The time cut at Tour de France is the maximum allowable time for the last rider to finish the stage. Any rider who finishes the stage outside the time cut is automatically disqualified and will not start the next stage.
The time cut is something that the riders pay much attention to, especially for the high mountain stages. The General Classification (GC) contenders will be battling it out at the front of the race for Yellow Jersey and stage wins, while the sprinters will struggle to make their way up the high mountains.
The harder and faster race at the front, the more the riders at the back will struggle to make the time cut. The Tour de France has a Withdrawals page listing riders who failed to make the time cut. Their names will be marked Outside Time Limit.
How is the time cut calculated?
The time cut calculation is complex and depends on many factors. Before the Tour de France starts, the organizers will assign each stage a Coefficient.
The Coefficient, as laid out in Article 22 – Finish Time Limits of the Tour de France regulations, is a way to categorize the stage based on its type, length, and difficulty levels.
At the end of each stage, the organizers will calculate the time cut by taking into consideration ALL of the below,
- Each stage’s Coefficient (more about this below)
- Stage winner’s average speed
- Stage winner’s time
Generally, the harder and/or faster the stage is, the more time is added, and vice versa.
Tour de France Race Guide
2023 Tour de France time limits
| Stage | Start / finish | Winner’s time | Winner’s average speed | Time cut | Riders outside time cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bilbao to Bilbao | 4:22:49 | 41.55 km/h | +44:41 | 0 |
| 2 | Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sébastián | 4:46:39 | 43.726 km/h | +21:14 | 0 |
| 3 | Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne | 4:43:15 | 40.989 km/h | +19:50 | 0 |
| 4 | Dax to Nagaro | 4:25:28 | 41.09 km/h | +18:35 | 0 |
| 5 | Pau to Laruns | 3:57:07 | 41.17 km/h | +42:41 | 0 |
| 6 | Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque | 3:54:27 | 37.083 km/h | +42:12 | 0 |
| 7 | Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux | 3:46:28 | 45.013 km/h | +20:23 | 0 |
| 8 | Libourne to Limoges | 4:12:26 | 47.704 km/h | 25:15 | 0 |
| 9 | Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme | 4:19:41 | 42.1 km/h | +46:45 | 0 |
| 10 | Vulcania to Issoire | 3:52:34 | 43.316 km/h | +44:11 | 0 |
| 11 | Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins | 4:01:07 | 44.742 km/h | +21:42 | 0 |
| 12 | Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais | 3:51:42 | 43.712 km/h | +44:01 | 0 |
| 13 | Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier | 3:17:33 | 41.853 km/h | +33:35 | 0 |
| 14 | Annemasse to Morzine | 3:58:45 | 38.149 km/h | +42:59 | 0 |
| 15 | Les Gets les portes du soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc | 4:40:45 | 38.255 km/h | +44:55 | 0 |
| 16 | Passy to Combloux | 32:36 | 41.227 km/h | +10:45 | 0 |
| 17 | Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Courchevel | 4:49:08 | 34.386 km/h | +44:46 | 0 |
| 18 | Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse | 4:06:48 | 44.951 km/h | +22:13 | 0 |
| 19 | Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny | 3:31:02 | 49.13 km/h | +23:13 | 0 |
| 20 | Belfort to Le Markstein | 3:27:18 | 38.64 km/h | +37:19 | 0 |
2023 Tour de France Stages’ Coefficients
The table below shows the Coefficient for all stages at the 2023 Tour de France.
