2026 Tour de France
| 2026 UCI World Tour | |
|---|---|
| Race details | |
| Dates | 4–26 July 2026 |
| Stages | 21 |
| Distance | 3,333 km (2,071 mi) |
The 2026 Tour de France is the upcoming 113th edition of the Tour de France. The race will take place from 4 to 26 July 2026, starting in Barcelona.[1] The race will be organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).
Route and stages
In February 2025, race organisers ASO announced that the Barcelona in Spain would host the Grand Départ.[2] Both stage 1 and 2 will finish on the Montjuïc hill above Barcelona, next to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys used for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[3] The team time trial will return to the Tour for the first time since 2019, and will use new rules first tested at the 2023 Paris–Nice. In this format, each rider is given an individual finish time, rather than all riders who finish together getting the same time. This format allows tactics by general classifications contenders – whether to ride as a team, or ride solo to achieve a better time.[3]
Following protests against the Gaza war that disrupted the 2025 Vuelta a España, the City Council of Barcelona expressed a desire to host the Grand Départ without the Israel–Premier Tech team taking part. It was noted that the team was likely to have an automatic invitation to the Tour.[4][5] Protesters noted that if Israel–Premier Tech are present, protests in Barcelona were "very likely".[5] The Israel–Premier Tech team subsequently rebranded as NSN Cycling Team for the 2026 season, riding under a Swiss license.[6]
Rumours regarding the route included a return to Alpe d'Huez for the first time since the 2022 edition and a final stage on Montmartre in Paris – following the large crowds and high television viewership of the final stage in 2025.[7][8]
The full route was announced on 23 October 2025 by Christian Prudhomme, with Prudhomme describing the route as having a "crescendo" towards the finish.[9][10] The race will feature 5 summit finishes, including Plateau de Solaison for the first time and two finishes at Alpe d'Huez.[11] The race will feature just 26 km (16 mi) of individual time trial, with a team time trial starting the Tour for the first time since 1971.[11] Some stages in the race will feature multiple intermediate sprints, for the first time since the 2010 edition of the race.[12] Reacting to the route, Cyclist noted that the route was "ripe for breakaways"[13] and Rouleur considered that the route would suit four-time winner Tadej Pogačar stating "the Slovenian superstar can do everything".[14] Critiquing the route in Cycling Weekly, Ned Boulting wrote that "there's no cobblestones, no obvious crosswind stages, and no gravel. [...] They have denuded this year [and that] feels a little bit disappointing".[15]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 July | Barcelona (Spain) | 19.7 km (12.2 mi) | Team time trial | |||
| 2 | 5 July | Tarragona (Spain) to Barcelona (Spain) | 178 km (111 mi) | Hilly stage | |||
| 3 | 6 July | Granollers (Spain) to Les Angles | 196 km (122 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 4 | 7 July | Carcassonne to Foix | 182 km (113 mi) | Hilly stage | |||
| 5 | 8 July | Lannemezan to Pau | 158 km (98 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| 6 | 9 July | Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre | 186 km (116 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 7 | 10 July | Hagetmau to Bordeaux | 175 km (109 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| 8 | 11 July | Périgueux to Bergerac | 182 km (113 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| 9 | 12 July | Malemort to Ussel | 185 km (115 mi) | Hilly stage | |||
| 13 July | Cantal | Rest day | |||||
| 10 | 14 July | Aurillac to Le Lioran | 167 km (104 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 11 | 15 July | Vichy to Nevers | 161 km (100 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| 12 | 16 July | Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône | 181 km (112 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| 13 | 17 July | Dole to Belfort | 205 km (127 mi) | Hilly stage | |||
| 14 | 18 July | Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering | 155 km (96 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 15 | 19 July | Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison | 184 km (114 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 20 July | Haute-Savoie | Rest day | |||||
| 16 | 21 July | Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains | 26 km (16 mi) | Individual time trial | |||
| 17 | 22 July | Chambéry to Voiron | 175 km (109 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| 18 | 23 July | Voiron to Orcières-Merlette | 185 km (115 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 19 | 24 July | Gap to Alpe d'Huez | 128 km (80 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 20 | 25 July | Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez | 171 km (106 mi) | Mountain stage | |||
| 21 | 26 July | Thoiry to Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 130 km (81 mi) | Flat stage | |||
| Total | 3,333 km (2,071 mi) | ||||||
References
- ^ "Grand depart 2026". letour. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Un contre-la-montre par équipes et une étape vallonnée à Barcelone pour lancer le Tour de France 2026" [Team time trial and hilly stage in Barcelona to kick off 2026 Tour de France] (in French). L'Équipe. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ a b Weislo, Laura (25 February 2025). "2026 Tour de France to start with team time trial in Barcelona". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ González, Marco (16 September 2025). "Barcelona no quiere al Israel en la salida del Tour de Francia 2026" [Barcelona doesn't want Israel at the start of the 2026 Tour de France]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b Whittle, Jeremy (12 September 2025). "Vuelta protesters threaten to disrupt start of next year'..." The Observer. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Moultrie, James (20 November 2025). "Israel-Premier Tech rebrand as NSN Cycling Team for 2026 season, will race under Swiss licence". Cycling News. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Farrand, Stephen (30 July 2025). "Tour de France could return to L'Alpe d'Huez in 2026 after stages in the Massif Central and the Vosges mountains". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Tour de France 2026 route rumours, from Alpe d'Huez to Le Lioran". Cycling Weekly. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ Whittle, Jeremy (23 October 2025). "Tour de France unveils 2026 route with double Alpe d'Huez for men and Ventoux debut for women". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ Farrand, Stephen (23 October 2025). "'It's a Tour in crescendo' – 2026 Tour de France designed to limit early Tadej Pogačar dominance". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Tour de France 2026 Press kit" (PDF). Tour de France. ASO. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "DOUBLE intermediate sprints? 2026 Tour de France to change things up in green jersey battle". CyclingUpToDate.com. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ Davidson, Robyn (24 October 2025). "Tour de France 2026 route analysis: Is it anti-dominance or delaying the inevitable?". Cyclist. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ "2026 Tour de France promises suspense until the end – but there are few obstacles for Tadej Pogačar". Rouleur. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ Shrubsall, James (23 October 2025). "'Remco Evenepoel will be rightfully disappointed': Ned Boulting's take on the route of the Tour de France 2026". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 17 December 2025.