The Tour de France routes for 2026 are out and here’s a stage-by-stage have a look at the course for the boys. It runs between Saturday 4 July and Sunday 26 July.
Stage 1 is a 19km staff time trial in Barcelona. “Paris-Good” guidelines apply the place the profitable time is taken on the primary rider from every staff and each rider is credited with the time they took to journey the course. Obtained it? It makes the race extra tactical and, crucially, extra seen as helpers fall away and staff leaders storm up the Montjuic hills.
There’s an early contest between the cohesion of Visma-LAB and the punch of Tadej Pogačar and all kinds of tactical questions as groups with a couple of GC chief can have see if their high riders work collectively or the strongest is ready free.
Stage 2 doesn’t have a profile but, it’s simply marked “hilly” which is true as after a parade alongside the coast, it’s inland after which over the Coll de Can Pasquall to Barcelona for 3 laps of the Montjuic circuit and so this must be one for punchy riders, suppose Pogačar but in addition Wout van Aert and others relying on how open the race is.
Stage 3 has 3,950m of climbing. The Collada de Toses is lengthy however solely steep excessive with the final 5km usually over 10%. The Col du Calvaire is not any calvary because it’s 4% a lot of the approach. Les Angles is a “new” summit end however it’s been used within the Route d’Occitanie and solely a brief climb out of the village to the ski lifts.
The elevation achieve makes this sound like an honest mountain stage however the remaining two hours are rugged however not fierce so it could possibly be a tactical one and an opportunity even for somebody to go and take the yellow jersey on mortgage.
Stage 4 has 2,750m of vertical achieve and appears like a really perfect mid-mountain stage for a breakaway, and an opportunity for somebody to seize the yellow jersey for just a few days, all on scenic roads of the Aude and Ariège.
Stage 5 goes to Pau for the 77th time for the primary dash stage of the 2026 race.
Stage 6 heads into the Pyrenees and tackles the Col d’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet, large climbs however they arrive removed from the end. The information is the looks within the Cirque de Gavarnie, a protected nature zone that the Tour has lengthy wished to go to. It’s a valley highway that climbs gently for a lot of the technique to Gavarnie at 1,380m. A fiendish end to the Col de Tentes at 2,208m can wait for an additional 12 months.
Stage 7 begins within the tiny city of Hagetmau, the “pearl of the Chalosse” to go Bordeaux for a dash end.
Stage 8 is one other probably dash and déjà vu as a close to copy of the 2017 stage received by Marcel Kittel from Périgeux to Bergerac on scenic roads in a land of lengthy lunches.
Stage 9 could possibly be the decisive day within the Tour du Limousin because it nudges 1,000 above sea degree on lumpy roads however is is a hilly day for the breakaway with 3,300m of vertical achieve by way of Suc au Might. The best half might be as soon as the race has climbed out of Meymac previous the station and picks up a important highway to the end in Ussel.
It’s again to Le Lioran for Stage 10 for the third time this decade after 2020 and 2024. Guests to the ski station could possibly be forgiven there’s just one approach there as the identical roads are used once more, the steep Pas de Peyrol and the Col de Pertus resulting in the Font de Cère. It’s the 14 July and one other good day for the breakaway however we might equally see UAE and Visma-LAB drag race the peloton to the Puy Mary.
After a relaxation day within the Cantal Stage 11 and Stage 12 are dash phases and go to places like Nevers and Magny-Cours seen on this 12 months’s Paris-Good on the best way to Chalon-sur-Sâone.
Stage 13 is the longest within the race at simply 205km. It begins within the Jura mountains earlier than going to the Vosges with the Ballon d’Alsace earlier than the end in Belfort. The Ballon has its historical past as the primary main mountain scaled by the race and it stays a tough climb.
Stage 14 is an Alsatian mountain stage. It goes by way of the Grand Ballon (to not be confused with the Ballon d’Alsace) to the end line at Le Markstein earlier than tackling the Ballon. The Col du Haag has been crossed many instances earlier than by way of the principle highway the highest however the novelty this time is the ascent. It’s the Col de la Loze of the Vosges, a devoted cycle path closed to site visitors and steep in locations. On the high a left flip alongside the ridge to Le Markstein.
