The 110th Tour de France will roll out of Bilbao on Saturday morning with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar expected to vie for yellow.
When it comes to the sprints, all eyes will be on Mark Cavendish to see if the Manxman can take the Tour stage wins record outright with a 35th victory in what will be his final Tour.
But those are only some of the storylines that will play out over the next three weeks, and here the PA news agency looks at five other talking points ahead of the race.
Rider safety
Cycling is still in mourning after Gino Mader died on June 16 as a result of injuries suffered a day earlier in a crash at the Tour de Suisse. Mader, 26, went into a ravine on a high-speed descent and never regained consciousness. Amid the grief at the loss of a popular young rider have been more calls for reviews of rider safety – particularly given recent disturbing scenes at the women’s Tour of the Pyrenees, a race which was ultimately curtailed after two stages during which roads were not properly closed. The UCI, in conjunction with riders’ groups, is due to make an announcement on safety regulations on the eve of this year’s Tour.
Bernal is back
It is 18 months since 2019 Tour winner Egan Bernal suffered what could have been life-threatening injuries in a training crash in his native Colombia. Happily, the 26-year-old has made huge strides in his recovery, and was rewarded with selection by the Ineos Grenadiers after riding to 12th at the Criterium du Dauphine at the start of June. There is no suggestion Bernal is yet ready to challenge again at the pointy end of a race, but it will be fascinating to see how he fares over the course of three weeks. Just by lining up, he has already scored a victory.
No Froome
But while Bernal returns, Chris Froome is missing. The four-time Tour winner has never fully got over the injuries sustained in a training crash in 2019 and, at 38 years of age, surely now never will. Even so, eyebrows were raised when Israel Premier-Tech opted to leave their star name out of the Tour team this year, particularly given the way he rode to third place on Alpe d’Huez last year. Froome himself issued a statement expressing disappointment, and vowing to return in 2024.
Yates to challenge?
Pogacar’s team boss Mauro Gianetti threw up a surprise on Wednesday when he listed Adam Yates as a co-leader alongside the two-time champion given the latter’s uncertain form following the broken wrist he suffered in April. But actually, the Yates in question here is his twin brother Simon, who carries the hopes of the Jayco-Alula team alongside sprinter Dylan Groenewegen. So far, the 30-year-old has spoken about targeting stage wins, looking to add to the two he won in 2019, but will the 2018 Vuelta a Espana winner keep himself in the general classification fight or deliberately lose time to be allowed into breakaways?
The Wright Stuff
Fred Wright ended his long wait for a first professional win in some style last weekend by winning the British national road race in Saltburn. That victory has earned the 24-year-old some new threads for the Tour as he will don the British stripes in France, making him a little more conspicuous within the peloton. Last year, Wright made a speciality of getting himself in breakaways at both the Tour and the Vuelta, and four times finished on the podium in stages across the two races even if a win eluded him. The goal will be to go one better this time.
Tom Pidcock believes the racing at this year’s Tour de France will be different as a result of Gino Mader’s death at the Tour de Suisse less than two weeks ago.
Mader, who was 26, died on June 16 as a result of injuries suffered when he crashed into a ravine on a high-speed descent, and rider safety has been a hot topic in the build up to Saturday’s opening stage.
Pidcock, who was also racing in Switzerland, lit up the Tour de France on debut last year with an incredible descent off the Galibier setting up his victory on the Alpe d’Huez.
But asked if he expected the approach to racing to be impacted by what happened in Switzerland, the 23-year-old said: “I think so. I think especially for everyone who was at the race, that was pretty hard hitting.
“I didn’t see a single rider take any risks after that incident on the last two stages. Personally I think one of the things that hit me was it happened descending which is something that I love.
“It kind of showed me what the consequences can be when it goes wrong. I never take uncalculated risks when I’m descending, I don’t take unnecessary risks but things can happen when we’re riding down a descent at 100 kilometres an hour in lycra.”
Pidcock heads into this year’s Tour aiming to better last year’s debut. For him, that means being more consistent in the general classification so there will be no deliberately losing time to get in a breakaway. If he is to win another stage, he wants it to be from the group of favourites.
British cyclist Chris Froome was ruled out of the Tour de France after sustaining multiple serious injuries in a crash on this day in 2019.
The four-time Tour champion suffered a broken femur, a broken elbow and broken ribs during his reconnaissance ahead of stage four of the Criterium de Dauphine.
