The first half of the stage is played out on undulating terrain before the climbing commences on the ascent to Brandenberg, which is a 6.1 kilometres long test at 6.1%. The riders descend to the valley only to go straight back up again to Aschau. This short climb is followed by a 14 kilometres descent and another short ascent to Reith im Alpachtal, where stage 2 is set to start.
The finale opens on the steep Kerschbaumer Sattel. The riders reach the foot of the 5.2 kilometres climb at 10.1% with 16.5 kilometres remaining. The road to the summit is quite narrow, as is the downhill.
After reaching the Kerschbaumer Sattel’s summit it goes back down to Reith im Alpachtal. This is where the 6.2 kilometres long finish climb begins. It’s averaging merely 4.8%, but it really comes down to the last kilometre, a section at almost 8% with a double digit ramp inside the last 400 metres.
Last year’s 1st stage was won from the breakaway by Geoffrey Bouchard. It was a close win, as the peloton finished 5 seconds later.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 1 2023 Tour of the Alps.
Another interesting read: results 1st stage 2023 Tour of the Alps.
Tour of the Alps 2023 stage 1: route, profile, more
Click on the images to zoom
