The 2023 Tour de France season is almost upon us, with the race that will start on Saturday 1st July and end on Sunday 23rd July. During the three weeks of competition, there will be two rest days for the riders, Monday 10th and Monday 17th July.
If you want to follow the Tour de France on television, you have several options. In Italy, you can watch the match free-to-air on Rai Sport HD e Rai 2 HDor you can opt for Eurosport 1 HD, available by subscription. In addition, you can follow the competition in free streaming on RaiPlay or through subscriptions on eurosport.it, discovery+, Sky Go, NOW e DAZN.
There are many possibilities for follow the Tour de France, depending on the time available and personal preferences. If you have the opportunity to dedicate more than five hours a day to the race, you will be able to follow the entire stage. For those with less time, the approximately five-minute daily highlights are also available on the official website of the Tour de France come on YouTube.
Media coverage of the Tour de France is particularly broad and diverse. Unlike many other major cycling competitions, the Tour de France commands the attention of numerous terrestrial broadcasterswhich means that you will be able to follow at least part of the race without a subscription in most countries. You can find a complete list of broadcasters for each country on the Tour’s official website.
The Tour de France 2023 has a calendar of 21 stages, including 20 road stages and 1 individual time trial. The first stage will take place on Saturday 1 July starting from Bilbao, Spain, while the last stage will conclude on Sunday 23 July on the Champs-Élysées, confirming the tradition of the final podium in this prestigious Parisian location.
Stage calendar
Here is an overview of the first steps:
Saturday 1st July: Bilbao-Bilbao (185 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Sunday 2 July: Vitoria Gasteiz-San Sebastian (210 km) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Monday 3 July: Amorebieta Extano-Bayonne (185 km) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Tuesday 4 July: Dax-Nogarò (182 km) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Wednesday 5 July: Pau-Laurens (163 km) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Thursday 6 July: Cauterets-Cambasque (145 km) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Friday July 7: Mont de Marsan-Bordeaux (170 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Saturday 8 July: Libourne-Limoges (201 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Sunday 9 July: Saint Leonard de Noblat-Puy de Dome (184 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Monday 10 July will be the first day of rest at Clermont-Ferrand, a necessary break to allow the riders to recover and better face the second half of the competition.
Continuing the calendar:
Tuesday 11 July: Vulcania-Issoire (167 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Wednesday 12 July: Clermont Ferrand-Moulins (180 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Thursday 13 July: Roanne-Belleville en Beaujolais (169 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Friday July 14: Chatillon sur Chalaronne-Grand Colombier (138 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Saturday July 15: Annemasse-Morzine The Portes du Soleil (152 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Sunday July 16: Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil-Saint Gervais Mont Blanc (180 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
The following Monday, July 17, will be the second rest day, this time in Saint Gervais Mont Blanc, where the cyclists will be able to recharge their batteries before the last stage of the race.
Here are the steps that will follow:
Tuesday 18 July: Passy-Combloux (22 km time trial) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Wednesday July 19: Saint Gervais Mont Blanc-Courchevel (166 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Thursday 20 July: Moutiers-Bourg en Bress (186 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Friday 21 July: Morais en Montagne-Poligny (173 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Saturday 22 July: Belfort-Le Markstein Fellering (133 km) – Broadcast on Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
Sunday 23 July: Saint Quentin en Yvelines-Paris Champs Elysées (115 km) – Trasmessa su Rai 2, Rai Sport, Eurosport 1 and Discovery Plus.
The 2023 Tour de France concludes with the ultimate thrill on the glamorous Champs Élysées, where athletes hurtle towards the finish line, celebrating success and creating an atmosphere of joy and triumph.
Italy has a rich history of Tour de France success, with seven different cyclists having donned the yellow jersey and reached Paris. Names like Ottavio Bottecchia, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Gastone Nencini, Felice Gimondi, Marco Pantani and Vincenzo Nibali they led Italy to victory in the Grande Boucle. The last Italian to win the Tour de France was Vincenzo Nibali in 2014, breaking a 16-year fast since Pantani’s victory in 1998.
The Tour de France is a fascinating competition that combines the beauty of French roads with the sporting challenge of the best cyclists in the world. Each edition of the Tour carries the promise of thrilling battles, twists and epic triumphs, keeping the fans of this extraordinary sport alive.