Almost five decades after the first edition of the Tour de France, Formula 1 racing joined the motorsports landscape, and the two will share the spotlight Thursday for Stage 12 of the Tour de France 2026.
The day will begin on the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in central France, an iconic Formula 1 venue that has been hosting top-tier events since the 1960s and now will make its debut on the TDF.
While the bikes won't reach anywhere near the speeds of the race cars, will the day's flatter route see the fast men battle it out again in a sprint finish like we saw Wednesday in Stage 11?
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- 5 Riders Who Could Challenge Tadej Pogacar At The TDF 2026
- Who Won Stage 11 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
The final stretch of Stage 11 was pretty chaotic, filled with aggressive riding, elbows, pushing and a relegation of standout Jasper Philipsen that was overturned after an appeal.
The stage was won by Norwegian Søren Wærenskjold launched a long-range sprint and caught the other sprinters a little off guard. That was just enough for him to hold off Olav Kooij, who won the fifth stage, and Philipsen at the line.
Stage 11 also became the fastest stage in race history, with the peloton averaging 50.6 km/h and breaking a record that had stood for 26 years.
In the GC standings, two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar still leads rival Jonas Vingegaard by 3 minutes, 36 seconds. Remco Evenepoel is third (4:06), Juan Ayuso is fourth (4:22) and Paul Seixas rounds out the top 5 (4:35).
For viewers in Canada, FloBikes coverage of Stage 12 will begin at 7:20 a.m. Eastern and is expected to conclude around 12:15 p.m. EDT.
Here’s what to know about Stage 12 of the Tour de France 2026, a 179.1 ride across the plains that begins in a Formula 1 racing venue and ends in Chalon-sur-Saône:
Stage 12: Tour de France 2026
The 179.1-kilometer journey will begin on the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, which has been part of Formula 1 and motorsports history since 1960.
The ride to Chalon-sur-Saône is going to be relatively flat, with three short Category 4 climbs along the way.
Will the sprint teams be able to control things to give their guys a chance to sprint for the win? Does the Formula 1 start pretty much imply that will be the case?
Or, will the second half of the 21-stage race see teams be more aggressive with the hope of making their marks on the race before they run out of time? While the climbs in Stage 12 aren't too demanding, they certainly offer the opportunity to try something others may not be expecting.
The down side to that is that even if they're able to break free, they'll have to hold off the sprinters for more than a dozen kilometers for the move to end successfully with a spot on the top of the podium.
Another thing the teams will have to consider is what the winds are doing that day and how it could affect the ride across the plains.
Ultimately, if the sprinters do what is expected, the outcome will be almost entirely in their control.
Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 12 Of The Tour de France 2026?
Stage 12 of the Tour de France 2026 is 179.1 kilometers, or approximately 111.28 miles long.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 12 Profile
Here is what the route looks like for Stage 12:
How To Watch The Tour de France 2026 Stage 12
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 12 Of The Tour de France In 2025?
When it comes to Stage 12 of the Tour de France 12, the first line of the AFP news release said it all: Tadej Pogačar said he was in the form of his life.
That makes sense, especially with him going on to win a second consecutive Tour de France and fourth title since his debut in 2020.
In this particular stage, he climbed his way to a convincing win, the third of his four on the way to the GC crown.
Pogačar entered Stage 12 just 29 seconds behind Ben Healy in the GC battle, and he finished the day with a lead of more than three and a half minutes over his biggest rival, Jonas Vingegaard. Healy disappeared from contention, falling 10 spots to No. 11, and more than 13 minutes behind the new leader through 12 stages.
Stage 12 was the first major mountain stage of the year and easily could've been disastrous for Vingegaard and the other top contenders. But they didn't let Pogačar run away with things.
The Hautacam mountain in the Pyrenees previously had been a place of some heartache for Pogačar, so he was extra proud to be able to earn some redemption in such a decisive victory. And it was a stage his team had been eyeing for some time.
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
- Stage 5: Who Won Stage 5 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 6: Who Won Stage 6 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 7: Who Won Stage 7 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 8: Who Won Stage 8 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 9: Who Won Stage 9 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 10: Who Won Stage 10 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
- Stage 11: Who Won Stage 11 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.
Tadej Pogacar Says Booing Tour de France Riders Is Not Right
Tadej Pogacar has spoken out against fans booing him at the Tour de France, saying it is not right and that riders deserve respect on the road.
The comments sparked an important reaction from his biggest rival, Jonas Vingegaard, who also said fans should be cheering all the riders, not targeting them with boos.
In this report, we break down Pogacar’s reaction, Vingegaard’s support and why the issue matters inside the peloton.
Vingegaard explained that when riders are in a bunch, they may not even know who the boos are aimed at, making the situation even more uncomfortable.
At a Tour already full of pressure, suffering, and rivalry, both riders are calling for more respect from the roadside.
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