The Tour de France has long been defined by its climbs, and the 2026 edition once again sends the peloton into many of the mountain ranges that have helped shape the race's history.
Beginning with the Grand Départ in Barcelona on July 4, the route gradually builds toward a series of demanding mountain stages before concluding on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 26.
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According to the official race statistics, riders will cover 3,320.7 kilometers across 21 stages, but it is the elevation profile that stands out. The route features 53,950 meters of total climbing and 30 categorized cols, climbs or summit finishes, ensuring that the mountains once again play a central role throughout the three-week race.
From the Pyrenees to the Alps, the official route map highlights a course that steadily increases in difficulty before the Tour reaches its final week.
A Route Built Around The Mountains
The 2026 Tour de France includes eight mountain stages, the most of any stage type, along with four hilly stages, seven flat stages, one team time trial and one individual time trial. The route crosses seven French regions after departing Spain, taking riders through many of the country's best-known mountain landscapes before arriving in Paris.
The official race figures show the distribution of the Tour's major climbs across several mountain ranges. Riders will tackle six categorized climbs in the Pyrenees, four in the Massif Central, five in the Vosges, one in the Jura and 13 in the Alps, underscoring the importance of the race's final mountain stages.
The Col du Galibier Stands Above The Rest
The highest point of the 2026 Tour is the Col du Galibier, which rises to 2,642 meters above sea level. The climb also serves as the location of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, the award traditionally associated with the highest point reached during the Tour de France.
While the Galibier is the highest point on the route, it is one of many mountain challenges spread throughout the race. Summit finishes and categorized climbs are positioned across multiple stages, ensuring riders encounter significant elevation gains as the Tour progresses from southern France into the Alps before the final run toward Paris.
From Barcelona To Paris
The official route map illustrates how the Tour evolves geographically over three weeks. After beginning in Barcelona, the race visits Granollers before crossing into France and continuing through the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and Alps. The final stages then guide the peloton out of the mountains and toward the traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Although every stage contributes to the outcome of the Tour de France, the mountains remain one of the race's defining features. With nearly 54,000 meters of climbing, 30 major ascents and eight mountain stages packed into the 2026 route, the Tour once again places its greatest challenges high above sea level.
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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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