Stage 15 goes into the Alps however it’s out of the Jura mountains first and by way of the Col de la Savine and different lumpy roads. The brand new climb is Mont Salève, climbed by way of the direct route on the north-west flank, 9km at 9% is tough to begin with however the higher half has sustained sections at 14-15%. There’s nonetheless a few third of the stage left earlier than the ultimate climb to the Plateau de Solaison, 11km at 9%. Final seen within the 2022 Dauphiné, Primož Roglič received the GC arm in arm with Jonas Vingegaard who was half a wheel forward to win the stage.
Following the remaining day within the Haute-Savoie Stage 16 is the one time trial of the race and 26km between Evian the place the water comes from and Thonon, it leaves the shores of Lac Léman with some climbing alongside the best way to tilt the stage in the direction of the GC contenders away from the specialists.
Stage 17 has loads of jagged peaks and cliffs on the horizon however tries arduous to keep away from the mountain roads. It nonetheless crosses the Massif des Bauges and climbs to the Col du Frêne earlier than dropping again to skirt the beginning city of Chambéry after which take the Col de Couz earlier than the route reaches the plains for Voiron which hosted the Vuelta’s French arrival earlier this 12 months. Bought as a dash stage many will likely be drained now and this can be a nice day for a breakaway battle.
Stage 18 is a ski station summit end however avoids the excessive passes, the Col de la Festinière comes after Monteynard and no surprises earlier than the end in Orcière-Merlette, 7km at 6.5%. It featured within the 2020 Tour and this was instructive however not thrilling because the decrease gradient meant groups rode in practice formation and anybody who struck out was mown down.
Stage 19 and the Bayard after which Noyer climbs will sting early on as a transfer tries to go clear for the day. The Col d’Ornon is a mild climb earlier than a scenic descent to Le Bourg d’Oisans. Then come the 21 hairpins – 23 when you really depend them – to the end line in Alpe d’Huez, again after a 4 12 months hiatus. It’s virtually well-known for being well-known however with 13km at over 8% it’s only a arduous, decisive climb.
Stage 20 After the peloton’s had a tough night time’s sleep at 1900m right here comes the Queen Stage with 5,600m of vertical achieve. The Croix de Fer is a giant begin after which comes the mighty Galibier, the excessive level of the Tour. The plot twist is relatively than a descent to Bourg d’Oisans on the foot of Alpe d’Huez, a proper flip to deal with the Col de Sarenne which leads onto Alpe d’Huez by way of a backroad. The Sarenne has been used earlier than however as a descent and the climb is more durable than the stats counsel.
Stage 21 and it’s again to Paris with the Rue Le Pic and Montmartre making an encore solely this time with an extended passage alongside the Champs-Elysées in between to elongate the laps and provides some riders extra probability to chase.
Summary54,450m of vertical achieve in complete which makes it the third most mountainous within the final 20 years (the typical is 50,400m) however a variety of this climbing is away from the set-piece mountain phases and reserved for the battle phases within the mid-mountains. There are seven summit finishes however a few of these are gentle like Les Angles and Gavarnie. One solo time trial with 26km makes it the third lightest for TT distance within the final 20 years (common 50km). The sprinters get 5 clear possibilities, the identical as final 12 months however these with vary have a shot at extra.
The beginning in Barcelona obliges an early go to to the Pyrenees and so these are extra hors-d’œuvre than important course. Certainly the route appears designed to depart the reveal of the winner for as late as potential and boost the race with mid-mountain phases that look promising for frantic breakaway days though even higher if the large names wish to strive too.
The road from Christian Prudhomme appears to be that something might occur so late into the third week and earlier than that there’s probability the yellow jersey is on mortgage relatively than settled. There’s no reasonable course that will hassle Pogačar – a mix of 21 sprints and time trials might generate a unique winner however the rankings would crater – and so even when we expect we all know the winner already, loads of phases alongside the best way supply amusement and the dash siesta phases are primarily mid-week.
This publish seems to be into the boys’s route, they’ll be follow-ups doing the identical for the ladies’s route and in addition taking a look at different particulars, feedback and tendencies quickly.
