Marcel Kittel (Argos–Shimano) was the first rider to wear the general classification leader's yellow jersey after winning stage one.

Froome became the second consecutive British cyclist to win the Tour de France, after Bradley Wiggins accomplished the feat the year before.

[4] The presentation of the teams took place at the harbour of Porto-Vecchio on the island of Corsica on 27 June, two days before the opening stage held in the town.

[8] The average age of riders in the race was 29.45 years, ranging from the 19-year-old Danny van Poppel (Vacansoleil–DCM) to the 41-year-old Jens Voigt (RadioShack–Leopard).

[11][12][14][15] The 2012 Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky, had focused on the Giro d'Italia, but retired early due to illness, subsequently pulling out because illness and injury had left him insufficient time to train for the Tour de France and chose not to ride.

[12] The sprinters considered favourites for the points classification and wins in bunch sprint finishes were Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step), Peter Sagan (Cannondale), André Greipel (Lotto–Belisol), Matthew Goss (Orica–GreenEDGE) and Argos–Shimano riders Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb.

[20][21][22][23] Cavendish won the points classification at the 2013 Giro and had shown his form with thirteen wins in the season.

[22] Kittel, as with Greipel, would arrive with a team dedicated for the sprints and he had accumulated eleven wins in the season.

[22] On 24 November 2011, the ASO announced Corsica would host the 2013 edition's opening stages (known as the Grand Départ), the first time the Tour has visited the island.

The ASO chartered the Mega Smeralda cruiseferry in Porto-Vecchio to house members of the organisation, media and others who work on the Tour and to host press conferences.

Stages five to eight formed a four-stage journey that navigated westwards finishing at the Ax 3 Domaines ski resort in the Pyrenees.

Stage nine took place between Saint-Girons to Bagnères-de-Bigorre, before a long transfer moved the race to the north-west of the country.

The following four stages, 11 to 15, crossed the centre of the country back to the south-east finishing atop Mont Ventoux.

The yellow jersey switched to Bakelants, and Pierre Rolland of Team Europcar claimed the polka dot.

[39] Orica–GreenEDGE won stage four's 33 km (20.5 mi) team time trial in and around Nice, putting Gerrans in the yellow jersey.

His teammate Gerrans ensured it for him by holding back at the finish allowing Impey – who was second overall – the time necessary to replace him at the top of the general classification.

[42] Sagan claimed the seventh stage from a bunch sprint in Albi, with Ag2r–La Mondiale rider Blel Kadri talking the polka dot jersey.

[43] In stage eight, the Tour's first mountain stage, which ended at the Ax 3 Domaines, Froome attacked a select five-rider group, which included Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde, as they passed the lone leader Nairo Quintana with 5 km (3.1 mi) remaining.

Froome took the stage win, fifty-one seconds ahead of his teammate Richie Porte, with Valverde third a further seventeen down.

Froome's victory win put him in the lead of the general and mountains classifications, ahead of Porte.

[47] Stage eleven's individual time trial between Avranches and Mont Saint-Michel was taken by Omega Pharma–Quick-Step's Tony Martin.

The stage saw Valverde suffer a punctured tyre and lose almost ten minutes, struggling to match the pace set by Cavendish's Omega Pharma–Quick-Step team at the head of the race.

[51] Stage fifteen, finishing on Mont Ventoux, saw Froome's Team Sky set a brutal pace on the opening kilometres of the Ventoux, so that all of the leading contenders, with the exception of Froome and Contador, dropped on the early part of the final climb.

The pair worked together to put time into their rivals, before Froome attacked with 1.2 km (0.7 mi) remaining and soloed to the finish for a second stage win.

[27] The sixteenth stage saw a twenty-six rider breakaway reach the final climb, the Col de Manse, where Rui Costa (Movistar Team) attacked and then descended on his own to the finish in Gap.

[54] In the Tour's queen stage, the eighteenth, early breakaway riders Christophe Riblon (Ag2r–La Mondiale) and Tejay van Garderen led on the second ascent of Alpe d'Huez.

Saxo–Tinkoff finished as the winners of the team classification, eight minutes and twenty-eight seconds ahead of second-placed Ag2r–La Mondiale.

[63] In addition, there was a combativity award given after each stage to the rider considered, by a jury, to have "made the greatest effort and who has demonstrated the best qualities of sportsmanship".

[64][66] Riders from the ProTeams competing individually, as well as for their teams and nations, for points that contributed towards the World Tour rankings.

[77] The 587 points accrued by Chris Froome put him in to the lead of the individual ranking, with Peter Sagan dropping to second.