| Stage | Start and Finish | Distance | Terrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bilbao to Bilbao | 182 km | Hilly | X | |||||
| 2 | Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint-Sébastien | 208.9 km | Hilly | X | |||||
| 3 | Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne | 187.4 km | Flat | X | |||||
| 4 | Dax to Nogaro | 181.8 km | Flat | X | |||||
| 5 | Pau to Laruns | 162.7 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 6 | Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque | 144.9 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 7 | Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux | 169.9 km | Flat | X | |||||
| 8 | Libourne to Limoges | 200.7 km | Hilly | X | |||||
| 9 | Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme | 182.4 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 10 | Vulcania to Issoire | 167.2 km | Hilly | X | |||||
| 11 | Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins | 179.8 km | Flat | X | |||||
| 12 | Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais | 168.8 km | Hilly | X | |||||
| 13 | Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier | 137.8 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 14 | Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil | 151.8 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 15 | Les Gets les portes du soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc | 179 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 16 | Passy to Combloux | 22.4 km | ITT | X | |||||
| 17 | Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Courchevel | 165.7 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 18 | Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse | 184.9 km | Hilly | X | |||||
| 19 | Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny | 172.8 km | Flat | X | |||||
| 20 | Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering | 133.5 km | Mountain | X | |||||
| 21 | Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris Champs-Élysées | 115.1 km | Flat | X |
Coefficient 1 – No particular difficulty (easiest)
| Time added | Winner’s average speed |
|---|---|
| 4% | Below 36km/h |
| 5% | 36km/h to 38km/h |
| 6% | 38km/h to 40km/h |
| 7% | 40km/h to 42km/h |
| 8% | 42km/h to 44km/h |
| 9% | 44km/h to 46km/h |
| 10% | 46km/h to 48km/h |
| 11% | 48km/h to 50km/h |
| 12% | Above 50km/h |
Coefficient 2 – Rolling terrain
| Time added | Winner’s average speed |
|---|---|
| 6% | Below 35km/h |
| 7% | 35km/h to 36km/h |
| 8% | 36km/h to 37km/h |
| 9% | 37km/h to 38km/h |
| 10% | 38km/h to 39km/h |
| 11% | 39km/h to 40km/h |
| 12% | 40km/h to 41km/h |
| 13% | 41km/h to 42km/h |
| 14% | 42km/h to 43km/h |
| 15% | 43km/h to 44km/h |
| 16% | 44km/h to 45km/h |
| 17% | 45km/h to 46km/h |
| 18% | Above 46km/h |
Coefficient 3 – Rolling terrain
| Time added | Winner’s average speed |
|---|---|
| 10% | Below 35km/h |
| 11% | 35km/h to 36km/h |
| 12% | 36km/h to 37km/h |
| 13% | 37km/h to 38km/h |
| 14% | 38km/h to 39km/h |
| 15% | 39km/h to 40km/h |
| 16% | 40km/h to 41km/h |
| 17% | 41km/h to 42km/h |
| 18% | 42km/h to 43km/h |
| 19% | 43km/h to 44km/h |
| 20% | Above 44km/h |
Coefficient 4 – Very difficult
| Time added | Winner’s average speed |
|---|---|
| 7% | Below 30km/h |
| 8% | 30km/h to 31km/h |
| 9% | 31km/h to 32km/h |
| 10% | 32km/h to 33km/h |
| 11% | 33km/h to 34km/h |
| 12% | 34km/h to 35km/h |
| 13% | 35km/h to 36km/h |
| 14% | 36km/h to 37km/h |
| 15% | 37km/h to 38km/h |
| 16% | 38km/h to 39km/h |
| 17% | 39km/h to 40km/h |
| 18% | Above 40km/h |
Coefficient 5 – Very difficult, short stages
| Time added | Winner’s average speed |
|---|---|
| 10% | Below 29km/h |
| 11% | 29km/h to 30km/h |
| 12% | 30km/h to 31km/h |
| 13% | 31km/h to 32km/h |
| 14% | 32km/h to 33km/h |
| 15% | 33km/h to 34km/h |
| 16% | 34km/h to 35km/h |
| 17% | 35km/h to 36km/h |
| 18% | Above 36km/h |
Coefficient 6 – Individual time trial
The time cut for Individual Time Trial (ITT) is the winner’s time, plus 33%.
More reading : Fastest Time Trial Average Speed at Tour de France
What do riders do to make the time cut?
Form a grupetto
The grupetto (l’autobus in French) is a group of riders who rides and finish the stage together. It’s like a lift raft, where the injured, ill riders and sprinters cling onto. Besides that, the lanterne rouge is usually part of the grupetto.
On long and hard climbs, the groupetto will ride and pace each other to make the time cut while not expending unnecessary energy. The power meter is very useful in this aspect of pacing.
The bigger the grupetto, the lower the chances of being disqualified for finishing outside the time cut. One of the well-known exceptions is when more than 20% of the riders finished outside the time cut. The organizers certainly don’t want to disqualify more than 20% of the riders on one day.
More reading : How Many Rest Days in the Tour de France?
Take extra risks on the descents
Depending on the route, some high mountain stages also feature long descends. The sprinters will take additional risks by going down the descent faster to make up time lost on the climbs.
We don’t see this often as the TV cameras are at the front of the race where all the actions are.
Ride harder
The riders must ride harder and suffer more if all else fails. If the team leader or a vital team member has a bad day, the entire team will ride around and pace him to the finish.
Retire from the race
Retiring is the last thing on every rider’s mind, even if they’re nursing a serious injury. If they have the slightest chance of making the time cut, they will ride on and hope for a better day tomorrow.
But if they start to get dropped early in the stage, they will likely abandon and retire from the race.
Which riders didn’t make the time cuts?
The time cut can be ruthless. Many high profile riders have failed to make the time cut in recent years.
In 2021, Arnaud Demare (Groupama – FDJ), Luke Rowe (Ineos Grenadiers), and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Total Energies) were among those who failed to make the time cut.
In 2013, Ted King missed the time cut on Stage 4 by just seven seconds.
Tour de France Records and Stats
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.