01/07/2023 -> Bilbao > Bilbao (182 kms)

The first stage of the 110th Tour de France will start and finish in Bilbao. A winding circular itinerary covering 182 kilometres all around Bizkaia. If we add the 3300 metres of accumulated vertical drop to the nerves, excitement and power of the inaugural round, then there is little doubt that the first day will offer us a vibrant spectacle.

In a route that links the Cantabrian coast and Urdaibai biosphere, crossing emblematic locations such as Gernika-Lumo, the peloton will have to get through the scoring rounds of Laukiz, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Morga and Vivero, without forgetting Pike Bidea, a 2-kilometre “wall” with an average 9% climb and a series of 15% gradients, about 10 kilometres from the finish line. Who will wear the first yellow jersey in the 2023 Tour?

Start and finish, Bilbao is the city one day decided to reinvent itself and rise from the ashes, transforming into a modern, cultured, stimulating city that competes with leading European capitals in everything it sets itself. Bilbao is more than just the Guggenheim Museum, an icon that has put it on the world tourist map. It is quality of life and culture, gastronomy and art, international quality shopping and accommodation, business and meetings. It is the international gateway to northern Spain, having the main international airport and cruise port.

Urdaibai is a Biosphere Reserve, located in a backwater of the Gulf of Biscay, in the region of Busturialdea in Bizkaia. From the cliffs and beaches to the inland woodlands and rivers, passing through the marshes and river meadows, Urdaibai has probably the greatest landscape and ecological diversity in the Basque Country. Its jewels include Gernika, immortalised by Picasso, and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, a famous islet and the setting for “Game of Thrones”.