Adam Yates beats twin brother Simon to win Tour de France opening stage
By Tom Cary, Senior Sports Correspondent, in Bilbao
The UK domestic cycling scene may be in a dire state, with teams and races folding at an alarming rate. But try telling that to Adam and Simon Yates. Cycling’s identical twins from Bury produced an absolutely sensational story on the opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France on Saturday, breaking away together in the final kilometres and then battling each other all the way to the line in Bilbao. The Tour has surely never seen anything like it before.
In the end it was Adam, the older twin by 26 seconds, who outlasted his brother on the uphill finish to claim the first yellow jersey of the race and no doubt provide the answer to many a future pub quiz question. But it hardly mattered which of them did it. What a story.
Not that they were getting carried away, of course. Famously dour - to the point they joke about it themselves - they shrugged and mumbled their way through various interviews afterwards. “It’s just amazing. I am super happy,” Adam managed to say in one of them. “I knew Simon was going good. I speak to him every day. We are really close and yeah just sharing this experience with him is really nice. I just wish he would have pulled a bit easier because he almost dropped me at one moment.”
Simon (Team Jayco-AlUla), meanwhile, said he was “super happy” for his brother, for whom this was a first Tour stage win, but admitted to having mixed emotions. “We’re pretty close normally but I had some cramps in the final,” said the 2018 Vuelta a Espana champion. “It was a humid day and unfortunately he got the better of me but I’m sure there are more chances coming.”
In truth, it was maybe better for the race that Adam won. Having joined UAE Team Emirates over the winter - the team of co-favourite and two-time winner Tadej Pogacar - he has been designated a ‘co-leader’ of the team at this Tour on account of Pogacar’s wrist break in April which disrupted his build-up. The fact that Yates - who finished fourth back in 2016 - is now in yellow is intriguing in terms of his GC ambitions.
Not that Pogacar was far behind him. The Slovenian won the sprint from a mini-group of favourites 12 seconds behind his teammate, claiming a few bonus seconds of his own and taking first blood in his battle with last year’s winner Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
Pogacar looks in very fine fettle. Never mind that wrist injury. He even publicly dismissed the idea that Yates really is a ‘co-leader’.
“It’s even better than when I win myself,” Pogacar said, beaming. “This guy works for me and today I have the pleasure to see him winning.”
It was clear already that Yates was deferring to Pogacar, seeking permission from him to attack in the final kilometres.
“There was a bit of cat and mouse over the top [of the final climb of the day], and Adam rolled to the front,” Simon said afterwards of how the final unravelled. “He gave Pogacar the nod, sort of ‘Can I go? What’s the situation?’ and it was ‘yeah, sure’, so he’s gone and I’ve gone across to him.
“At first when he saw me coming across I think he was put in a difficult situation.
“He asked on the radio, ‘Should I wait or roll through?’ At first he wasn’t pulling but I kind of knew that anyway, I knew it was going to be tricky yet at the same time I had to take the opportunity.
“Normally on a finish like that I wouldn’t beat Pogacar or Vingegaard in a real fast sprint so to get away with Adam was maybe a chance.”
Behind the Yates brothers, it was less good news for another British star, Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock. The 23-year-old finished in another group 21 seconds behind Pogacar and Vingegaard. Not a disaster by any stretch but this was a stage Pidcock would have fancied and the fact he did not contest it was not ideal. There is plenty of time.
At least he finished. The Tour is only one day old but already it has claimed victims. Enric Mas and Richard Carapaz went down in the same crash with 23km to go as the pace ratcheted up. Mas was forced to abandon with what appeared to be a shoulder injury, while Carapaz spent more than five minutes on the roadside before he gingerly remounted. The Ecuadorian lost more than 15 minutes.
The Tour can be a cruel mistress, but not for the Yates brothers on Saturday. Who knows? Sunday features another hilly stage in the Basque Country before two flat stages in the south of France on Monday and Tuesday. Perhaps we will see another Simon win this time.
They would love that at the Hare & Hounds in Ramsbottom, a regular watering hole for Bury Clarion members. It was for Clarion the two boys first cut their teeth. Father John, a former fell runner who began riding for the club after his knees packed in, took his boys to watch Clarion’s weekly sessions at the Manchester Velodrome when they were only kids. They started by racing each other to the traffic lights on group rides. Now they are duking it out on the biggest stage in cycling.
