"Eyes will be on Pogacar and Vingegaard" - Michal Kwiatkowski predicts GC battle to light up on opening stage at the Tour de France
Cycling
Michal Kwiatkowski has been doing some recon for the opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France. His verdict? The finale is so hard the GC battle could light up immediately.
"I was very curious about the start. If you look at the final, it could be a final for the best climbers of this Tour," the 33-year-old Pole tells In de Leiderstrui. “On those two climbs we will immediately see how things stand. If you can win the Tour de France, you can also win this stage if you go full on the last hills. I am curious whether Jumbo-Visma and UAE-Team Emirates will take control for the entire day and if not, what will happen."
Although the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Kwiatkowski's INEOS Grenadiers teammate Tom Pidcock are all expected to be in the mix for the stage win. After doing the reconnaissance however, Kwiatkowski feels Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard could be more likely winners.
"Right from the start we already have two climbs and if there is going to be racing there, it will be one of the toughest days of this Tour de France. It's really up to the favorites for this Tour: Pogacar and Vingegaard," he explains. "If you look at paper: Mathieu van der Poel and co can also handle that last kilometer towards the finish and then it looks like an open final, but the stage as a whole is really difficult. I think we only have a few favorites for this ride."
"Tom is one of the guys who should be able to do this. We know how much talent he has, but eyes will be on Pogacar and Vingegaard," concludes Kwiatkowski. "Many men are already thinking about the second and third week, but it may well be that men will be surprised here. It's full on climbing, you have to be there immediately."
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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