Next Thursday is the day: the route for the 2026 Tour de France will be unveiled in Paris. In the run-up to this official presentation, many possible stages have already been leaked by local news media. WielerFlits summarizes what is known so far about the route of the next Tour.
Opening weekend in Spain
Not much is certain in life, but the first two stages of the 2026 Tour de France have actually been confirmed for a while now. After the Grand Départ in Lille this year, ASO again seeks an opening weekend outside France's borders. In Barcelona, the race will kick off on Saturday, July 4, with a team time trial according to the 'Paris-Nice rules'. The individual times of the riders will count.
On the second day, the puncheurs will take center stage. Just like during the team time trial, the finale will feature racing over the Côte de Stade Olympique and the Côte de Montjuïc. Once again, the finish will be in Barcelona.
First uphill finish in the Pyrenees
According to various sources, the peloton will head towards the Pyrenees already on day three of the Tour. The start will take place in the Spanish town of Granollers, after which the riders will ride inland towards Les Angles near the ski resort of Pla del Mir. A tough final climb seems to be avoided, but early in the three-week race, there will be a significant amount of elevation gained.
According to France Bleu, it is '99 percent certain' that the Pyrenees location will host a stage on day three. Pla del Mir has never before been a Tour de France finish, but in 2022 it did host the Route d’Occitanie. Michael Woods arrived solo at the ski resort, situated at 1840 meters above sea level. The real climb is 2.8 kilometers at 6.8%, but you have to ride quite a bit of climbing to reach its base.
The third stage to Les Angles will probably not be the only Pyrenean stage. On day four, the peloton is expected to head to the Ariège department. Two possible finish locations are mentioned: the center of Foix or, if they want to make the race tougher, the Prat d’Albis (11.8 km at 6.8%). In 2019, a Tour stage went from Limoux to the top of this climb. Simon Yates won that stage from a breakaway.
According to France Bleu, the Tour will head to the Hautes-Pyrénées department on day five. It’s not yet clear what this stage will look like, but the ski resort Gavarnie is mentioned as a possible finish. Afterwards, the race is expected to head towards Bordeaux, following a stage through the well-known Dordogne wine region. The first Tour week would then, according to La Montagne, end with a hilly stage finishing in Ussel.
Middle mountains: Massif Central, Vosges, and Jura
The day after the first rest day, the GC contenders will have to get to work again, as La Montagne reports the Tour will return to Le Lioran on the French national holiday (July 14). The 'explosive' stage is said to start in Aurillac and pass, among others, the Pas de Peyrol climb (5.4 km at 8.1%). In 2024, Tadej Pogacar attacked on this climb on his way to Le Lioran.
The Slovenian looked set for an impressive solo, but was caught on the following Col du Perthus (4.4 km at 7.9%) by Jonas Vingegaard. After also climbing the Col de Font de Cère (3.3 km at 5.8%), a two-up sprint decided the stage victory. That sprint was won by Vingegaard. However, the Tour that year went to his great Slovenian rival.
After this undoubtedly thrilling stage, there will reportedly be two transition stages towards Nevers (stage 11) and Chalon-sur-Saône (stage 12). The last time the largest city in the Saône-et-Loire region hosted a stage finish in La Grande Boucle was in 2019. Then, Dylan Groenewegen won ahead of Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan.
By then, the riders will have left the Massif Central behind but will immediately head into another mountain range with the Jura. According to information from Ici Bourgone, the peloton should prepare for a stage between Dole and Belfort. Then, the Tour caravan crosses towards the Vosges. According to Velowire, either stage 14 or 15 would finish on the well-known La Planche des Belles Filles, while Ici Alsace mentions a stage finishing in Le Markstein instead.
In short, there are conflicting reports about the Vosges stage, but there seems to be little to no doubt about the first Alpine stage: stage fifteen is said to finish on Plateau de Solaison, a very tough climb over 12 kilometers at an average of about 9%, according to the French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré.
Double(?) passage over Alpe d'Huez
We can also say quite a bit about the third Tour week, although this is not yet set in stone. What is certain is that the Tour will reach its climax in the Alps. The final week will start with an individual time trial between Thonon-les-Bains and Evian-les-Bains, according to multiple French media sources. Velowire reports, based on sources, that the riders will also stop in Chambéry (host of the 2027 Road World Championships) and the ski resort Orcières-Merlette. With a whispered finish in Chambéry, an introduction to the World Championship course and its toughest section – the Côte de Domancy – is a possibility.
And after that? It seems very likely that the Alpe d'Huez will make a comeback in the 2026 Tour de France. The Dutch mountain was last part of the Tour route in 2022. According to the latest rumors, there could even be a double finish on the thirteen-kilometer Alpine climb – Friday and Saturday before the final stage in Paris – on the table.
Again over the Montmartre climb?
After twenty stages and three weeks of racing, the remaining riders will 'of course' arrive again in Paris, with a finish on the Champs-Élysées, but ASO seems to be choosing again for the alternative finale with the Montmartre climb as the decisive section. This year, that produced a particularly spectacular final act, with an epic duel between eventual stage winner Wout van Aert and yellow jersey wearer and overall winner Tadej Pogacar.
Simon Yates won a Tour stage with a finish on the Prat d'Albis - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Tadej Pogacar battled himself on the way to Le Lioran - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Tom Pidcock, the last winner on Alpe d'Huez, rides through a sea of cycling fans - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
| Date | Stage | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04-07 | 1 |  Barcelona | Barcelona |
| 05-07 | 2 | Tarragona | Barcelona |
| 06-07 | 3 | Granollers |  Les Angles |
| 07-07 | 4 | Carcassonne | Foix |
| 08-07 | 5 | Lannemezan | Pau |
| 09-07 | 6 | Pau | Gavarnie-Gèdre |
| 10-07 | 7 | Hagetmau | Bordeaux |
| 11-07 | 8 | Périgueux | Bergerac |
| 12-07 | 9 | Malemort | Ussel |
| 13-07 | 10 | Aurillac | Le Lioran |
| 15-07 | 11 | Vichy | Nevers |
| 16-07 | 12 | Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours | Châlon-sur-Saône |
| 17-07 | 13 | Dole | Belfort |
| 18-07 | 14 | Mulhouse | Le Markstein |
| 19-07 | 15 | Champagnole | Plateau de Solaison |
| 21-07 | 16 | Évian-les-Bains | Thonon-les-Bains |
| 22-07 | 17 | Chambéry | Voiron |
| 23-07 | 18 | Voiron | Orcières-Merlette |
| 24-07 | 19 | Gap | L'Alpe-d'Huez |
| 25-07 | 20 | Bourg-d'Oisans | L'Alpe-d'Huez |
| 26-07 | 21 | Thorny | Paris |