It used to be the joke, back when they raced for the same team, that it was impossible to tell them apart. These days they wear different kits but there is still precious little to separate them.
Adam Yates takes yellow on stage one: As it happened...
05:08 PM BST
General classification after stage one
1. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) 4hrs 22mins 39secs
2. Simon Yates (Team Jayco-AlUla) +8secs
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +18secs
4. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +22secs
5. Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) Same time
6. Victor Lafay (Cofidis) Same time
7. Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe) Same time
8. Mattias Skjlemose (Lidl-Trek) Same time
9. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) Same time
10. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) Same time
05:06 PM BST
Stage one results
1. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) 4hrs 22mins 49secs
2. Simon Yates (Team Jayco-AlUla) +4secs
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +12secs
4. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) Same time
5. Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech)
6. Victor Lafay (Cofidis)
7. Jai Hindley (Bora-hansgrohe)
8. Mattias Skjlemose (Lidl-Trek)
9. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
10. David Gaudu (/Groupama-FDJ)
04:43 PM BST
Adam takes yellow
Adam Yates has just come onto the podium in the maillot jaune. What a moment for Adam!
04:42 PM BST
The thoughts of runner-up Simon Yates
“I grovelled my way across, and just made the junction at the last with those fast boys. There was a bit of cat and mouse at the top, Adam came back, sort of rolled to the front and gave Pogacar the nod, as if to say “Can I go? What’s the situation?” [He said] “Yeah, sure” so he’s gone, then I’ve gone across to him. And that’s all she wrote really.
“When he saw it was me coming across he was put in a difficult situation. At first he wasn’t pulling, but I knew that it was going to be tricky, and that I had to take an opportunity. Normally a finish like that I wouldn’t beat Pogacar or Vingegaard or these guys in a real fast sprint. To get away with Adam, maybe there was a chance? Pretty close in the end and I had some cramps in the final. Unfortunately he got the better of me, but I’m sure there’s more chances coming up.”
04:41 PM BST
Carapaz manages to finish
An incredible effort from Richard Carapaz (EF-Education EasyPost) who comes across the finish line 15 minutes behind Adam Yates. He had blood all over his knees so that is one herculean effort to finish the stage. Will he be able to continue on tomorrow though?
04:33 PM BST
Reaction from stage winner Adam Yates
“It’s just amazing. I am super happy. My brother came across to me and then we started working together. At first I didn’t know if I should work with him - I asked on the radio and they said ‘yeah go for it’.
“I knew Simon was going good, I speak to him every day, we are really close and yeah just sharing this experience with him is really nice. I just wish he would have pulled up a bit easier because he almost dropped me at one moment.”
04:31 PM BST
Great start for the twins and Pogacar
12 bonus seconds for Adam Yates, 6 for Simon Yates and 4 for Tadej Pogacar.
04:27 PM BST
The top five
Here is confirmation of the top five across the line:
1. Adam Yates
2. Simon Yates
3. Tadej Pogacar
4. Thibaut Pinot
5. Michael Woods
04:20 PM BST
Pogacar in third
Behind the Yates brothers Tadej Pogacar takes third place and there are bonus seconds available for the top three across the line. Four bonus seconds for Pogacar. Vingegaard, van Aert, Gaudu and Hindley also finish in that group.
04:18 PM BST
Adam Yates wins stage one of the 2023 Tour de France
Simon Yates is breaking and it is going to be Adam who is going to win. A fantastic ride from the twins but it is UAE Team Emirates’ Adam who takes a fantastic win and the maillot jaune. What a ride from Adam Yates! Everyone in Bury will be delighted!
04:16 PM BST
500 metres to go
Which Yates brother is going to win? Adam or Simon?
04:15 PM BST
1km to go
We are into the final kilometre, which is up a climb but the Yates twins have a decent advantage.
04:14 PM BST
2km to go
It looks like it is going to be one of the twins who are going to win. What a story that would be!
04:13 PM BST
3km to go
The lads from Bury are still ahead and their lead is increasing, out to 15 seconds.
