Since 2020, only two riders have left the Tour de France wearing the coveted yellow leader’s jersey, and while they’re the front-runners once again, there definitely are some legitimate threats signed up for the Tour de France 2026.
The last two editions of the race were won by Tadej Pogačar, a 27-year-old Slovenian superstar, giving him four titles overall (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025), while Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the two years in between (2022, 2023).
They’re both in red-hot form this season and ready for another battle across France, but is this the year someone else gets to hold up the iconic crystal trophy?
Fans in the Great White North can find out for themselves on FloBikes and the FloSports app, which again will be the exclusive home of the Tour de France in 2026 for viewers in Canada. The race will take place July 4-26.
- Subscribe To FloBikes To Catch All The Best Cycling, News And Highlights
- Wout Van Aert Out of Tour de France 2026 With Elbow Injury
- Comment regarder le Tour de France 2026 au Canada
- Tour de France 2026 Entries: Who's Competing?
Pogačar has been nearly untouchable during the first half of 2026, winning Strade Bianche, Milano-Sanremo, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse.
In reality, though, he’s actually been the man to beat wherever he has gone since turning pro in 2019, and he’s the clear favorite heading into the Tour de France 2026, where he’s looking to become the fifth rider in history to win the race five times.
Last year, Pogačar wore the yellow jersey in 14 of the race’s 21 stages, and his win in Stage 4, one of four stage victories on the year, marked the 100th win of his professional career.
Who is your pick for the 113th edition of the Tour de France, which will begin in Barcelona, Spain, marking the third time the Grand Depart has taken place within Spain’s borders – San Sebastian (1992) and Bilbao (2023)?
For the first time since 1971, the race will begin with a team time trial, and that will come as a 19.6-kilometer trek across Barcelona.
The first three stages this year will take place in Spain, and then the peloton then will cross into southern France. The event will roll through seven French regions and 29 departments.
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.
With the start of this year’s TDF just days away, and the 2026 cycling season in full swing, we want to take a look at five riders who could make Pogačar sweat more than a 185-kilometer ride in the summer sun:
Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark
We already know Vingegaard is the only rider to beat Pogačar into Paris since they lined up together at Tour de France for the first time in 2021.
He was the runner-up to the reigning champion for the first time that year, along with 2024 and 2025, but he was able to one-up Pogačar in 2022 and 2023.
Vingegaard, 29, is coming off a thrilling win in his debut at the Giro d’Italia and looking to match Pogačar’s feat from 2024, where he became the first rider in more than two decades to complete the Giro-TDF double in the same season.
We’ve seen Vingegaard crack Pogačar before, but we’ve also seen “Tornado Tadej” leave him in the dust on more than one occasion.
No matter how it all turns out, don’t expect this rivalry to bring anything less than 21 days of cat-and-mouse fun.
Paul Seixas, France
The first time Pogačar won the Tour de France, Paul Seixas was barely a teenager.
Now 19, Seixas is the top rider to watch who’s not named Pogačar or Vingegaard.
His age could be a blessing and a curse, as he is a decade younger than the men he’s trying to replace on the podium, but he also is limited on experience.
There are no questions about Seixas being a rising star in the sport, backed by his junior time-trial world championship in 2024. That was followed by quick success since making his professional debut in 2025.
His breakout performance came in the form of an eighth-place finish at the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné, which now is called the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes.
Two months later, Seixas won the Tour de l'Avenir, which is considered the junior equivalent of the Tour de France.
Seixas has only gotten stronger in 2026. Here’s a look at his performances this year:
- Second in the Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta
- First in the Faun-Ardèche Classic
- Second (to Pogačar) at Strade Bianche
- First at the Itzulia Basque Country (including three of the six stages and all four jerseys up for grabs)
- First at La Flèche Wallonne
- Second (to Pogačar) at Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Unfortunately, the last time Seixas raced didn’t end so well. He was forced to leave the eight-stage Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes early on the final day due to injuries suffered in a crash on Stage 7.
That was on June 14. Is that enough time to heal and train and get ready to take on the best riders in the world?
Isaac del Toro, Mexico
Mexico’s Isaac del Toro was the breakout star of the Giro d’Italia 2025, where he wore the pink leader’s jersey for 11 days and nearly pulled off the historic GC victory.
Heading into Stage 20, Del Toro was 43 seconds ahead of Richard Carapaz and 1 minute, 21 seconds in front of eventual champion Simon Yates. By the end of the day, Yates was nearly four minutes clear of Del Toro, with Carapaz another minute back, and that ended up being the finishing order.
