 5.8 km ascent that spirals around the central cone of the volcano is spectacular, with a constant steep grade averaging around 12%.

The only individual time trial is set for stage 16 in the valley south of Sarranches after the second rest day on Monday, July 17.

The route will start in Passy in the north of the Alves Valley, climb the Côte de Domancy, and finish in the village of Combreux in the south. The Côte de Domancy is named Montée Bernard Hinault after the lone Frenchman's solo attack that set up his historic victory in the 1980 World Championships in Sallanches. The Côte de Mancy is only 3 km long, but has an average gradient of 8.5%, with some sections at 16%.

After climbing the Col de la Rose and finishing at the Altiporte in Courchevel, the Tour continues north through Bourg-en-Bresse and Poligny to the Jura and Vosges mountains.

The Vosges region has been visited several times in recent years by La Planche des Belle Filles; the 2023 Tour is likely to center on the Grand Baron, but was last used in 2019, never as a summit finish.

France Bleue notes that local authorities are planning to build a 5km road up the Col du Hague from Gaissius, creating a 13km climb with a nearly 1km vertical elevation gain.

With no closing time trial, the Tour de France peloton will travel to Paris on Sunday morning. The final parade stage will start at the National Stadium in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, where the 2024 Paris Olympics track races will be held.

The winner of the final stage will again be crowned on the Champs-Elysées after the sprinters battle for the final victory.