04:12 PM BST
4km to go
The Yates brothers have a 10 second advantage over the group behind.
04:10 PM BST
7km to go
Behind the Yates brothers, a formidable group has formed including Pogacar, Vingegaard, van Aert, Gaudu and Hindley. Jumbo-Visma have four riders in this group.
04:09 PM BST
9km to go
The pace has slowed at the front and a bigger group is coming together. Simon and Adam Yates are together and have got away at the front.
04:07 PM BST
9.5km to go
Vingegaard, Pogacar and Lafay go over the top. That was all set to be fascinating and it most definitely was.
04:06 PM BST
10km to go
Yates broke the peloton to pieces. Only Victor Lafay of Cofidis has managed to stay with Pogacar and Vingegaard. What an effort from Lafay to stay with these two.
04:05 PM BST
10km to go
Grosschartner has been reeled back in. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) takes it on at the front and the peloton is exploding. Only four riders at the front.
04:03 PM BST
11km to go
UAE Team Emirates’ Felix Grosschartner has exploded off the front of the peloton and Jumbo-Visma are having to work hard to bring him back.
04:02 PM BST
12km to go
We are onto the Côte de Pike. The pace is ridiculously high. This is going to be exciting!
03:59 PM BST
14km to go
Carapaz has got going again but he stills look very uncomfortable. It looks like both knees are bleeding. He will hope to get to the finish if he can and then his team can check the damage afterwards. Official confirmation has just come through that Enric Mas has abandoned the Tour. Movistar’s leader is out.
03:56 PM BST
16km to go
It looks like Enric Mas’ Tour is over. He has not got back on his bike and he looks dejected. He was Movistar’s leader and in contention for a top 10 finish on general classification.
03:54 PM BST
18km to go
Carapaz has blood pouring from his knee and he does not look good but he has got on a second bike and has got going again. Remarkable what these athletes put themselves through and the pain they can put up with. Enric Mas still has not got going again and he looks to have injured his shoulder.
03:52 PM BST
20km to go
There has been a crash on the descent as Enric Mas (Movistar) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) go down. Carapaz is still down and looks very uncomfortable. It looks like that could be his Tour done on day one.
03:45 PM BST
27km to go
Neilson Powless of EF Education-EasyPost sprints over the top of the climb and takes five points in the king of the mountains classification. He takes over the virtual lead of the KOM classification.
03:41 PM BST
28km to go
You can now add Sepp Kuss to that list of Jumbo-Visma team-mates around Vingegaard. Around 1km to go to the summit of the Côte de Vivero. After having a mechanical issue earlier Alexey Lutsenko has been dropped on this climb.
03:40 PM BST
29km to go
A lot of big hitters are near the front of the peloton. Vingegaard, Pogacar, van Aert, Alaphilippe. Bjerg has done all he can and pulls away. Jumbo-Visma have three team-mates around Vingegaard. Strength in numbers.
03:36 PM BST
30km to go
UAE Team Emirates have sent Mikkel Bjerg up to the front to set a high pace in the peloton. You would imagine Pogacar has ordered for Bjerg to be sent to the front to blow the peloton apart. He must be feeling good which is worrying for everyone else.
03:34 PM BST
31km to go
Positioning is going to be key approaching this climb. Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel up near the front of the peloton. We are now onto the climb, which is 4.2km in length.
03:32 PM BST
33km to go
The pace is high in the peloton and we are nearly at the category two climb up the Côte de Vivero. This is going to be a very exciting final 30km of this first stage.
03:26 PM BST
41km to go
We are over the top of the Col de Morga and the speed has ramped up a notch. A lot of the sprinters have been dropped, the latest Mads Pederson (Lidl-Trek) and Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-Quick Step).
03:23 PM BST
42km to go
The pace at the front of the peloton has certainly stepped up a notch and a number of riders have been spat out of the back. We are nearly at the top of the Col de Morga.
03:20 PM BST
44km to go
Fairly early on in this climb Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazqstan) is dropped out of the back peloton but he has a number of team-mates to help him all the way to the finish. For the first time today UAE Team Emirates come to the front of the peloton. Could Tadej Pogacar fancy an attack?
