The first 40 kilometres lead on the flat along two reservoirs north of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Moments later, after Legutio, the route descends to Mondragón to continue onto more hilly terrain. In quick succession the riders tackle the Côte d’Udana (4.7 kilometres at 4.7%) and Côte d’Aztiria (2.8 kilometres 5.9%).
This sets the tone. The rest of the day leads via flat intermezzo’s from one short climb to the next. KOM contenders should be ready at the Côte d’Alkiza (4.1 kilometres at 6.1%) and Côte de Gurutze (2.6 kilometres at 6.1%), but, frankly, a lot pf other climbs are similar and could also be given a KOM rating.
The race is likely to ignite on the Jaizkibel. The staple climb at the Clásica de San Sebastián is 6.9 kilometres long and averages 6.2%, which is a biased statistic as there is a false flat kilometre halfway.
At the Jaizkibel there are 17 kilometres remaining. The first half goes down, the second is as good as flat.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 2 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2023 stage 2: routes, profile, more
Click on the images to zoom