It was immediately feared that Froome had broken his leg and, after being taken to a nearby hospital, further injuries were confirmed as his hopes of a fifth Tour title were dashed.
Froome was eighth in the overall classification after three stages of the eight-day Criterium de Dauphine, just 24 seconds behind leader Dylan Teuns.
The Tour was only three-and-a-half weeks away, and Froome’s preparations had been built around peaking for the race as he looked to join an elite group of just four riders to have won five Tour titles.
Froome underwent surgery at a hospital in St Etienne, where he was joined by his wife Michelle and Team Ineos doctor Richard Usher.
Ineos team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: “He had surgery to repair his femur, his hip, his elbow.
“He has got broken ribs, a little bit of internal damage as well, so he is staying in intensive care for the next couple of days and then we will go from there.”
Injury also scuppered Froome’s Tour chances in 2014, although on that occasion his hopes ended on stage five of the race itself.
Racing as defending champion, he was forced to pull out following a third crash in two days, suffering a fractured left wrist and right hand.
Froome’s absence meant that 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas would be Team Ineos’ leader for the Tour.
Three months later, Froome posted on social media that he was back in training on the road.
Tom Pidcock is reluctant to call it a target but the opportunity to take the yellow jersey on the opening weekend of this year’s Tour de France has not escaped his notice.
The 23-year-old will race his second Tour this July, and said his goal is to do better than he did on debut last summer.
That might seem a lofty ambition given how Pidcock stormed to a stunning solo stage victory on the Alpe d’Huez, the descending skills with which he escaped his breakaway companions still talked of with awe.
But it would get even more attention if the Ineos Grenadiers rider enjoyed a spell in yellow, and a lumpy opening stage in the Basque Country offers a rider of Pidcock’s talents a chance.
“I think it is (an opportunity), yeah,” he told the PA news agency. “It’s a possibility and something that I am aware is a possibility. I think the first stage of the Tour is one that can be treated like a one-day classic, it’s going to be a super-hard day.”
When told that sounds non-committal, Pidcock quickly adds: “I’m just playing it down.”
Pidcock, who proved his one-day credentials at Strade Bianche in March, is far from alone in eyeing that opening stage, but he has other goals in July too.
He wants to show greater consistency in the general classification, and also to win a stage from the main bunch rather than a break.
“Last year I was going to the Tour two months after being ill in the spring and then getting Covid, it was not the perfect lead in,” he said. “I think this year I’m stronger and I can do better, basically.”
Pidcock is certainly riding high on the back of his recent spell on the mountain bike.
The Olympic champion took two victories from the World Cup round in Novo Mesto, first storming from last to first to win a short track race he only learned he was riding with a couple of hours’ notice, then recovering from a lap-five crash to win the cross-country race.
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It came after he finished second in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and third in the Amstel Gold Race at the end of April.
The run of form is affirmation for the work Pidcock did in the winter, when he chose not to defend his cyclo-cross world title but instead focus on conditioning.
Although a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico in late March punched a hole in some of his ambitions, the core fitness remains.
“Definitely I feel I’m a bit more robust and certainly at a higher level and I have been for longer and I think that’s partly from the extra time spent building a base preparing,” he said. “I think that’s only going to carry into the rest of the season.”
Throughout his young career to date, the Yorkshireman has juggled the demands of road, mountain bike and cross, but always knew there would come a time when something had to give. This season has shown how that might look.
“I think if I want to achieve the goals I do on the road, certainly there are going to have to be sacrifices in other disciplines,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t contribute and help with those ambitions.”
There are likely to be sacrifices too at August’s World Championships in Scotland, where the first combined multi-discipline championships is creating dilemmas for several athletes given the schedule clashes.
Pidcock plans to race his mountain bike, so is strongly leading towards skipping the road race which comes first and could come at a cost.
“I don’t want to do both and go home with nothing,” he said. “I’d want to ride the road race because it’s a home race and it will be a super nice experience and I think the worlds is a very special particular race where you never know what will happen.
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing to ride, I want to ride, but would it be the best thing? I don’t know.”
:: Tom Pidcock is a Red Bull athlete. Watch him appear in ‘Race Tapes‘, the new Red Bull series that delves into the lives of the world’s leading riders across all disciplines.
Mark Cavendish has joined Astana for a 2023 campaign in which he will be hoping to make history at the Tour de France.
Legendary sprinter Cavendish left Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl last year, but the Brit will continue his illustrious career with Kazakh team Astana.
