Our 2026 Route Analysis
We’ve put the route under the microscope to pick out the challenges, highlights and the things you might have missed! Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 Tour de France Route!
What makes a great Tour Route?
The Tour Director, Christan Prudhomme told us all at the presentation in Paris that this is a Tour “of all directions”, meaning up and down as well as north, west, east, north, east, south and north again!
Another Christian quote is that “it’s the sheer variety of the climbs that typifies next July’s route”. And whilst there is a lot of climbing, an unusual feature is that the only stage with more than 4,300m of climbing is the very last one (at an eye watering 5,600m).
What this means in reality is that 2026 is a route that goes to a lot of smaller, more rural places; it passes through towns and villages where Le Tour is almost a religion – where the locals are passionate about cycling, the history of the tour and importantly, supporting the tour. So we can expect lots of fabulously decorated villages (always a highlight on tour for our riders) with great humour and ingenuity. This isn’t a tour about long, flat agricultural France, but people. It’ll be a chance to really experience the beauty of France, including areas you might not otherwise visit on the usual tourist trail.
The departure from protocol is especially apparent during the first half of the Tour, with the Pyrenees coming straight off the Spanish bat. It’s a whistle stop tour across these mountains but still managing to take us deep, deep into the Pyrenean other-worldly atmosphere with the Gavarnie finish; stage 6 will be an absolute Tour highlight and will surely compete for the 2026 favourite stage award.
Stage 8, from Perigueux to Bergerac promises the rare treat of being flat but having the sort of views and scenery you normally have to work much harder for. We’ll even forgive the transfers either side because this stage is a stunner.
Moving on to the fantastic middle sections… don’t overlook them! Vichy, Nevers, the Magny-Cours track and Chalon sur Saone are all really lovely small towns and cycling between them will be some of the nicest, most relaxed, chatty cycling of the whole Tour. Followed by the Vosges which never, ever fail to disappoint. Stages 13 and 14 deserve at least one place in the 2026-top-5-stages list!
The Alps-fest which completes the 2026 Tour speaks largely for itself. It’s tough and long without being impossible, it’s packed with variety without too many transfers, and it’s got an epic final stage that delivers plenty of caché without overshadowing the incredible 5 stages that went before.
Time Trials and Rest Days
BIG NEWS! We’ve made a bold decision to move the second time trial…
For a few reasons, we’re moving stage 16 (the second Time Trial) to sit between stages 20 and 21. You can read more about this decision here.
With this switch, whilst the pros have a day to re-group and hopefully shake up the GC with some outstanding TT performances, we can use the day to travel from Alpe d’Huez to Paris with a scenic ride en route.
The Mountains
The 2026 Tour is loaded with mountain stages but, as mentioned above, they’re unusually spaced to have some respite between and to be spread across the Tour rather than a flat first half and a mountain-only second half. Looking at the elevation gain stats for each stage, the fun, challenge and reward is present throughout!
What we’re most excited about? Impossible to pick but here are 3 things: The BRILLIANT Gavarnie finish, the Massif Central, and of course Alpe d’Huez …
Stage 6 holds a real treat in store for us. Combining the beautiful Aspin climb, the Tourmalet classic climb and the Gavarnie new climb is genius. One to warm up, one bucket list, super-steep and tough, and the last more gentle in gradient but slightly longer (and with Tourmalet-tired legs, it’ll feel tougher than it’s average 3.7% suggest). This is a stage of a thousand wows.
Stages 13 & 14… going from 200m above sea level at the start of stage 13 to almost 1200m at the end of stage 14, with 6,300m split between them is cycling gold. There are plenty of other contenders in the 2026 Tour for gorgeous days on a bike but for anyone lucky enough to join us for either of these stages, with their hugely varying profiles (stage 13: flat, flat, flat, big up. Stage 14: a row of 5 fantastic climbs), you’ll think you hit the jackpot!
The Alps won’t be holding back either! Kicking this off with the brutal Plateau de Solaison is a daring move. Then we switch things up with a trip south to Orcieres Merlette which we missed in 2021 and are delighted to have an opportunity to visit now. But obviously, despite the interest and intrigue of this outlier stage, everyone will have eyes for Alpe d’Huez. If you’re looking for a challenge, the Alps Loop could be it!
In Summary
The 2026 Tour is, in our eyes, a winner! Yes, there might be one or two transfers more than we’d choose but that’s a small price to pay for such a stunningly beautiful and varied ride.
As we know, it’s the scenery and also the people who make an amazing Tour; so it’s not without note that this route has masses of quiet, rural roads where you can chat as you ride and take in the astonishing variety of France that has been packed into these three weeks.
We’re finishing putting the final details together and our 2026 Loops will be announced very soon (by Tuesday).
We release all remaining places to ride the 2025 Tour at 9am on Sat 1st November.
Happy Choosing!
Vive Le Tour!
