Tour de France 2026: everything you need to know
The complete guide to the 2026 Tour de France: the route from Barcelona to Paris, the dates, the favourites and the key stages.
When is the 2026 Tour de France?
The 113th edition of the Tour de France runs from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 26 July 2026. It's a three-week race with 21 stages and two rest days, covering roughly 3,333 kilometres and over 54,000 metres of climbing.
Grand Départ in Barcelona
For the first time in years the Tour starts in Spain. The opener is a team time trial through Barcelona, followed by two Catalan stages and, already on day three, the first summit finish in the Pyrenees. An explosive start that sharpens the GC right away.
The key stages
The final week is brutal: an individual time trial along Lake Geneva, followed by an Alpine block that culminates in two consecutive summit finishes on the mythical Alpe d'Huez. Stage 20's queen stage will almost certainly decide the overall winner.
The final stage to Paris repeats the acclaimed 2024 formula with a finale over the Montmartre cobbles — not a classic sprint, but spectacle once more.
Who will win the 2026 Tour de France?
Tadej Pogačar is the top favourite for a record-equalling fifth Tour win, with Jonas Vingegaard his main challenger. Behind them, Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, Juan Ayuso and young Frenchman Paul Seixas fight for the podium.
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