The Winners and Not-Quite-Winners of the 2023 Tour de France

The 2023 Tour de France was a race for the ages, with intense and aggressive racing from the start to the finish. From notable wins and almost-wins to performances that didn’t result in victory, here’s a look at the Femmes enjoying the Tour de France in France. As we close the books on the men’s race, the final week of the Tour’s beginning marked a tight battle for the GC and a thrilling finish.

Jonas Vingegaard.

If we had speculated at the conclusion of Stages 6 and 9, our suspicions may have been confirmed regarding the Dane relinquishing most of his initial lead over Pogačar. It wouldn’t have been unexpected if he had ultimately lost the race to Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian cyclist who triumphed in consecutive Tours in 2020 and 2021. Jonas Vingegaard, the defending champion from Denmark, commenced the 2023 Tour de France as the frontrunner.

The material of myth is the manner in which he and his team methodically wore down Pogačar on the Col de la Loze on Stage 17, and his triumph on Stage 16’s time trial was perhaps the most commanding time trial triumph we’ve witnessed in decades. And oh boy was he correct! Expressing his thoughts multiple times in the first half of the Tour that the competition would be determined in the Alps, Vingegaard had faith in the procedure.

In an attempt to win all three grand tours of this season, Primož Roglič will join Jumbo-Visma for the Tour of Italy, then the Tour of Spain. If he can replicate his runner-up finish from last year and secure victory in 2021, it will prove that his success was not a fluke. While he is known for his calculated and composed demeanor, he is not the most daring rider in the peloton.

Tadej Pogačar.

Despite being ill-prepared following his crash in April’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he still participated in the race. It is quite impressive that he managed to win two stages, earn the white jersey, and secure second place overall. This clearly demonstrates the high level of performance he has set for himself, as even in situations where he doesn’t emerge as the victor, Pogačar still manages to succeed.

We haven’t seen a rider like him in a long time – he’s an incredibly talented and exciting all-around athlete who can easily win in any sport. He’s a true throwback to the days when riders raced and competed in every race on the calendar. Pogačar came into the Wallonne Fleche, Amstel Gold Race, and Tour of Flanders already having won the Paris-Nice race – and we should definitely remember that.

Whenever Vingegaard’s rivalry is renewed, an important message will be sent ahead and his transformation will be completed. After experiencing his worst day ever on Stage 17, he may even let his vivre de joie maintain him of his best days, never letting Pogačar get the better of him, but more importantly.

He has already had an extraordinary season, and if he manages to win them, it will make him even more legendary. He has yet to reveal what’s next on his program, but we’re hoping it includes the Tour of Spain and the World Championships in Glasgow.

Amazing. Simon, his identical sibling, secured a position just before him in third place overall and still exerted immense effort for Pogačar, subsequently claiming the Tour’s initial yellow jersey and emerging victorious in Stage 1. Let’s also acknowledge Adam Yates, Pog’s teammate, while we’re discussing this.

Bahrain Victorious.

Bahrain Victorious proved their dominance on three of the Tour’s most challenging and thrilling stages (Stages 10, 15, and 19), living up to their reputation by securing victories in all three stages with three different cyclists (Pello Bilbao, Woet Poels, and Matej Mohorič)-all in a remarkable manner. This achievement comes shortly after the team suffered a tragic loss with the unfortunate accident of Switzerland’s Gino Mäder during the Tour de Suisse.

Bilbao rode better than ever in this year’s Tour de France, consistently delivering performances that were both underrated and yet, most deserving of recognition. Following his impressive stage win, he shot up to a top 10 finish in the General Classification, proving himself as one of the Tour’s unsung heroes.

Below, we will patiently observe, monitor, and proceed. One of the most genuine, open, considerate, and heartfelt post-race responses we have witnessed is his post-race interview, which has become legendary. Mohorič emerged as the winner of Stage 19 in a close finish captured in a photograph, but the team’s most remarkable impact on this year’s Tour may have occurred afterwards.

SRAM.

When Jumbo-Visma made the transition from Shimano to SRAM components in the previous off-season, a lot of us questioned the rationale behind it. However, the simple explanation is that the company was financially incentivized to have their components featured on the bikes of top teams. Undoubtedly, the agreement proved to be highly profitable for Jumbo-Visma. After all, if something is functioning well, there is no need to make any alterations, correct?

Jumbo-Visma, a methodical and calculating team, believes that unless they make a switch, something truly gained by changing their way, like Vingegaard riding a trouble-free Tour on SRAM’s drivetrain, bringing home France’s first Tour victory since 2010, there’s no proof in the pudding and their homework isn’t done.

Lidl-Trek.

Ciccone’s polka dot shorts made a stunning splash, aside from the fantastic-looking paint job on the bike. Giulio Ciccone, the King of the Mountains in the Tour de France, took the polka dot jersey home to Italy, while Mads Pedersen from Denmark won Stage 8 in Limoges. The team was immediately rewarded by their investment company, and in addition, thanks to Trek Lidl-Trek, the German discount supermarket chain, the squad has now rebranded as Segafredo-Trek, with a new title sponsor before the Tour.

The Organizers of the Tour—and Supporters.

If you don’t trust us, simply revisit and view the replays of Stages 18 and 19. Even the intermediary stages that transported the race from one significant GC battleground to another generated thrilling competition. There were scarce “tedious” stages, and ASO, the Tour coordinators, merit recognition for organizing a race that provided a bit of excitement for everyone. When the course of the 2023 Tour de France was revealed last fall, we were thrilled by the rugged, mountainous path that we understood would favor strategic riding and climbers.