The 37-year-old from the Isle of Man was not selected for the 2022 Tour de France, denying him the opportunity to surpass a record tally of 34 stage wins in the most prestigious Grand Tour race that he shares with the great Eddy Merckx.
Cavendish will have high hopes of taking the record outright this year with his new team.
He said: "I am really excited for this adventure. I raced with Alexandr Vinokurov for many years, and now I'm racing with his two boys!
"I remember when they were children the same age as my own, dreaming to be bike racers.
"Astana is going to be a great place to be successful, with a strong team led by Alexandr, a champion on the bike and a gentleman off the bike.
"I've enjoyed a long career already, but the joy of riding my bike and the hunger to continue winning are as bright as ever.
"So I'm looking forward to being part of a successful team, whether working with the team for wins, crossing the line first myself, or cheering on my team-mates. As always, the objective will be for us to stand on the top podium."
While Cavendish was overlooked for the Tour de France, he was able to win the Milano-Torino as well as Giro d'Italia, Tour of Oman and UAE Tour stages.
The 2024 edition of the Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time in the race's history, organisers The Amaury Sport Organisation has confirmed.
Florence will mark the starting point of the 111th edition of the famous competition, to commemorate 100 years since Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian won Le Tour.
After racing to Rimini, further stages from Cesenatico to Bologna and Piacenza to Turin will follow, with the event also set to finish away from Paris for the first time.
The iconic Champs-Elysees finale will be replaced by a closing stage in Nice due to the 2024 Olympic ceremony occurring in the capital just days later.
It will also be the first time since 1989 the event has concluded with a time-trial finish, as opposed to the usual procession through the streets of Paris.
"The Tour has started from all the countries bordering France," said Le Tour director Christian Prudhomme.
"It has even started six times from the Netherlands, which has no common border with France. But it has never started from Italy.
"It's an incongruity that will disappear."
The 2023 edition will begin in Bilbao, Spain on July 1 and finish in Paris 22 days later, with Jonas Vingegaard out to defend his crown.
Nairo Quintana has elected not to ride in the Vuelta a Espana, with his decision coming a day before the start of the season's final Grand Tour gets under way in the Netherlands.
On Wednesday, Quintana was retrospectively disqualified from this year's Tour de France for an in-competition drug infringement.
The Colombian finished sixth in the General Classification, his first top-10 Grand Tour finish since the 2019 Vuelta and his best performance in the Tour de France since 2016.
However, the UCI announced that two samples of Quintana's blood showed traces of tramadol, a banned substance.
The 32-year-old was given 10 days to appeal the ruling with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), though he has not been banned from competition as it is a first offence.
On Thursday, the Colombian confirmed he would not be riding in the Vuelta, despite initially stating he would be doing so.
In a widely reported statement, Arkea-Samsic rider Quintana said: "I communicate that I will not participate in the Vuelta to assert my reasons before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I will return to the calendar races at the end of the season."
Quintana had responded to the allegations via his social media channels, stating: "I have been surprised by the announcement of the UCI of an infraction for use of tramadol.
"I am completely unaware of the use of this substance and I deny having used it in my career.
"With my team of lawyers we are exhausting all the processes to assume my defence.
"I also want to ratify that I will be in the Vuelta a Espana, riding my best for the team, my country and my fans."
Nairo Quintana has been disqualified from the 2022 Tour de France for an in-competiton drug infringement.
The Colombian finished sixth in this year's competition, which was won by Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard.
However, the UCI announced on Wednesday that two samples of Quintana's blood showed traces of tramadol, a banned substance.
The 32-year-old has 10 days to appeal the ruling with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), though he has not been banned from competition as it is a first offence.
Quintana's sixth place in the General Classification was his first top-10 Grand Tour finish since the 2019 Vuelta a Espana, and his best performance in the Tour de France since 2016.
The Arkea-Samsic team announced that Quintana had signed a contract extension until 2025 on Tuesday, though he was not named in their squad for this year's Vuelta a Espana, which starts on Friday.
The team released a statement on Wednesday saying: "The Arkea-Samsic team took note of the notification from the UCI and received by Nairo Quintana informing him of the presence of tramadol in two samples of dried blood collected during the last Tour de France.
"Since March 1, 2019, the UCI medical regulations have provided for the banning of tramadol in competition for medical reasons.
"Furthermore, this violation of the UCI medical regulations does not lead to a suspension for the rider.
"The Arkea-Samsic team will not provide any further comment."
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo confirmed discussions are ongoing that could lead to the 2024 Tour de France finishing outside the French capital.