03:18 PM BST
45km to go
We are now onto the Col de Morga, which is 3.9km in length.
03:16 PM BST
46km to go
We are approaching the Col de Morga, a category four climb. After that there is the category two climb up the Côte de Vivero so still plenty of climbing to do today inside the last 45km of the day.
03:08 PM BST
50km to go
The peloton has caught the breakaway with roughly 50km to go on this opening stage. A good effort from the five riders in the original breakaway who were always going to get caught today. Lutsenko has now caught back up the peloton and he can relax for now.
03:03 PM BST
54km to go
The breakaway still has a very slender lead over the peloton, around 20 seconds, which must be agonising for the five riders out in front. Back behind the peloton Lutsenko does now seem to be closing the gap back to the peloton.
03:01 PM BST
56km to go
It seemed that after that mechnical issue for Lutsenko that he would catch back onto the peloton fairly easily but he seems to be losing time. He is currently a minute behind the peloton and that is a huge worry for a rider who has finished in the top 10 of the Tour de France in the last two years.
02:53 PM BST
63km to go
Mark Cavendish’s Astana Qazqastan’s team-mate Alexey Lutsenko, who has finished 7th and 8th in the last two Tour’s, has had to change his bike and Yevgeniy Federov has had to drop back to help his team-mate to get back onto the back of the peloton. It looked like Federov, who is the reigning U23 world road champion, rode the opposite way of travel to get back to Lutsenko, which is against the rules. He might get into a bit of trouble for that!
02:47 PM BST
67km to go
Jumbo-Visma are ever present at the front of the peloton, making sure that Jonas Vingegaard is well protected on these narrow roads. The gap to the breakaway is only 25 seconds with the peloton keeping them at arms length.
02:39 PM BST
71 km to go
The gap was down to under 20 seconds a few kilometres ago but it has now drifted out again to around 35 seconds.
02:34 PM BST
74km to go
The gap has significantly reduced in a very short space of time and the peloton are within 20 seconds of the breakaway. The tempo has certainly stepped up a notch in the peloton.
02:31 PM BST
76km to go
After a crash a few kilometres back, Torstein Traeen, who came 8th at the Critérium du Dauphiné, has got back into the peloton.
02:25 PM BST
80km to go
As the pace in the breakaway has slowed down, so to has the pace in the peloton. They have control of the situation and do not need to close the gap just yet to the breakaway.
02:23 PM BST
82km to go
There is a crash in the peloton. One of the Uno-X riders, Torstein Traeen, has gone down and he looks in a little bit of discomfort. He needs a bike change but he does not need the medical car so he looks fine to continue. He has a team-mate with him to get him back into the peloton.
02:17 PM BST
86km to go
The gap is coming down back to the peloton and is only just over a minute. The breakaway seems to be slowing down and it feels like the peloton are just controlling the riders out in front like they have them on a piece of string.
02:15 PM BST
88km to go
Result of the intermediate sprint at Gernika-Lumo:
1. Pascal Eenkhoorn, 20 pts
2. Simon Guglielmi, 17 pts
3. Valentin Ferron, 15 pts
4. Lilian Calmejane, 13 pts
5. Jonas Gregaard, 11 pts
At 1’10’’:
6. Mads Pedersen, 10 pts
7. Peter Sagan, 9 pts
8. Jasper Philipsen, 8 pts
9. Mark Cavendish, 7 pts
10. Bryan Coquard, 6 pts
02:10 PM BST
92km to go
The weather seems to be taking a little turn for the worse. It has got a lot darker and there are a few spots of rain. The breakaway has reached the intermediate sprint at Gernika-Lumo. With that money that I mentioned earlier on offer most of the breakaway goes for the sprint and it is Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto-Dstny) who wins that sprint and takes the money and 20 points. He is in good form today as he is the virtual leader of the king of the mountains as well as winning that sprint.
Behind the breakaway there is a sprint at the front of the peloton as there are still points on offer. Mads Pederson (Lidl-Trek) leads Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) across the line.
02:04 PM BST
95km to go
It is just the second time that the Tour has begun in the Basque region and the Basque people have come out in force today to support the riders. We have one more stage in the Basque country before moving to France.
