France has waited 41 years for another Tour de France champion. Now, much of that hope rests on the shoulders of a teenager.
Paul Seixas begins his first Tour de France at just 19 years old, but the French rider already has been identified as his country's brightest hope to end a drought stretching back more than four decades. While few expect Seixas to win the yellow jersey in his Grand Tour debut, his rapid rise has made him one of the most intriguing riders in the 2026 peloton.
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The Decathlon CMA CGM leader enters the Tour after a breakthrough season in which he has beaten some of cycling's biggest names. AFP reported that Seixas defeated both Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz earlier this season, and the young Frenchman has made it clear his focus is on the overall classification despite the magnitude of the challenge. "The priority remains the general classification," Seixas said ahead of the race.
The task only gets tougher from there. Seixas will line up against four-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard, who remain the overwhelming favorites for the general classification. Even so, Tour organizers have listed Seixas among the young riders capable of challenging for a podium finish, alongside Mexico's Isaac del Toro.
Seixas also arrives with history already on his side. At 19 years and 283 days old, he is the youngest rider in the 2026 Tour de France and the youngest competitor in the race since Adrien Cento in 1937. He is one of 50 Tour debutants this year and one of 41 riders eligible for the white jersey competition for the best young rider.
Saturday's opening team time trial in Barcelona will offer Seixas his first opportunity to measure himself against the sport's elite over three demanding weeks. His Decathlon CMA CGM teammates have built their strategy around delivering him to the decisive climbs in the best possible position, where the team's strongest climbers can support their young leader. Whether Seixas can end France's long wait for another Tour champion remains to be seen, but his debut already has become one of the defining storylines of the 2026 race.
How To Watch The Tour de France 2026 Stage 1
Stage 1 of the Tour de France is live for free on the FloBikes YouTube for cycling fans.
For Canadian viewers, the rest of 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 1 Of The Tour de France In 2025?
Stage 1 of the Tour de France 2025 featured a start most would've found more familiar. It was in France, and the day belonged to the sprinters, specifically, Jasper Philipsen, whose Alpecin team used an old-school sprint train and teamwork to get the job done.
Philipsen took the first yellow jersey in the frantic sprint finish, edging Biniam Girmay, the African star who won three stages of the Tour de France 2024. It was the 10th TDF stage win of Philipsen's career.
Philipsen emerged from a group of about 40 riders ready to challenge in the sprint, but one of the day's many falls left quite a few riders out of contention.
A high-speed fall of his own two days later in Stage 3 brought Philipsen's Tour de France 2026 to a premature ending.
Watch the Tour de France 2025 Stage 1 Highlights.
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)
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.
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