Since 1975, the final stage of the Tour has traditionally concluded on the famous Champs-Elysees avenue, and it was where Jonas Vingegaard sealed his race triumph on Sunday.
The 2024 Tour is scheduled to be held between June 29 and July 21 – its end date coming just five days before the Olympic Games begin in the French capital.
It has been reported that the 111th edition of the race will begin in Tuscany. Nice has been touted as a potential alternative final destination to Paris, and Hidalgo revealed she is in talks with Tour director Christian Prudhomme.
Asked whether the 2024 Tour would conclude in the French capital, she told Le Parisien: "We'll see. This is a subject we are discussing with Christian [Prudhomme]. It is an important subject.
"The arrival of the Tour will almost coincide with the opening of the Olympic Games. We work together intelligently on alternative solutions. We are pragmatic. We'll find a solution.
"The opening of the Games is July 26, 2024. This means that during the preceding weeks, the Place de la Concorde will have to organise itself."
The large city centre square, at the eastern end of the Champs-Elysees, is due to be given a major overhaul for the Olympics.
"The question of the absence of the Champs-Elysees on the Tour is not taboo," said Hidalgo. "We will communicate in due time."
Jonas Vingegaard says life could not be any better after securing his first Tour de France title in Paris on Sunday.
The Jumbo-Visma rider crossed the line on stage 21 in unison with his team-mates at the end of a largely processional finale in the French capital.
Vingegaard had a lead of more than three-and-a-half minutes on back-to-back champion Tadej Pogacar heading into the 116-kilometre stretch, and his triumph was never in doubt.
He is the second Dane to win Le Tour, after Bjarne Riis in 1996, while it is the first time in 30 years the winner of the race has been a native of the country where the race started.
Saluting his victory on the Champs-Elysees, an emotional Vingegaard said: "It's just incredible. I have finally won the Tour. Nothing can go wrong anymore.
"I'm sat with my daughter. It is just incredible. It is the biggest cycling race of the year, the biggest one you can win, and now I have done it. Nobody can take this away from me."
Vingegaard finished in the chasing bunch on the final stage, which was won by Jasper Philipsen, to retain the yellow jersey that he had been in possession of since stage 11.
Pogacar's hopes of a third title in a row were effectively ended on Thursday when Vingegaard increased his GC lead after the final mountain stage in the Pyrenees.
"I always had the feeling that at least I could fight for the win," Vingegaard added. "But I think in the end, when I really started believing was after the stage.
"I always believed in the victory, but I was thinking something really has to go wrong after Hautacam."
Asked how he plans to celebrate, Vingegaard said: "Tuesday, I go to Holland, Wednesday in Copenhagen, Thursday in the town I live in, and Friday, I'll be on the couch for a week!
"Of course, I'm super happy about my victory now. Of course, now I want to celebrate, relax, but then I also want more, yes."
Vingegaard was also crowned King of the Mountains, while team-mate Wout van Aert came out on top in the Points Classification.
Jumbo-Visma are the first team to win the yellow, polka dot and green jerseys at the same edition of the race since Faema managed the feat in 1969, thanks to Eddy Merckx.
Jonas Vingegaard sealed a maiden Tour de France title in Paris after finishing safely in the chasing bunch on the final stage, which was won by Jasper Philipsen.
Team Jumbo-Visma rider Vingegaard led back-to-back champion Tadej Pogacar by more than three and a half minutes heading into the largely processional finale on Sunday.
The Dane saw out the job in a stress-free manner – even enjoying some champagne during the 116-kilometre stretch – to end Pogacar's spell of General Classification dominance.
A few packs of riders tried to break free of the bunch on the Champs-Elysees, setting up a frantic late sprint that saw Belgium's Philipsen earn his second stage win of this year's race.
Vingegaard crossed over moments later, in unison with his Jumbo-Visma team after retaining the yellow jersey, which he had been in possession of since stage 11.
He was also crowned King of the Mountains, while team-mate Wout van Aert joined the celebrations in his green jersey after another solid outing.
Jumbo-Visma are the first team to win the yellow, polka dot and green jerseys at the same edition of the race since Faema managed the feat in 1969, thanks to Eddy Merckx.
Pogacar never came within two minutes and 18 seconds of Vingegaard in the GC, once the Danish rider had the lead.
The Slovenian therefore had to settle for the consolation prize of the white jersey for a third year running, with that award given to the best-placed rider under the age of 26.