Del Toro had done enough to put himself on the map as the pride of Mexican cycling, and he was able to return home with the white jersey awarded to the race’s best young rider.
He rode that momentum to a win in the Tour of Austria in July 2025 and picked up win after win to close out the season, including a pair of national championships in Mexico (road race and time trial).
This season has been more of the same, featuring wins in the UAE Tour, a third-place finish in Strade Bianche, a win at Tirreno-Adriatico and a victory in the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes earlier this month.
The main thing that will keep Del Toro off the top spot on the podium is that he’s one of Pogačar’s teammates, and the squad’s entire focus will be on helping him complete the three-peat and make history as a five-time TDF champion.
That doesn’t mean Del Toro won’t aim for a podium spot or take the lead role, should something happen to Pogačar along the way.
Remco Evenepoel, Belgium & Florian Lipowitz, Germany
If they both can stay healthy throughout the 21 stages of the Tour de France, these Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe teammates could be a handful for the race favorites.
Remco Evenepoel burst onto the professional scene around the same time as Pogačar and also has been racking up the victories and accomplishments, including multiple world championships and Olympic gold medals, many of the premier one-day races and a more than a dozen stage races.
Evenepoel has stage wins at all three Grand Tours and won the GC title at the Vuelta a España in 2022.
Injuries also have been an issue for the young standout, who left the Tour de France 2025 after 13 stages, though he did win the individual time trial in Stage 5.
Evenepoel finished third in his TDF debut in 2024. Along the way, he won the ITT in Stage 7 and earned the white jersey as the best young rider.
The current season has been good for the reigning time-trial world champion, who started the year with four consecutive wins – three one-day races and the five-stage Volta Comunitat Valenciana in February.
More recently, Evenepoel had podium finishes at three of the Spring Classics, including a victory at the Amstel Gold Race.
Florian Lipowitz is a little newer to the world scene, but he’s quickly proving to be a major threat in the stage races.
His first podium finish came at the Tour de Romandie in 2024, but he also settled nicely into his role riding in support of Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, who won the Vuelta a España later in 2024.
In 2025, Lipowitz got comfortable in the best-young-rider jersey, taking it at Paris-Nice, the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France, while picking up top-3 finishes at each.
Heading into the Tour de France 2026, Lipowitz is carrying the momentum of a win at the Tour of Slovenia 2026 (June 17-21). He won two of the five stages, topped the GC and won the Mountains Classification.
Oh, and he’s a climbing specialist, which is great news for him, as the route for the TDF 2026 certainly has its fair share of climbs.
Juan Ayuso, Spain
From 2021-2025, Juan Ayuso was a teammate of Pogačar on UAE Team Emirates, which meant that even though the team spent a lot of time in the spotlight, he was forced to spend much of it in Pogačar’s shadow.
Ayuso is just 23 years old, however, and he moved to Team Lidl-Trek for the 2026 season. That means new leadership, new opportunities and possible a new role as he progresses in his career.
Despite being plagued by injuries during his short career, Ayuso did enjoy success in recent years, including wins at a trio of one-day races: Faun-Ardèche Classic (2024), the Drôme Classic (2025) and the Trofeo Laigueglia (2025), along with victories in three stage races: Itzulia Basque Country (2024), Tirreno–Adriatico (2025) and the Volta ao Algarve (2026).
At the Tour de France, his experience has been limited, and he has participated less times than either of the favorites has won the overall title.
He left the race during Stage 13 in 2024 and skipped the 2025 TDF to focus on the other two Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia and La Vuelta a España, though that paid off with stage wins at both.
Putting on a new jersey went really well for Ayuso, who won the Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta in his February debut with his new team.
Unfortunately, what followed was an early departure from Paris-Nice and a DNF at Itzulia Basque Country, before rallying for a third-place finish behind Del Toro and Luke Tuckwell at the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes.
The question here will continue to be about Ayuso’s health. Is his body ready for the grueling Tour de France, and is he ready to race on the biggest stage against Pogačar, rather than for him?
Why Subscribe To FloBikes?
A FloBikes subscription provides access to the Tour de France for Canadian fans, and so much more throughout the year.
In addition to live races, FloBikes subscribers can check out replays, highlights, breaking news, interviews, schedules and other exclusive content.
The calendar includes the Flanders Classics, the UCI World Championships, USA Cycling events and everything from road races to mountain biking to BMX action.
How To Watch The Tour de France 2026
For Canadian viewers, the Tour de France 2026 is streaming 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 family of networks and will stream daily on Peacock. Select stages will air on local NBC affiliates, while others, plus stage reruns, will be shown on the 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.
