Tour de France 2023: The Return of Egan Bernal and the Other Outstanding Latin Americans

The Tour de France, also known as "La Grande Boucle", is one of the most prestigious and followed sports competitions in the world of cycling. Since its first edition, in 1903, this race has left an indelible mark on history, capturing the attention of sports lovers and attracting millions of spectators year after year. The visionary behind the Tour de France is said to have been Henri Desgrange, editor of the newspaper L'Auto-Vélo, who was seeking to promote his publication and foster a love of cycling. The race originally consisted of a course of approximately 2,500 kilometers, divided into six stages and passing through some of the most beautiful and challenging regions of France.

Novelties of the Tour 2023

The 2023 Tour de France will start this Saturday, July 1, and promises to be an edition full of emotions and challenges for cyclists, but also for fans. On this occasion, the event will take place in the Basque Country (Spain) and will tour different regions and departments of France. The Tour map reveals a few surprises, as it includes 12 new cities and places that were never part of this prestigious race. Bilbao, the vibrant city of the Basque Country, will be the starting point of the first stage, and will also become the finish line. In addition, towns such as Nogaro, Moulins, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil, and Poligny will have the honor of receiving cyclists and their supporters during different stages.

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The 2023 Tour de France will offer an impressive natural spectacle, as cyclists will traverse five iconic French mountain ranges. From the majestic Pyrenees to the imposing Massif Central, passing through the picturesque Jura, also through the challenging Alps and the enigmatic Vosges, runners will face demanding terrain and spectacular scenery. Among the novelties, the ascent to the Vivero, the Col de la Croix Rosier in the Massif Central and the Col du Feu in the Alps stand out. In addition, after 35 years of absence, the emblematic Puy de Dôme will once again be part of this competition, leaving cyclists with the challenge of conquering its summit.

Egan's return

After overcoming a serious accident that was about to take his life at the beginning of 2022, Egan Bernal will return to the Tour de France, in which he achieved his greatest sporting achievements. The Colombian runner chose this test as his triumphant return, in order to demonstrate his determination and love for the sport. The Colombian member of the INEOS 'team' expressed his joy and excitement at returning to this iconic competition, "I am really excited to be here again. This race is something that everyone wants to experience, it is the best in the world. Being selected again fills me with motivation," he said.

Latin Americans to follow during the Tour

The participation of Latin American countries in the prestigious Tour de France race will be limited this year, with only three nations represented in the Grande Boucle. Colombia tops the list as the country with the greatest presence, it will have an outstanding group of five runners. For their part, Ecuador and Costa Rica will have one cyclist each competing in the race. The Colombians are: Egan Bernal, Rigoberto Urán, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Esteban Chaves and Harold Tejada; for Ecuador it will be the well-known Richard Carapaz; and the "tico" will be Andrei Amador. This edition of the most important race in world cycling brings great surprises, incredible stages and, above all, the traditional emotion that captivated fans of this sport for decades and everyone who knows the relevance of such a great event.