The Basque fans are something else ❤️💚🤍#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/oi1t5CPZdh
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
02:00 PM BST
97km to go
For all of you Game of Thrones fans out there, you might recognise this!
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the extraordinary location that Game of Thrones used for Dragonstone 🐉#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/opHiXV5k4k
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
01:58 PM BST
99km to go
We have just dipped under 100km to go to the finish today. The gap between the breakaway and the peloton currently stands at just under one minute 30 seconds.
01:56 PM BST
101km to go
We are around 10km away from the intermediate sprint at Gernika-Lumo. No bonus seconds on offer but 20 points. For the winner at the intermediate sprint there is 1500 euros on offer. Certainly a tempting reward!
01:51 PM BST
105km to go
There are just over 100km to go on stage one. The breakaway are still out in front and the gap back to the peloton is around one and a half minutes. The breakaway is still made up of the original fives riders who got away from the start: Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto-Dstny), Lilian Calméjane (Intermarché), Simon Guglielmi (Arkea), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) and Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies).
01:41 PM BST
114km to go
The next king of the mountains points are up for grabs at the top of the Côte de San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Uno-X’s Jonas Gregaard, who took maximum points on the first climb, attacks with 500m to go but the rest of the breakaway react quickly. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto Dstny) then attacks from the front and gets the two points at the top. Simon Guglielmi of Arkea gets the other point. Gregaard gets nothing so Eenkhoorn so he leads the KOM classification on three points.
01:38 PM BST
115km to go
The breakaway is 1km from the summit and this is a hard climb. There are still a number of climbs to come, including a category two climb.
01:33 PM BST
116km to go
The breakaway has hit the second categorised climb of the day up the Côte de San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. The gap to the peloton has come down a further ten seconds in the last few kilometres to around one minute 20 seconds.
01:31 PM BST
117km to go
Speaking ahead of stage one of the Tour de France today, two-time winner Alberto Contador had his say on Eurosport GCN on the two big favourites this year:
“If we talk about favourites, we are talking about Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. I think they have earned their own merits as number one favourites and, barring an accident or a mechanical problem, it’s unlikely that the Tour will go to any rider other than one of these two. I think Vingegaard is very strong and in impressive form. We have seen him in the recent Critérium du Dauphiné but we are talking about the fact that in front of him he also has a Tadej Pogacar.
“It’s true that Pogacar arrives with a little bit of uncertainty, especially on our part more than on his own. It’s true that he has dominated the National Championships in Slovenia, but that’s no way to analyse his real form. We don’t know what influence the fall he suffered in Liège could have had on his preparation, that’s what we have to see. I don’t think Jonas Vingegaard is unbeatable for Tadej Pogacar either. Both can beat each other. Both Pogacar and Team UAE are important enough to have at least the same prominence as Vingegaard’s Jumbo Visma.”
01:28 PM BST
119km to go
We are approaching the second categorised climb of the day at the Côte de San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, which is a category three climb. The gap back to the peloton is just over one and a half minutes.
01:16 PM BST
127km to go
The breakaway currently has a lead of one minute 45 seconds over the peloton but the peloton has things under control. Everything is quite steady at the moment. The average speed is a tick over 40km/h.
01:10 PM BST
129km to go
As mentioned earlier, Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Deceuninck is seen as one of the favourites for this tough opening stage. Here he is giving his thoughts ahead of the stage today:
"My problems are a bit before the final kilometre, with the last climbs"
One of the stage favourites, Mathieu van der Poel, gave his assessment of the parcours and his chances of winning it 💛#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/TppUnq48bN— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
01:04 PM BST
133km to go
One new feature for this year’s Tour is the introduction of the team radios being broadcast for 17 of the 22 teams which will be a great initiative. It will add some extra drama to the action for sure. Anything that brings the audience closer to the riders and the teams can only be a good thing.
A new feature of the #TDF2023 broadcast experience: team radio 📻
Select messages will be aired from 17 of the 22 teams 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/jnLahy7Mx1— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
01:01 PM BST
135km to go
We have been going around an hour and the riders in the breakaway have covered 42.2km. The breakaway is still formed of the original five: Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto-Dstny), Lilian Calméjane (Intermarché), Simon Guglielmi (Arkea), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) and Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies). The advantage is still hovering around one and a half minutes.