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 (July 13 and July 20).
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.
The three weeks of racing across Barcelona and France will feature eight mountain stages, including five summit finishes, seven flat stages, four hilly days, an individual time trial and a team time trial to kick things off on July 4.
How Long Is The Tour de France 2026?
The course for the Tour de France 2026 is 3,333 kilometers or just over 2,071 miles.
The race is 21 stages.
A map of the entire route can be found here.
What Is The Schedule For The Tour de France 2026?
- Stage 1 (TTT) - July 4: Barcelone - Barcelone (19.6km)
- Stage 2 - July 5: Tarragone - Barcelone (168.5km)
- Stage 3 - July 6: Granollers - Les Angles (195.9km)
- Stage 4 - July 7: Carcassonne - Foix (181.9km)
- Stage 5 - July 8: Lannemezan - Pau (158.3km)
- Stage 6 - July 9: Pau - Gavarnie-Gèdre (186.2km)
- Stage 7 - July 10: Hagetmau - Bordeaux (175.1km)
- Stage 8 - July 11: Périgueux - Bergerac (180.4km)
- Stage 9 - July 12: Malemort - Ussel (185.5km)
- Rest Day - July 13: Cantal
- Stage 10 - July 14: Aurillac - Le Lioran (166.6km)
- Stage 11 - July 15: Vichy - Nevers (161.3km)
- Stage 12 - July 16: Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours - Chalon-sur-Saône (179.1km)
- Stage 13 - July 17: Dole - Belfort (205.8km)
- Stage 14 - July 18: Mulhouse - Le Markstein Fellering (155.3km)
- Stage 15 - July 19: Champagnole - Plateau de Solaison (183.9km)
- Rest Day - July 20: Haute-Savoie
- Stage 16 (ITT) - July 21: Évian-les-Bains - Thonon-les-Bains (26.1km)
- Stage 17 - July 22: Chambery - Voiron (174.7km)
- Stage 18 - July 23: Voiron - Orcières-Merlette (185.2km)
- Stage 19 - July 24: Gap - Alpe d'Huez (127.9km)
- Stage 20 - July 25: Le Bourg d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez (170.9km)
- Stage 21 - July 26: Thoiry - Paris Champs-Élysées (133km)
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Tour de France?
Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams and up to 184 competitors in the Tour de France. This year, there will be 23 teams.
Here’s the list for 2026:
- Alpecin - Premier Tech
- Bahrain - Victorious
- Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
- Cofidis
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team
- EF Education - EasyPost
- Groupama - FDJ United
- Netcompany INEOS
- Lidl - Trek
- Lotto Intermarché
- Movistar Team
- NSN Cycling Team
- Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco AlUla
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- TotalEnergies
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- UAE Team Emirates - XRG
- Uno-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
Who Won The Tour de France In 2025?
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar added to his growing legacy by winning the Tour de France in 2025.
It was his second consecutive victory at the event, and fourth overall (2020, 2021), making him the sixth rider in history to win four times.
Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain all have won five times, while Chris Froome joins Pogačar with four.
On his way to securing the yellow jersey in 2025, Pogačar was the pre-race favorite.
His title defense featured four stage wins (4, 7, 12, 13), and he finished more than four minutes ahead of runner-up Jonas Vingegaard. Florian Lipowitz was third, 11 minutes behind Pogačar, who also won the King of the Mountains jersey.
Pogačar owns five Grand Tour victories overall, including the Giro d’Italia in 2024, which was part of a historic Giro-TDF double, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1998.
In 2026, Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, will be looking to match the effort after claiming the GC title at the Giro d’Italia in May and becoming the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours at least one time.
Merckx has the most GC wins in Grand Tours with 11, followed by Hinault, who has 10.
Pogačar has maintained his elite form in 2026 and started the year with four wins in his first five events. He then added four stages wins on the way to the GC crown at the five-stage Tour de Romandie.
Tour de France 2026 Starts With A Massive Twist: Team Time Trial
The Tour de France 2026 begins with one of the most important opening stages in years: a team time trial in Barcelona.
We break down the history of the format, how the innovative rules work and why organizers first tested the concept before bringing it to the Tour de France.
Learn how times are calculated, how riders can gain or lose crucial seconds and why this opening stage could immediately impact the battle between Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and the other GC contenders when the race begins on July 4.
Catch All The Best Races, Highlights, Insight, News And More On FloBikes
FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action.
FloBikes Archived Footage
Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.