We can’t already wait to see what happens in the late October, but we won’t know until between in the organizers have it. So, we’ll get three stages in Italy to start the final weekend in the Nice-around hills and mountainous Tour, and we can’t conclude in the French capital with the Summer Olympics hosting Paris as well: Next year’s Tour will be interesting.

“Alright, we’ll call it a draw.”

Jasper Philipsen.

Yes, rider Deceuninck-Alpecin, the winner of the green jersey and four stages in the Tour’s Points Classification, often faced criticism for his tactics, but the commissaires found no fault with his actions in the public court. He deserved his palmares, as he came away with warm fuzzies and fewer faults, whether it be in a breakaway on the road or blocking riders or deviating from his line in sprints. Jasper Philipsen, a rider from Belgium, was the one who often criticized his tactics.

INEOS Grenadiers.

INEOS, the team that dominated the race for many years, wanted to achieve more but couldn’t. They think that one rider with four different times winning the Tour seven times is an achievement. However, this year, INEOS proved to be better than most of the teams in the Tour. They won back-to-back stages during the second weekend of the Tour, which is considered the Tour’s most challenging stages.

In the Alps, Vingegaard cracked and fell behind by more than 13 minutes in the 47th minute, while Pidcock finished 13th. Rodríguez, who finished third overall, had a great chance to finish in the top three in the third week, but faded in the mountains. Rodríguez, who won Stage 14 in the Alps, and Pidcock, both gave their best rides and entered the race with two young GC captains, Tom Pidcock from Great Britain and Carlos Rodríguez from Spain.

Once again, Quick-Step Soudal might be trying to sign Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who could have the best chance to make a true contender for the Tour. However, INEOS might be the team to look elsewhere for the answer. Despite lots of valuable lessons learned in this year’s Tour, Pidcock has shown he’s able to carry all hopes of the team’s GC. Rumors suggest Rodríguez might be leaving the team this off-season, leaving the team at a crossroads.

“Well, there’s always the Vuelta.”

The French.

During France’s Tour de France this year, despite all of us dreaming of making a stage win on the final stage, Victor Lafay from Groupama-FDJ failed to achieve this. The French didn’t have much to celebrate during this year’s Tour, as David Gaudu, a strong contender for the General Classification, fell short in his attempt to finish in a place better than or equal to his fourth-place finish last year. Julian Alaphilippe, the stage hunter for Team Quick-Step, also tried to secure a stage win but was unsuccessful. Overall, this year’s Tour de France ended with Groupama-FDJ finishing in ninth place.

None of the French teams, AG2R and Cofidis, were successful in winning the year’s banner. Additionally, Ion Izaguirre, a Frenchman, did not win any stages. However, AG2R did manage to secure a stage victory with Lafay’s win on Stage 2, ending their 15-year drought. Similarly, Cofidis also won a stage.

EF Education-EasyPost.

There were great expectations: In Powless Neilson and Short, emerging all-rounders, the American team came to the Tour with Cort Magnus, a proven winner of the grand tour stage, Uran Rigoberto, a former super-domestique turned podium-finisher, and Carapaz Richard, a podium contender.

In 2020, Carapaz secured the second position overall in the Tour of Spain, therefore anticipate him to make an effort to recover. Ultimately, they had to feel let down with the way events unfolded, but the team upheld its determined attitude throughout the entire three weeks. Alternatively, Powless ought to have directed his efforts towards winning a stage despite donning the polka dot jersey for 12 days. Uran and Cort remained relatively inconspicuous until emerging in a few breakaways during the third week. Carapaz experienced a crash on Stage 1 and withdrew from the Tour, resulting in things not going according to plan.

Movistar.

Tour this year’s team-DSM-firmenich-one only and riders four just finished the race Overall, earning less money in prizes. However, he later had to abandon the Tour after injuring his hamstring in a crash during Stage 9. Matteo Jorgenson, the American rider, never seemed to recover from the near-heartbreaking miss on the finish line at the Dôme de Puy, but instead, the team pivoted to hunting for stage wins. Unfortunately, the same crash that ended Carapaz’s Tour also caused Mas, the leader of the squad, to lose his position in the GC standings.

Additional assistance is forthcoming. Thus, it has been reported that the team will be acquiring Rodríguez from INEOS, and Mas, a cyclist who has finished in second place at the Tour of Spain three times, is expected to participate in the Spanish grand tour once again. However, there is also some positive information.

Peter Sagan.

If you didn’t realize, this was Peter Sagan from Slovakia’s best result in the Tour de France this year, finishing in eighth place on the Moulins Stage. He holds the record for the most green jerseys (TotalEnergies). We forgive you, but

Peter Sagan arrived prior to Wout van Aert. He, the rivalry frequently struggled to find a response to. Apparently invincible during his peak, he deserves praise for the present approach to cycling, which values assertiveness and adaptability.

After transitioning from a professional cycling career, he is now seeking happiness and peace in his life. We will be rooting for him as he heads off to compete in the next summer Olympics with his goal of mountain bike racing. Then he realized that he needed to do something for himself, and he wanted one last challenge. There are definitely no gifts at the Tour, but he showed his skills when he went on the attack at the end of Stage 20 in the Vosges. Pinot deserved a better send-off as the old 33-year-old.