The 2026 Tour de France promises to be one of the toughest and most dramatic editions of cycling’s biggest race in many years. Featuring a Grand Départ in Barcelona, brutal mountain stages across France, and an extraordinary double visit to Alpe d’Huez on consecutive days, this year’s Tour looks set to deliver three weeks of spectacular racing.

The 113th edition of the Tour de France begins on Saturday 4 July 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, and finishes on Sunday 26 July 2026 in Paris. The race covers 3,338 kilometres across 21 stages and includes more than 54,000 metres of climbing.

What is the Tour de France?

The Tour de France is the world’s most famous cycling race and one of the biggest annual sporting events anywhere on the planet. First held in 1903, the race was originally created to promote the French newspaper L’Auto, but quickly grew into an international sporting phenomenon.

Held every July, the Tour tests riders across:

• flat sprint stages,
• mountain climbs,
• time trials,
• and demanding multi-day endurance racing.

The overall winner earns the famous yellow jersey, awarded to the rider with the lowest cumulative race time across all stages.

Alongside the yellow jersey competition, riders also compete for:

• the green jersey (points classification),
• polka dot jersey (best climber),
• and white jersey (best young rider).

Tour de France 2026 Route

The 2026 route was officially unveiled by organisers ASO in Paris and features a challenging southern-focused course through the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and Alps.

One of the biggest talking points is the return of a team time trial to open the race for the first time since 1971. Stage 1 in Barcelona is a 19km team time trial around Montjuïc, giving the Tour an unusual and dramatic opening.

The race then heads quickly into the Pyrenees before building toward an extremely difficult final week.

Double Alpe d’Huez Finale

The standout feature of the 2026 Tour route is undoubtedly the extraordinary back-to-back finishes on Alpe d’Huez during stages 19 and 20.

In a highly unusual move, riders will tackle the legendary climb on consecutive days:

• Stage 19 finishes on the traditional Alpe d’Huez ascent with its famous 21 hairpins.
• Stage 20 returns to Alpe d’Huez again, this time via the brutal Col de Sarenne approach after crossing the Galibier, Télégraphe and Croix de Fer.

Cycling fans online have already described the double Alpe d’Huez finale as one of the most exciting Tour route designs in years.

The final stage in Paris also once again includes the Montmartre climb after its successful introduction in 2025.

Key Dates

• Grand Départ (Barcelona): 4 July 2026
• First Rest Day: 13 July
• Second Rest Day: 20 July
• Final Stage in Paris: 26 July 2026

Favourites to Win the 2026 Tour de France

Tadej Pogačar

The defending champion once again starts among the favourites. The demanding mountain-heavy route appears well suited to the Slovenian star’s aggressive climbing style.

Jonas Vingegaard

Pogačar’s great rival remains one of the strongest climbers in the peloton and should thrive on the brutal Alpine stages.

Remco Evenepoel

The Belgian rider could benefit from the limited individual time trial kilometres and will hope to remain competitive deep into the mountains.

Primož Roglič

Still dangerous in Grand Tours, Roglič’s experience could prove crucial in the demanding final week.

UK TV Coverage – TNT Sports Exclusive

The 2026 Tour de France will once again be shown exclusively in the UK by:

• TNT Sports
• Eurosport
• HBO Max / Discovery+ streaming services

Following the end of ITV’s long-running free-to-air coverage after the 2024 Tour de France, UK viewers now require a subscription to watch live coverage of the race.

TNT Sports and Eurosport coverage includes:

• full live stage coverage,
• analysis and commentary,
• streaming coverage,
• replays and highlights.

Free to air coverage of Le Tour De France 2026 will be available on Channel 5. Expect a one hour highlight programmes at 7pm, if not on Channel 5 itself, then on one of its sister channels.

European TV Broadcasters

France

French viewers can watch extensive free coverage through:

• France 2
• France 3
• France Télévisions

Spain

In Spain, coverage of the Tour de France is available free-to-air via RTVE, Teledeporte and RTVE Play, with additional comprehensive live coverage on Eurosport España and HBO Max.”

Germany

Coverage includes:

• ARD
• Eurosport Germany

Italy

Italian viewers can watch through:

• RAI Sport
• Eurosport Italy

Belgium and Netherlands

Cycling coverage remains extensive through:

• Sporza
• NOS
• Eurosport

One of the Hardest Tours in Years

With more than 54,000 metres of climbing, a rare opening team time trial, six summit finishes and two consecutive mountain-top finishes at Alpe d’Huez, the 2026 Tour de France is already being described as one of the toughest editions in modern history.

For cycling fans across Europe, the race promises three weeks of mountain drama, tactical battles and unforgettable scenery as the world’s best riders compete for the famous yellow jersey.