The figure that stands out most of the next Tour de France , presented yesterday in Paris, is certainly the number of timed kilometers scheduled during the race.

In 2023 there will be only 22 , scheduled for stage 16, from Passy to Combloux with a final climb, not impossible given the slopes, of about 7 km.

Race director Christian Prudhomme defended the choice, underlining that time trials tend to paralyze the race: "I went along with current cycling trends - he said - where time trials threaten the fun and enthusiasm of the race. run during the three weeks. I prefer to see the riders fight shoulder to shoulder right from the start. "

Will it be the decision that will forever change the Tour? Still not sure but let's go through the story to see if that's the case.

Analyzing the numbers every ten years, we discover that the kilometers of the tests against time have plummeted: from 144.6 in the 1983 Tour won by Fignon (and in the count there was no team time trial of 100 km!), To 113.8 in 1993 conquered by Indurain, at 102.5 in 2003 (first was Armstrong but it was one of the seven tours that took away from him), up to only 65 in 2013 when Froome won (in this case there was also a 25 km team time trial) .

Coming to the last two years, however, we noticed that in 2021, in the Grand Boucle dominated by Pogacar, 58 km were covered while last year, in the Tour won by Vingegaard, there were 53 .

So, at least on the Tour, there will be an enviable record down the specialty, unlike a Giro d'Italia which, in 2023, will present 70 km against the clock (while in 2022 there were only 26 ), to push, probably , some great champions to race in our country.

One thing is certain: the time trial specialists who will be at the start of the next Tour are not happy.

What do you think about it? Fewer time trial kilometers means more spectacle in a great stage race or do you prefer to see more?

Photo Sprint Cycling

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