110th edition of Tour de France cycling race kicks off
Tour de France
The 110th edition of Tour de France started on Saturday, July 1. The event is a 3,404 km race to Paris. The event started at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao.
This year, the first three of the 21 stages were set in the Spanish Basque Country - Bilbao.
176 riders take part in the competition
Around 176 riders, along with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and his key rival Tadej Pogacar, took part in the competition this year.
The riders raced towards the first stage to win the yellow jersey that is awarded to the opening-stage winner.
Fans cheer riders
Hundreds of people came out to the streets of Bilbao to cheer for the riders. The streets were decked up with regional flags and Tour de France logos.
A celebration
Tens of thousands of fans had came to cheer their heroes and support the riders taking part in the competition. Several of them had hoped to catch a glimpse of their heroes or catch the free hats and t-shirts that would be thrown their way from the ever popular publicity caravan.
Outline of the route
This years' road map for the competition is a little different than the previous years. The 2023 Tour de France competition is heavy on mountains, with riders expected to cross nearly 30 peaks during the race.
Trophy distribution
The Tour de France will end with the traditional mass bunch sprint at Champs-Elysees on Sunday, July 23. The trophies will be distributed beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
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