It may have taken until Stage 5 of the Tour de France 2026, but this one should belong to the sprinters.
Denmark's Mads Pedersen gave us a little preview when he accelerated in the final meters of Stage 4 on Tuesday to pick up his first win in 2026, and he could be in the mix again in Stage 5 on Wednesday, where the winner is expected to come from a bunch sprint.
The stage is short, flat, fast and the first real opportunity for the sprinters in this year's race. There's no doubt those specialists are eager to finally fight for the podium spots.
- Subscribe To FloBikes To Catch All The Best Cycling, News And Highlights
- How To Subscribe To FloBikes To Watch The 2026 Tour de France In Canada
- 5 Riders Who Could Challenge Tadej Pogacar At The TDF 2026
- Who Won Stage 4 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
While Pedersen and his Lidl-Trek teammate Quinn Simmons were collecting their 1-2 finishes in Stage 4, Norwegian Torstein Traeen was turning in his own memorable performance and riding himself into the yellow leader's jersey.
Traeen started the day just over five minutes behind reigning champion Tadej Pogačar in the race lead and was part of an initial 34-man breakaway that formed around 25 kilometers into the stage.
The new leader is 28 seconds ahead of American Sean Quinn, while Mathias Vacek is third, nearly four minutes behind. After four stages, Pogačar sits in fourth place, almost eight minutes off the lead.
For viewers in Canada, FloBikes coverage of Stage 5 will begin at 7:55 a.m. Eastern and is expected to conclude around 12:15 p.m. EDT.
Here’s what to know about Stage 5 of the Tour de France 2026, a flat 158.3-kilometer stage designed to end with a bunch sprint:
Stage 5: Tour de France 2026
The official website of the Tour de France states that only twice in almost 35 years has it taken until Stage 5 of the race for a bunch sprint to be the most likely outcome for the day.
The last occurrence was 2015, and the time before that was 1992, the first time the Grand Depart took place in Spain.
Of course, there always was going to be an outside possibility that some of the sprinters might be able to stay in contention and challenge for the win in Stage 4, but even if that didn't pan out, the flat Stage 5 ride from Lannemezan to Pau was made for them.
Aside from the team time trial to open the 2026 TDF, this stage is the shortest of the first 13 days of racing at 158.3 kilometers. For most of that ride, the focus will be on what's going to happen in Pau, and teams will be working hard to make sure a breakaway or solo mission doesn't spoil things for the sprinters.
Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 5 Of The Tour de France 2026?
Stage 5 of the Tour de France 2026 is 158.3 kilometers, or approximately 98.36 miles long.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 5 Profile
Here is what the route looks like for Stage 5:
How To Watch The Tour de France 2026 Stage 5
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.
Who Won Stage 5 Of The Tour de France In 2025?
Stage 5 of the Tour de France 2025 was the first of two time trials at the race and one of the few bright spots for Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who abandoned the race during Stage 14, despite being third in the General Classification.
The world and Olympic time trial champion finished 16 seconds ahead of all-around star Tadej Pogačar. Pogačar turned in one of his best time trials along the 33-kilometer route, but it wasn't enough to win for the second consecutive day.
However, Pogačar did secure the yellow leader's jersey for the first time at the 2025 event, so the performance did mean something special for the young Slovenian. The victory helped Evenepoel move into second place overall, 42 seconds off the lead.
Oh, and Pogačar was able to celebrate one other milestone, too. He became the first rider since Eddie Merckx in the 1970s to hold all three of the main jerseys - the GC, Points and King of the Mountains.
Pogačar did get some redemption later in the race. He won the shorter time trial in Stage 13 for the last of his four stage wins in 2025.
Tour de France 2026 Results: Here’s Who Has Won Each Stage So Far
- Stage 1: Who Won Stage 1 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 2: Who Won Stage 2 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 3: Who Won Stage 3 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 4: Who Won Stage 4 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
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.
How Lidl-Trek Muscle Broke Apart The Tour de France 2026 In Stage 4
Lidl-Trek dominated Stage 4 of the 2026 Tour de France from Carcassonne to Foix, with Quinn Simmons driving the move and leading out Mads Pedersen for a huge stage victory.
Simmons finished second himself, making it a massive day for the team. We hear from Quinn Simmons, Mads Pedersen, Sean Quinn and new yellow jersey Torstein Træen after a brutal day of racing.
Sean Quinn came close in the fight for yellow, but Uno-X took the prize as Lidl-Trek showed serious muscle at the Tour de France.
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.