Jonas Vingegaard went into the final weekend of the Tour de France with his yellow jersey all but assured.
It is the mountain stages that so typically settle the general classification in Grand Tours, and this edition of Le Tour proved no different.
A dominant ride on stage 18 saw Vingegaard, with admirable support from Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert, drop two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar on the final ascent in the Pyrenees.
Vingegaard powered away on that last climb, leaving Pogacar in his wake, and well over three minutes behind overall in the hunt for the yellow jersey, as the Dane collected just a second Grand Tour stage win of his career, the first having come on July 13 to put him in command of the race.
That left Vingegaard merely needing to safely negotiate the final three stages – two sprint finishes and a time trial – and he did just that, parading into Paris on Sunday with his grip on the yellow jersey firmly intact. Now he is the champion, a remarkable feat considering where he has come from.
Pogacar's Slovenian compatriot Primoz Roglic has previously been Jumbo-Visma's main hope, but an exceptional team ride has also represented a passing of the baton to Vingegaard, the 25-year-old who four years ago was working at a fish factory to supplement his income. Vingegaard was recruited by the team based on a remarkable time up a daunting climb in Spain, which was subsequently posted to the popular training application Strava.
Jumbo-Visma have turned in a team performance for the ages. Their plan, and subsequent execution, has been near-perfect. Even the loss of Roglic, whose attention will now turn to winning yet another Vuelta a Espana title, could not derail this powerhouse unit heading into the final week.
Vingegaard's first win, on stage 11 up the Col du Granon, came as a result of Jumbo-Visma attacking early, luring Pogacar into responding, and draining the Slovenian's energy as the 23-year-old was proven to be a mere mortal after all.
Even when stacked up against the days of when Team Sky (now INEOS Grenadiers) dominated Le Tour, Jumbo-Visma's performance this time around has been something special. As a result, they are the first team to win the yellow, polka dot (Vingegaard) and green (Van Aert) jerseys at the same edition of the race since Faema managed the feat in 1969, thanks to the great Eddy Merckx.
Vingegaard is the second Dane to win the Tour de France after Bjarne Riis in 1996, and it is the first time since 1992 that the winner of the race has been a native of the country where it started, with the first three stages of this Tour having taken place across Denmark.
Not since 2006 (Michael Rasmussen) has a Dane won the polka jot jersey, though it is the third successive edition of Le Tour that the GC leader has also claimed the King of the Mountains classification, with Pogacar having done so in 2020 and 2021. Before 2020, it had happened only three times across the previous 50 races – Merckx in 1970, Carlos Sastre in 2008 and Chris Froome in 2015.
Van Aert, meanwhile, is another star. The 27-year-old finished in second place in the opening three stages before finally claiming victory at the fourth time of asking, and his decisive attack on Hautacam gave Vingegaard the platform he needed to end Pogacar's hopes.
A sprinter by trade but a brilliant climber to boot, Van Aert never looked likely to relinquish the green jersey, easily fending off Jasper Philipsen and Pogacar for that prize. He is the first Belgian rider to win the points classification of the Tour de France since Tom Boonen in 2007.
As for Pogacar, three in a row proved one triumph too many, but when you contrast the talents of UAE Team Emirates with Jumbo-Visma, his achievements so far must be considered even more remarkable.
The white jersey, which Pogacar won in each of the last two years for the best young rider, was retained. He has been leading the youth classification over each of the last 51 racedays in the Tour de France (from stage 13 in 2020 to stage 21 in 2022), which is the longest run of consecutive racedays in the first place of a specific classification.
Pogacar will surely be back out to regain his crown in 2023 and along with Vingegaard could dominate for years to come, though do not count out Tom Pidcock from one day contesting for a jersey.
On his Grand Tour debut, the 22-year-old Briton has mightily impressed. His triumph on the famous Alpe d'Huez will go down in the record books. He not only broke the 100km/h mark on a descent, but became the youngest stage winner on the mountain in Le Tour history, breaking a 38-year record held by Lucho Herrera.
Pidcock, who won gold on the mountain bike at the Tokyo Olympics, is the 15th British rider to win a Tour de France stage, but just the second to do so on the Alpe d'Huez after Geraint Thomas, who at 36 has battled to a brilliant third-place finish overall.
It might well be the 2018 champion's swan song at Le Tour, while another veteran campaigner, Nairo Quintana, came in sixth in the general classification. That is Quintana's first top-10 Grand Tour finish since the 2019 Vuelta a Espana, and his best performance in this race since 2016.
