- The program prepared for the runners of the Tour de France between July 4 and 26 was unveiled in front of more than 3,500 spectators at the Palais des Congrès in Paris.
- After Grand Departure from Barcelona, the five mountain ranges of French territory will be visited: the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Jura and the Vosges will precede a high-tension Alpine finale at the time of a double arrival at Alpe d'Huez, including an unprecedented climb via the Col de Sarenne 24 hours before the final arrival in Paris.
- The Tour de France Stage, the major meeting for cyclosportives, will be organized in 2026 on the route of this act II at Alpe d'Huez, one week before the entry into action of the professionals, while The Tour de France Women's Stage with Zwift will launch amateurs to attack Mont Ventoux on August 6.
The Boléro has its roots in Spain, but it is certainly to the rhythm of the one composed by Parisian Maurice Ravel that the 2026 Tour de France could increase in intensity. The riders of the 113th edition will be among the first tourists to be able to admire, during their presentation to the public, the tallest tower of the newly inaugurated Sagrada Familia. In accordance with the wishes of its creator Antoni Gaudi, the highest point in Barcelona remains the hill of Montjuïc. The epicenter of the 1992 Olympic Games and traditional endpoint of the Tour of Catalonia will be revisited with two new layouts to kick off the debates: first with a team time trial in the style of Paris-Nice (stage 1), then with a punchers' meeting where the favorites will already be forced to reveal themselves (stage 2). The proximity of the Pyrenees massif invites you to venture quickly into the mountains, but the slopes and terrain chosen lend themselves more to matches between adventurers than to a great explanation between the leaders of the most prominent teams, whether for the first arrival in the resort of Les Angles (3rd stage) or even for the more arduous one which will be installed in the heart of the Gavarnie cirque (6th stage). In summary of this sequence, it is even likely that the first six stages will give rise to six distinct race scenarios.
After an expected pitched battle in Pau (5th stage), the sprinters will certainly meet again in Bordeaux (7th stage). Their particular saga is expected to continue in Dordogne (8th stage) then in Nevers (11th stage) and Chalon-sur-Saône (12th stage), but they will alternate the honors with the breakaway specialists who will find their place for example in Ussel (9th stage) or Belfort (13th stage). This diagonal climb of the country following a north-east course sets mountain meetings in Cantal with a finish in Lioran (10th stage), then in the Jura and the Vosges. After two weeks of racing, the weekend of all possibilities presents itself for a muscular takeover: the Markstein, which the riders will reach after suffering in the unprecedented climb of the Haag (14th stage) could prove to be as decisive as the Plateau de Solaison (15th stage), whose baptism of the Tour will take place just after the climb to the Salève.
The only individual time trial will take place on Lake Geneva (16th stage) and could reshuffle the cards, with a view to an Alpine triptych in the form of a grand finale. The Yellow Jersey may not be worried at Orcières-Merlette (18th stage), but will have to remain on his guard and resist in the duo of stages to Alpe d'Huez concocted this year (19th and 20th stages). No route has approached 5,000 meters of elevation gain so far, the route designed from Bourg d'Oisans includes 5,600, passing through the Croix de Fer, Télégraphe and Galibier passes, before tackling the Isère resort via the Sarenne pass. After this dizzying program, the final weekend is not over, for the participants as well as for the spectators. The Champs-Elysées (21st stage) will only be in sight after a triple climb to the Butte Montmartre, whose energizing properties are well known.
The Tour de France Stage: Focus on the Legends
Alpe d'Huez holds the record for the most Tour finishes in a mountain resort (31) and is also the site that has hosted the most times the finish of L'Étape du Tour de France, since the cyclosportives will be going there for the fifth time. But for the event open to 16,000 amateur cyclists, it will be a first that will be played out since on July 19 they will take the route of the 20th stage, starting from Bourg d'Oisans and with the unprecedented climb to the Col de Sarenne, even before the champions. Registration from November 3 on timeto. More information on letapedutourdefrance.com
Also scouting, but with only a 24-hour lead over the champions, the "cyclos" will have the opportunity to complete a double of legendary climbs by tackling Mont Ventoux, the final point of the second stage of the Tour de France Femmes with Zwift. For the first edition, 6,000 amateur cyclists participated in the stage leading to the Col de la Madeleine. The collection can continue. Registration from October 23 on timeto. More information on letourfemmes.fr
