2023 Tour de France Results

2023 Tour de France: The Key Battles Beyond Yellow

Tour de France analysis has gotten complicated with all the GC-focused commentary flying around. As someone who found myself watching the other competitions just as closely as Vingegaard’s dominance, I learned everything there is to know about what made this Tour compelling beyond the overall classification. Today, I’ll share what stood out.

Philipsen’s Sprint Clinic

Jasper Philipsen won four sprint stages. Four. His Alpecin-Deceuninck lead-out train was surgical — they’d hit the front with 2km to go and just systematically close down anyone who tried to attack.

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Watching their lead-outs was like watching a well-rehearsed play. Each rider knew exactly when to pull off, exactly how much speed to carry. By the time Philipsen launched, he just had to hold his line and pedal.

The green jersey was effectively wrapped up by mid-race. Points in the sprints plus decent finishes in intermediate sprints made it mathematically insurmountable.

The Breakaway Game

Some Tours, the peloton controls everything and breakaways never stick. 2023 had better balance. That’s what makes well-timed breakaways endearing to us cycling fans — they represent pure cycling artistry. Victor Campenaerts’ solo win in Poligny was exactly that — timing his move perfectly, saving enough to hold off the chase.

Matej Mohoric also won from a break. These guys study the courses, pick their stages, and commit fully when they see an opportunity. Not every attack works, but when they do it’s pure cycling storytelling.

Pogacar’s Fighting Spirit

What I respected about Pogacar in 2023 wasn’t that he finished second — it was how he finished second. He kept attacking even when Vingegaard was clearly stronger. The Puy de Dome stage win showed he’d rather win a stage than protect a position.

Some riders, once they’re losing on GC, go into damage limitation mode. Pogacar went out looking for wins anyway. That mentality keeps the race interesting even when the overall is decided.

The Support Rider Stories

Adam Yates getting third on GC was huge for UAE Team Emirates. He started as Pogacar’s helper but rode himself onto the podium. Finding that balance — supporting your leader while also racing for yourself — is tricky.

Jumbo-Visma’s domestiques were relentless. Watching guys like Wilco Kelderman and Sepp Kuss work for Vingegaard, they’d drain themselves on the front and then just disappear from the peloton. That selflessness makes grand tours possible.

The Mountaintop Drama

Col de la Loze was the decisive day, but the Tourmalet stage had the dramatic tension. Pogacar attacked, Vingegaard responded, the pace went through the roof. For a while it looked like there might actually be a race.

Then Vingegaard just… rode away. The gap opened, then kept opening. When someone’s that much stronger, tactics don’t help. You just watch them disappear up the road.

What I Took Away

The 2023 Tour had a dominant winner, but it wasn’t boring. The sprints were contested, breakaways had chances, and even when we knew who’d win overall, individual stages stayed unpredictable.

That’s what makes the Tour work as three weeks of entertainment rather than one race. You can watch for the yellow jersey battle, but there’s always something else happening too.