Jonas Vingegaard declared his impending Tour de France title win is the "biggest in cycling" after increasing his lead on the penultimate stage.
The Dane's second place behind Team Jumbo-Visma team-mate Wout van Aert in Saturday's stage 20 time-trial saw him add eight seconds to his advantage over Tadej Pogacar, meaning he has a lead of over three-and-a-half minutes heading into Sunday's final stage.
Vingegaard is set to secure his first Tour title in Paris, and with tears in his eyes, he outlined what it means to him, especially after finishing second behind Pogacar last year.
"It means everything to me," he said. "It's really incredible. It's hard for me to put words on it. It's the biggest win in cycling.
"Since last year, I always believed I could do it. It's a relief that I did. I'm just so happy and proud."
Vingegaard detailed how determined the team was to right the wrongs of two years ago, when Pogacar overturned the lead of another Jumbo-Visma rider, Primoz Roglic, to pip him to the yellow jersey.
"What happened two years ago, we always thought about it and we didn't want it to happen again," he said. "We just wanted to go for it today. [The emotion] just shows how close everyone is in this team. It's a special thing we have."
Pogacar was reflective after finishing third on Saturday, but anticipates many more battles between himself and Vingegaard.
"It's been a good three weeks, with many ups and downs, with lots of bad luck for my team, but the battle between me and Jonas for the yellow jersey has been very special," Pogacar said.
"I think we have some very interesting next two or three years ahead of us. Jonas has stepped up his game this year. I'm motivated and looking forward to the next challenges."
Jonas Vingegaard is poised to win his first Tour de France title on Sunday after all-but finishing off the job in a stage 20 time trial that was won by Wout van Aert.
Vingegaard's Team Jumbo–Visma team-mate Van Aert produced a stunning ride to win the 40.7km stage from Lacapelle-Marival to Rocamadour on Saturday.
Dane Vingegaard - who went into penultimate stage with a near three-and-a-half minute lead over rival Tadej Pogacar - crossed the line 19 seconds slower than Van Aert in second spot, but eight quicker than the third-placed two-time defending champion.
Vingegaard is set to secure the general classification title in Paris and was understandably emotional after finishing the time trial, embracing his wife as the scale of his achievement sunk in.
It could have been a very different story though, as Vingegaard came within inches of crashing in the closing stages, with his tyres clipping a grass verge and almost hitting a wall.
Geraint Thomas, who sits third in the GC standings, also put in a strong showing, finishing in fourth place.
Christophe Laporte became the first Frenchman to win on this year's Tour de France after sprinting to victory on stage 19, while Jonas Vingegaard edged closer to general classification glory.
Laporte had largely played a supporting role for his excellent Jumbo-Visma team-mate Vingegaard, the yellow jersey holder and King of the Mountains victor.
But Laporte came to the fore on the 188.3-kilometre route from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors, overtaking Fred Wright to sprint to victory and secure Jumbo-Visma's fifth stage win of the Tour.
Wright headed the leading group, alongside Jasper Stuyven and Alexis Gougeard, with just under 30km to go, but Laporte produced a perfectly timed attack to leave the trio in his wake in Cahors.
Laporte was indebted to the work of his team-mates to support his late charge and revealed Wout van Aert's message of encouragement before the race had spurred him to glory.
"I am super happy. I find it hard to realise. Wout said to me, 'Today is for you'. The last time he said that to me was at Paris-Nice, so here it brings me luck," Laporte told broadcaster RMC after his victory.
"One and a half kilometres from the finish, I made the jump to catch up with those who were in front. I threw it from afar so that they wouldn't come back, and it worked.
"It's incredible. It's more than just a reward, it's huge!"
Vingegaard finished safely behind the leading riders in 13th, with his lead over defending champion Tadej Pogacar staying at three minutes and 26 seconds.
LAPORTE SPARES FRENCH BLUSHES
Laporte made the bold call to move away through the streets of Cohors and, helped by his Jumbo-Visma team-mates, was duly rewarded.
The 29-year-old ensured France will not end Le Tour without a stage winner, as they did in 1926 and 1999, while he secured his first stage win in his eighth appearance.
STAGE RESULTS
1. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) 3:52:04
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:01
3. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) +0:01
4. Florian Senechal (Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl Team) +0:01
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +0:01
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 75:45:39
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +3:26
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +8:00
Points Classification
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 460
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 236
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 235
King of the Mountains
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 72
2. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 64
3. Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo) 61
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