We know it has been a busy and exciting year in sports, but we’re only halfway through 2026, and one of the most anticipated events on the calendar is still ahead.
The top cyclists in the world are en route and ready to roll up to the starting line at the Tour de France 2026, where a battle for the iconic yellow jersey will take place over 21-grueling stages from July 4-26.
Fans in Canada can watch all of the action, live and on demand, on FloBikes and the FloSports app, starting with the presentation of the teams on Thursday.
- Subscribe To FloBikes To Catch All The Best Cycling, News And Highlights
- How To Watch The Tour de France 2026 Team Presentation On July 2
- 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
This year’s Tour de France is the race’s 113th edition and will cover more than 3,333 kilometers.
The first three stages will be held within Spain’s borders, marking the 27th foreign start in TDF history. Then, the beautiful and diverse terrain of France will challenge the competitors until their ceremonial ride through Paris on July 26.
With so much competition for everyone’s time and attention, it can be overwhelming deciding what to watch, but we’ve got some reasons why you shouldn’t skip the Tour de France 2026:
Tadej Pogačar Is A Generational Talent And Tour de France Legend
Tadej Pogačar has become the face of competitive cycling and is approaching a decade of dominance, especially at the Tour de France, where he has won four times in six starts.
The 27-year-old Slovenian made his TDF debut in 2020 and topped the General Classification. He repeated in 2021.
In the two years that followed, Pogačar was the runner-up to his biggest rival, Jonas Vingegaard.
The two switched places in the standings for 2024 and 2025, with Pogačar winning and Vingegaard finishing second.
Both riders are red-hot heading into this year’s Tour de France, and there’s no doubt they’re again the top prospects for claiming the yellow jersey in Paris on July 26.
A three-peat for Pogačar also would make him the fifth rider in history to win the TDF five times.
Vingegaard recently became the eighth cyclist to win each Grand Tour at least one time each – the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and La Vuelta a España – and another win in France this year would snag him two more spots in the record book.
First, he’d add his name to the short list of riders who have won the Tour de France three or more time. Then, he’d complete the Giro-TDF double, which has only been accomplished this century. That was by Pogačar in 2024.
Only nine riders have officially won the TDF three or more times, while Pogačar joins Great Britain’s Chris Froome on the list of four-time winners.
The four riders who have done them one better and won five times are Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Indurain’s victories came consecutively from 1991 through 1995.
Canada Is Being Represented At The Tour de France By Derek Gee-West
The Toronto Blue Jays made the World Series. The Toronto Raptors made the NBA Playoffs. We’re a few months removed from the 2026 Winter Olympics. Canada just defeated South Africa 1-0 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to earn a spot in the upcoming Round of 16.
Oh, and the Tour de France 2026 begins on Independence Day in the United States.
Patriotism might be at an all-time high, and there’s no better time to don the colors of your native land and cheer your head off for your countrymen.
Canadian cycling fans now will have that opportunity, too, as it was announced Monday that Derek Gee-West has been added to the loaded Lidl-Trek roster for the Tour de France 2026.
He will join a talented lineup that includes Juan Ayuso, Mads Pedersen, Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek.
Gee-West, 28, made his TDF debut in 2024 and finished ninth. Earlier this year, he was fifth at the Giro d’Italia 2026.
The Tour de France Has More Than 125 Years Of History
The Tour de France has been in action since 1903, and while it has evolved over its previous 112 editions, it seems like there’s always something new happening or a record being broken.
In 2024, Mark Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, set the Tour de France record for stage victories when he notched his 35th win in a Stage 5 sprint.
Earlier in the 2024 race, Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay became the first Black rider to win a stage of the Tour de France when he was the first to cross the finish line in Stage 3. His TDF success didn’t end there, however, and he left France that year with three stage wins and the green points jersey.
Girmay also owns the honor of being the first Black African to win a stage in any Grand Tour. That came in 2022 when he claimed a stage of the Giro d’Italia.
On the way to successfully defending his GC title in 2025, Pogačar won four stages and finished second in four others. He finished the 21 days more than four minutes ahead of Vingegaard, while young standout Florian Lipowitz finished third, another seven minutes back.
Lipowitz, now 25, held his own and left with the white jersey given to the race’s best young rider.
Will Pogačar continue his dominance and win for the fifth time?
Will Vingegaard get redemption and a TDF hat trick to go along with his three second-place finishes?
Or will the youth movement make its move this year on the shoulders of Lipowitz, 19-year-old French sensation Paul Seixas, Mexican star Isaac del Toro or Pogačar’s former teammate Ayuso?
Tour de France 2026 Will Have Historic Start
Speaking of history, the Tour de France 2026 will be noteworthy because it will be the first time since 1971 that the race is beginning with a team time trial.
TTTs aren’t new, but we haven’t seen one at the TDF since 2019. Also, this year’s will be the first one utilizing the new format that was introduced and has been tested elsewhere, including the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes in June.
The opening ride will be 19.6 kilometers around Barcelona, marking the fourth time the iconic city has hosted a stage of the race. The previous times were 1957, 1965 and 2009.
Read More About The TDF
- Tour de France 2027 To Start In Great Britain
- Jonas Vingegaard Targets Giro d'Italia & Tour de France Double In 2026
- Tour de France 2026 Route Announced: What To Know
- Tadej Pogačar Is One Tour de France Win From History
- Tadej Pogacar Backed By Isaac Del Toro And Adam Yates In Tour de France 2026
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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.
The Tour de France 2026 Route Nobody Is Ready For
The Tour de France 2026 is finally here, and the route promises one of the toughest editions in years.
From the opening team time trial in Barcelona to a dramatic finale featuring back-to-back days on Alpe d’Huez, this route is packed with opportunities for attacks, time gaps and mountain battles.
We break down the overall route, key stages, major climbs and what it all means for the expected showdown between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard in July.
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