12:57 PM BST
Tough few weeks for cycling
The world of cycling has been rocked in the last few weeks after the death of Gino Mader at the Tour de Suisse. Mader died on a descent and one of the best descenders in the world is Britain and Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock. He has admitted ahead of the Tour that Mader’s death has hit him hard. To read more, click here.
12:51 PM BST
141km to go
Currently the gap between the breakaway, which is still five-strong, and the peloton is still around one and a half minutes. It feels like the peloton have this completely under control and the breakaway have no chance of staying away all the way until the finish.
12:46 PM BST
146km to go
Another man who has quickly been off the back of the peloton is AG2R Citroën’s Australian rider Ben O’Connor, who should be in contention for a top 10 finish in the general classification. The question will probably be how high can he get in the top 10.
12:41 PM BST
150km to go
The new British road champion Fred Wright has had to change his bike but there is no issue for him to get back on the peloton with the pace fairly steady at the moment. Winning the British National Championships last weekend marked the first win of his professional career.
12:30 PM BST
156km to go
The huge imposing figure of Soudal-Quick Step’s Tim Declerq is at the front of the peloton. The Belgian does a huge amount of work on the front throughout the day at the Tour and he is doing so again. The gap is one and a half minutes back from the breakaway.
Huge amounts of support in the Basque region as the crowds are lining the streets to witness the first stage on this year’s Tour.
🤩Streets and bridges are lined in Basque Country!
🤩Le Pays Basque répond présent, sur les ponts, et les routes ! #TDF2023 @letour_euskadi pic.twitter.com/GOMcKUE8DD— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023
12:26 PM BST
160km to go
This year’s Tour will be the last for Mark Cavendish, one of the greatest riders of all time. He is level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour de France stage wins and will hope to get one more to move ahead outright. It is sure to be an emotional few weeks for Cavendish, so let’s hear from him ahead of the start.
"I want to [savour it], but it's the last thing you're thinking of. Either winning or surviving. You have to take the emotion out of it"
It's the first day of the last time Mark Cavendish will ride the Tour de France 😢#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/Od8DQdblaz— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
12:17 PM BST
168km to go
It seems this breakaway is solely for the king of the mountains points. Lilian Calmejane did attack which was unsuccessful but it is Jonas Gregaard of Uno-X who attacks the climb from a long way out to get those KOM points. He manages to take the maximum two points at the top of the climb. Pascal Eenkhoorn got the other available point.
12:13 PM BST
169km to go
One of the favourites for today’s stage is Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Mathieu van der Poel and he is at the front of the peloton leading the charge. He looks like he is up for today’s stage. The breakaway has just reached the first of a number of climbs today up the Côte de Laukiz, which is just over 2km long.
12:10 PM BST
171km to go
There are plenty of big names here, but plenty who are not. The likes of Primoz Roglic, Geraint Thomas, Remco Evenepoel and Joao Almeida are all not here having competed at the Giro d’Italia.
One man who also is not here is four-time winner Chris Froome, who has been left out by his team Israel-Premier Tech. Froome was left disappointed at his non-selection.
12:03 PM BST
176 km to go
The pace is fairly steady in the peloton at the moment as they seem content at the moment to let this breakaway go away for the time being. The gap back to the peloton from the breakaway is just over a minute.
11:59 AM BST
178km to go
A group of five riders have broken away at the front as we approach the first categorised climb of the day. The five riders in the breakaway currently are Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto-Dstny), Lilian Calméjane (Intermarché), Simon Guglielmi (Arkea), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) and Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies).
11:55 AM BST
Racing underway
The flag drops at kilometre zero and the proper racing gets underway.
💪 The race is underway, and attacks are already flying!
💪 La course est lancée, et les attaques fusent déjà !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/eQlenEa0eu— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023
11:38 AM BST
Who will win stage one?
Today’s opening stage will be an exciting one and who knows who will win it! Who does Eurosport’s Adam Blythe think will take yellow after today’s opening stage?
