The first 40 kilometres lead on the flat along two reservoirs north of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Moments later, after Legutio, the route descends to Arrasate to continue onto more hilly terrain. In quick succession the riders tackle the Col d’Udana (4.5 kilometres at 5.1%) and Côte d’Aztiria (2.7 kilometres at 5.3%).
This sets the tone. The rest of the day leads from one short climb to the next via flat intermezzos in between. KOM contenders should be ready at the Côte d’Alkiza (4.2 kilometres at 5.7%) and Côte de Gurutze (2.6 kilometres at 4.7%), but, frankly, a lot of other climbs are also KOM rating worthy.
The race is likely to ignite on the Jaizkibel. The staple climb on the Clásica de San Sebastián is 8.1 kilometres long and averaging 5.3%, which is a biased statistic as there is a false flat kilometre halfway.
At the Jaizkibel there are 16.5 kilometres remaining. The first half goes down, the second is as good as flat – although an uphill kicker inside the last 3.5 kilometres could shake things up.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the first three on the Jaizkibel get 8, 5 and 2 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 2 2023 Tour de France.
Another interesting read: results 2nd stage 2023 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2023 stage 2: routes, profiles, more
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