Tour de France 2023 - Stage 1: Bilbao - Bilbao | 182 kilometres
Stage 1 of the 2023 Tour de France in the Basque Country is not easy. The stage is peppered with hills that get nastier towards the end. All the riders are fresh and motivated, which will make it very difficult for breakaways to pull away from the peloton. The last poisonous climb in the profile is perfect for riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert or Tom Pidcock: the Cote de Pike rears up at the end with over 15 per cent, from the crest it is just under 10 kilometres to the finish with a slight drop. A successful attack would be rewarded with the yellow jersey. The aforementioned riders are all cyclo-cross specialists, they have the special ability to leave the "gas" on for a few minutes far beyond the continuous power limit.
What is the best setup for the day from a technical perspective? As the gaps are likely to be small, top aerodynamics are the key to saving a lead from the coast to the finish. The riders will therefore do everything they can: aero wheels, the most aerodynamic bike possible, aero one-piece, aero helmet - the full programme.
Tour de France 2023: Aero more important than weight optimisation on stage 1
Of course, the bike should also be as light as possible for attacking uphill - the minimum weight of 6.8 kilograms prescribed by the UCI is not usually achieved by the pros. We probably won't see a single drive, as Jumbo-Visma occasionally uses for optimisation (less weight, 3 watts less air resistance), because the last stitch is too steep for that. Mathematically, the matter is clear: aero optimisation will bear more fruit in this finale than weight minimisation at any price. The lightweight wheels will therefore remain in the lorries. When it comes to tyres, the majority will opt for tubeless tyres - probably 28 mm wide, because they offer a very good compromise between driving dynamics/comfort, rolling resistance and aerodynamics.
Our race simulation for stage 1 of the Tour de France 2023 begins at the foot of the two-kilometre-long Cote de Pike, which has an average gradient of 10 per cent. The first 500 metres are only seven per cent, followed by a "flat" 500 metres at 4.8 per cent, before things really get going: 500 metres at 12 per cent followed by 500 metres at 15.6 per cent.
If a puncheur like van der Poel pushes hard one kilometre before the crest, where the gradient increases, the riding time for this kilometre, if he pushes hard, is a good three minutes. We calculate an additional 12 minutes for the remaining 9.6 kilometres to the finish.
Number of the day: 25 seconds
Saves the fastest bike in our simulated final compared to the slowest. The Canyon Aeroad and the Cervelo S5 share first place for the fastest bike of the day - matching the talent and ambitions of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Various other aero bikes follow within striking distance. The favourites of the day all have good material at their disposal.
An all-rounder like the Colnago V4 RS from Tadej Pogacar falls well short in comparison.
The (almost) entire field at a glance
If, contrary to expectations, an outlier should be able to break away earlier, the aero card would also play a role in this case.
*) The calculations are based on the bikes tested by TOUR in the laboratory and wind tunnel. The bikes at the Tour de France may differ in some details. Of course, we have not yet been able to analyse last-minute prototypes. Background to the simulation.
Our expert
Robert Kühnen studied mechanical engineering and has been working for TOUR since 1993. He specialises in Measurement technology and development of new test methods. Motto: Can't do it? Doesn't exist. As co-founder of 2PEAK, he also familiarised himself with training topics and writes about them.