Who is @AdamBlythe89 backing to take the first stage win of the 2023 Tour de France? 🇫🇷
📺 Watch Stage 1 of the 2023 Tour de France 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 on Eurosport and @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/HrZQ1NZODw— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 1, 2023
11:36 AM BST
How many stages can van Aert win this year?
One man who is always at the centre of the action is Jonas Vingegaard’s team-mate Wout van Aert. A man who can seemingly do everything, he will be targeting stage victories as well as helping Vingegaard win the Tour. Let’s hear from the Belgian rider:
"It'll be hard, probably impossible to experience the same Tour de France as last year"
Matt Rendell asked Wout van Aert about his phenomenal performance in 2022 and his expectations for this year 🐝#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/aAxPOja2C2— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
11:32 AM BST
Roll-out begins
The 2023 Tour de France is officially underway with the neutralised roll-out from the centre of Bilbao, in the shadow of Athletic Bilbao’s stadium San Mamés. Kilometre zero comes up in around 25 minutes when the racing gets underway.
🔥 The #TDF2023 is underway!
🔥 Le #TDF2023 est lancé ! pic.twitter.com/FAoJBMJWjG— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023
11:30 AM BST
Stage one profile
Here is a closer look at what this first stage looks like. A tough opening stage that we do not normally see which should produce an exciting first day at the 2023 Tour.
A hilly opening stage in Bilbao, between land and sea, to crown the first Yellow Jersey of the 💛#TDF2023! 🥰
Un parcours accidenté autour de Bilbao, entre terre et mer, qui couronnera le premier @MaillotjauneLCL de ce 💛#TDF2023 ! 🥰 pic.twitter.com/aWK2JNW6nZ— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023
11:24 AM BST
Pogacar wants his crown back
After winning the Tour back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, Team UAE Emirates’ Tadej Pogacar is seeking revenge on Vingegaard. Here are the thoughts of the Slovenian ahead of the start:
"It's been a long time since I raced a stage race"
2x Tour winner, Tadej Pogačar, spoke to Daniel Friebe about what might be lacking given his less than ideal preparation 🤕#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/e1xqnv5wC0— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
11:22 AM BST
Head-to-head for the maillot jaune
It looks set to be another head-to-head battle like last year for the top spot on the podium between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. Vingegaard beat Pogacar to the maillot jaune last year and will be hoping to defend the jersey this year. First, let’s hear from Jumbo-Visma’s Vingegaard:
"It's a really hard Tour. You just have to be there every day"
Daniel Friebe asked defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard, about the nature of this year's parcours, and whether he believes that UAE have two leaders in Tadej Pogačar and Adam Yates 🤔#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/B1xfQAfe1m— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2023
11:13 AM BST
The 2023 Tour de France is here!
The 110th Tour de France gets underway today with a 182km hilly stage starting and finishing in Bilbao. It is the second time The Grand Départ has taken place in the Basque Country after previously starting in the autonomous region in 1992.
The 2023 Tour looks set to be a straight fight between Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Denamark’s defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). You would imagine that Pogacar will be motivated by being beaten by Vingegaard a year ago. However the Dane comes into the Tour in good form after comfortably winning the Critérium du Dauphiné, which is seen as a warm-up for the Tour.
It has not been plain sailing for the 2020 and 2021 winner Pogacar; he injured his wrist during Liège–Bastogne–Liège which meant he was off the road for five weeks. This has led to UAE Team Emirates naming co-leaders as Britain’s Adam Yates will hold that status alongside Pogacar. The question is this; will Pogacar be fresh or is the injury going to hold him back as we progress through the three weeks? Vingegaard goes in as the slight favourite, but count Pogacar out at your peril.
One of the biggest storylines going into the Tour is Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), who is currently level with Eddy Merckx on 34 stage wins at the Tour. This is Cavendish’s 14th and last Tour after he announced at the Giro d’Italia that he will retire at the end of this season. He will have to wait a few days though until he gets his first opporunity at a sprint finish. The likes of Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal Quick-Step), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) will be hoping to beat Cavendish.
This opening stage looks set to be a very intriguing one. There are 3,300 metres of vertical gain, including a spiky climb 10km from the finish with an average gradient of 10% over 2km. We are set for a fascinating stage to get us underway as we never usually see an opening stage like this one. Get ready for a bang on stage one!
