Tour de France 2026 Route Announced: What To Know
Tour de France 2026 Route Announced: What To Know
The Tour de France 2026 will be held July 4-26, with two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar looking to join elite company with a fifth TDF victory.
In a formal presentation Thursday in France, the world’s top cyclists and their fans got their first official look at the course route and schedule for the Tour de France 2026. And it includes the Alpe d'Huez... twice!
The 113th edition of the storied race, set for July 4-26, will take the riders on a 3,333-kilometer journey that will span 21 stages and take them through two countries.
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The first three stages will begin in Spain, after which, the peloton will enter into southern France and continue its trek toward Paris, visiting seven French regions and 29 departments.
The presentation also included the unveiling of the Tour de France Femmes, which will take place Aug. 1-9.
Fans in Canada once again will be able to watch both races on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
Two Days On Alpe d’Huez: The Wild Tour de France 2026 Route
The Tour de France 2026 route has just been revealed, and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
For the first time in history, the Tour will finish on Alpe d’Huez – twice.
Gregor Brown breaks down the route, the key climbs and why this might be the toughest, and most historic, Tour ever.
The Grand Depart of the Tour def France has taken place in Spain twice before – San Sebastian (1992) and Bilbao (2023) – and the 2026 race will kick off in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia.
The announcement of the Barcelona start for the Tour de France 2026 came in February, and it will mark the fourth time the city has welcomed the race, having previously hosted stages of the TDF in 1957, 1965 and 2009, along with other top-tier cycling events and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
The route for the Tour de France 2026 will feature eight mountain stages (including five summit finishes), seven flat stages, four hilly stages, one individual time trial and a team time trial, with the latter being the first test the riders will face.
Of the 37 host towns on the schedule for the next Tour de France, 10 will be welcoming stages of the race for the first time:
- Tarragona (start of Stage 2)
- Granollers (start of Stage 3)
- Les Angles (finish of Stage 3)
- Gavarnie-Gèdre (finish of Stage 6)
- Hagetmau (start of Stage 7)
- Malemort (start of Stage 9)
- Ussel (finish of Stage 9)
- Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours (start of Stage 12)
- Plateau de Solaison (finish of Stage 15)
- Thoiry (start of Stage 21)
As (almost) always, the traditional conclusion of Stage 21 will bring the riders into Paris and around the Champs-Élysées for eight laps, before a sprint finish determines one last stage winner for the year. That also means Stage 21 sometimes determines the winner for the green sprinters/points jersey.
Tour de France 2026 Has Familiar Mountain Tests, New Climbs
As has become tradition, the Tour de France will challenge participants over some of France’s most iconic mountain terrain, including the Pyrenees mountains, Massif Central, the Vosges, the Jura and the Alps.
Along the way, there will be a series of new climbs to challenge the world’s best:
- Côte de Begues (Stage 2)
- Montée de Gavarnie-Gèdre (Stage 6)
- Col de la Griffoul (Stage 10)
- Col du Page and Col du Haag (Stage 14)
- Plateau de Solaison (Stage 15)
- Col de Sarenne (via its south-eastern flank (Stage 20)
The Col du Galibie will be the highest point of elevation for the TDF 2026 at 2,642 meters. The total vertical gain for the 21 stages will be 54,450 meters.
Tour de France 2026: Stage 1 Team Time Trial, Stage 16 ITT
For the first time since 1971, the Tour de France will begin with a team time trial. This time, it will be a 19-kilometer surge through Barcelona.
This Grand Depart will start along the Barcelona waterfront and end with a climb of the famed Montjuïc Hill, ending in front of the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.
In Stage 16, the riders will hit the road one at a time for a 26-kilometer individual time trial from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains.
A Look At The Route For The Tour de France 2026
Tour de France 2026 Stage Schedule
- Stage 1 (Team Time Trial) – Sat, July 4: Barcelona > Barcelona – 19 km
- Stage 2 (Flat) – Sun, July 5: Tarragone > Barcelona – 182 km
- Stage 3 (Mountain) – Mon, July 6: Granollers > Les Angles – 196 km
- Stage 4 (Mountain) – Tue, July 7: Carcassonne > Foix – 182 km
- Stage 5 (Hilly) – Wed, July 8: Lannemezan > Pau – 158 km
- Stage 6 (Mountain) – Thu, July 9: Pau > Gavarnie-Gèdre – 186 km
- Stage 7 (Flat) – Fri, July 10: Hagetmau > Bordeaux – 175 km
- Stage 8 (Flat) – Sat, July 11: Périgueux > Bergerac – 182 km
- Stage 9 (Hilly) – Sun, July 12: Malemort > Ussel – 185 km
- Rest Day 1: Mon, July 13 – Cantal
- Stage 10 (Mountain) – Tue, July 14: Aurillac > Le Lioran – 167 km
- Stage 11 (Flat) – Wed, July 15: Vichy > Nevers – 161 km
- Stage 12 (Flat) – Thu, July 16: Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours > Chalon-sur-Saône – 181 km
- Stage 13 (Hilly) – Fri, July 17: Dole > Belfort – 205 km
- Stage 14 (Mountain) – Sat, July 18: Mulhouse > Le Markstein Fellering – 155 km
- Stage 15 (Mountain) – Sun, July 19: Champagnole > Plateau de Solaison – 184 km
- Rest Day 2: Mon, July 20 – Haute-Savoie
- Stage 16 (Individual Time Trial) – Tue, July 21: Évian-les-Bains > Thonon-les-Bains – 26 km
- Stage 17 (Hilly) – Wed, July 22: Chambéry > Voiron – 175 km
- Stage 18 (Mountain) – Thu, July 23: Voiron > Orcières-Merlette – 185 km
- Stage 19 (Mountain) – Fri, July 24: Gap > Alpe d’Huez – 128 km
- Stage 20 (Mountain) – Sat, July 25: Le Bourg d’Oisans > Alpe d’Huez – 171 km
- Stage 21 (Flat) – Sun, July 26: Thoiry > Paris Champs-Élysées – 130 km
Time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds again will be awarded to the first three riders across the finish line in most stages.
How To Watch The Tour de France 2026
The Tour de France will stream live throughout in Canada on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms.
In the United States, the Tour de France will be on the NBC network and will stream daily in the United States on Peacock. The entire race will be broadcast on NBC’s channels and USA Network.
In February 2023, NBC Sports, Peacock and ASO announced a six-year deal that will keep NBC Sports as the home of the Tour de France in the United States through 2029.
Tour de France History And 2026 Storylines
The last two editions of the Tour de France were won by Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, giving him four titles overall (2020 and 2021), while Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the two years in between (2022, 2023).
Only nine riders have officially won the TDF three or more times, while Pogacar joins Great Britain’s Chris Froome on the list of four-time winners. Four other riders – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain have done them one better, winning five times each. Indurain’s victories came consecutively from 1991 through 1995.
The winner of the Tour de France 2026 will take home the coveted yellow jersey and €500,000 from a total prize purse of 2.3 million euros.
When Does The Tour de France 2026 Start?
The Tour de France 2026 starts July 4 and will conclude July 26.
The schedule includes 21 stages and two rest days.
Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish.
For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.
How Long Is The Tour de France 2026?
The full course for the Tour de France 2026 was revealed Oct. 23, and it will be a 3,333-kilometer journey across Spain and France.
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Tour de France?
Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams and more than 180 competitors in the Tour de France.
The 2026 race will start with 184 riders on 23 teams.
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