Mary AnneThe Tour de France is the world’s greatest cycling race. The 113th race takes place from Saturday July 4, 2026. It starts in Barcelona in Spain and ends on Sunday July 26, 2026 in Paris.
The Tour de France attracts over 12 million spectators a year lining the roads. 3.5 million TV viewers in 190 countries tune in on a typical day’s coverage. I love watching it, as much for its high drama as for the glorious views of the French countryside both from the road and from helicopters and drones high above the race.
Founded in 1903 by Henri Desgrange, the editor of L’Auto newspaper, it’s the third biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and the FiFa World Cup.
The Tour de France Drama
The Tour de France is gruelling, exciting and dramatic. Discover the main stages, riders, facts, distances and some fun facts in this guide to the Tour de France 2026 – the 113th race.
The Tour de France 2026 Stages
The Tour de France starts in Barcelona on Saturday July 4 with a team trial. The next day is a 168.5 km hilly route from Tarragone to Barcelona. On Monday July 6 the race moves into France. It’s the third time the race has started in Spain.
The 2026 Tour de France is made up of 21 stages, covering 3,333 km (approximately 2,071 miles). In France, the race will visit 7 regions and 29 departments.
There are 21 stages: 7 flat stages, 4 hilly stages, 8 mountain stages including 5 summit finishes at Gavarnie-Gèdre, at Plateau de Solaison, Orcières-Merlette and Alpe d’Huez (twice), 1 team time trial and 1 individual time trial.
Out of a total of 37 stage towns and sites, 10 will appear for the first time: Tarragona (start of stage 2); Granollers (start of stage 3); Les Angles (finish of stage 3); Gavarnie-Gèdre (finish of stage 6); Hagetmau (start of stage 7); Malemort (start of stage 9); Ussel (finish of stage 9) ; Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours (start of stage 12); Plateau de Solaison (finish of stage 15), and Thoiry (start of stage 21).
The Tour de France 2026 Route
| Tour de France Stages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Stage Type |
| 1 | July 4 | Barcelona to Barcelona | 19.6km/12miles | Team Time Trial |
| 2 | July 5 | Tarragone to Barcelona | 268.5km/104miles | Hilly |
| 3 | Jul 6 | Granollers to Les Angles | 195km/121miles | Mountain |
| 4 | July 7 | Carcassone to Foix | 182km/113miles | Hilly |
| 5 | July 8 | Lannamezan to Pau | 158km/98miles | Flat |
| 6 | Jul 9 | Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre | 175km/109miles | Mountain |
| 7 | Jul 10 | Hagetmau to Bordeaux | 197/122miles | Hilly |
| 8 | Jul 11 | Perigeaux to Bergerac | 180km/112miles | Flat |
| 9 | Jul 12 | Malemort to Ussel | 185km/114miles | Hilly |
| 0 | Jul 13 | Cantal | Rest Day | N/A |
| 10 | Jul 14 | Aurillac to Le Lioran | 166km/103miles | Flat |
| 11 | Jul 15 | Vichy to Nevers | 161km/97miles | Flat |
| 12 | Jul 16 | Circuit Magny Cours to Chalon-sur-Saone | 179km/111miles | Flat |
| 13 | Jul 17 | Dole to Belfort to Peyragudes | 206km/128miles | Hilly |
| 14 | Jul 18 | Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering | 155km/96miles | Mountain |
| 15 | Jul 19 | Champagnol to Plateau de Salaison | 184km/114miles | Mountain |
| 0 | Jul 20 | Haute Savoie | N/A | Rest Day |
| 16 | Jul 21 | Evian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains | 26km/16miles | Individual Time Trial |
| 17 | Jul 22 | Chambery to Voiron | 175km/109miles | Flat |
| 18 | Jul 23 | Voiron to Orcieres-Merlette | 185km/115miles | Mountain |
| 19 | Jul 24 | Gap to Alpe d’Huez | 128km/80miles | Mountain |
| 20 | Jul 25 | Le Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez | 171km/106miles | Mountain |
| 21 | Jul 26 | Thoirey to Paris Champs Elysee | 133km/83miles | Flat |
Teams for the Tour de France 2026
184 riders representing 23 teams will line up for the start on Saturday 4 July in Barcelona. There are eight riders in each of the 23 teams.
Tour de France 2026 Official Teams and Riders
Here are the teams. The nationality of the team and the riders is in parentheses after every name.
Alpecin-Premier Tech (Belgium): Mathieu van der Poel (NED); Jasper Philipsen (BEL); Jonas Rickaert (BEL); Tim Marsman (NED); Sylvan Dillier (SUI); Ramses Debruyne (BEL); Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL); Emiel Verstrynge (BEL)
Bahrain Victorious (Bahrain): Phil Bauhaus (GER); Lenny Martinez (FRA); Damiano Caruso (ITA); Kamil Gradek (POL); Matej Mohoric (SLO); Robert Stannard (AUS); Antonio Tiberi (ITA); Vlad Van Mechelen (BEL)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (Spain): Fernando Gaviria (COL); Abel Balderstone (SPA); Sebastian Berwick (AUS); Alex Molenaar (NED); Joel Nicolau (SPA); Stefano Oldani (ITA); Jakub Otruba (CZE); Jose Felix Parra (SPA)
Cofidis (France): Ion Izagirre (SPA); Alex Aranburu (SPA); Hugo Page (FRA); Benjamin Thomas (FRA); Piel Allegaert (BEL); Jenthe Biermans (BEL); Milan Fretin (BEL); Alex Kirsch (LUX)
Decathlon CMA GGCM (France): Paul Seixas (FRA); Tiesj Benoot (BEL); Cees Bol (NED); Daan Hoole (NED); Olav Kooij (NED); Aurelien Paret-Peintre (FRA); Nicolas Prodhomme (FRA); Matthew Riccitello (USA)
EF Education – Easypost (USA): Richard Carapaz (ECU); Georg Steinhauser (GER); Michael Valgren (DEN); Max Walker (GBR); Sean Quinn (USA); Ben Healy (IRE); Kasper Asgreen (DEN); Alex Baudin (FRA);
Groupama–FDJ (France): Romain Gregoire (FRA); Clément Berthet (FRA); Clément Russo (FRA); Clémet met Braz Afonso (FRA); Ewen Costiou (FRA); Lorenzo Germani (ITA); Guillaume Martin Guyonnet (FRA); Quentin Pacher (FRA)
Lidl-Trek (Germany): Juan Ayuso (SPA) Quinn Simmons (USA); Toms Skujins (LAT); Mattias Skjelmose (DEN); Derek James Gee (CAN); Mads Pedersen (DEN); Carlos Verona (CZE); Mathias Vacek (CZE)
Lotto-Intermarche (Belgium): Arnaud De Lie (BEL); Huub Artz (NED); Jenno Berckmoes (BEL); Lars Craps (BEL); Liam Slock (BEL); Lennert Van Eetvelt (BEL); Baptiste Veistroffer (FRA); Georg Zimmermann (GER)
Movistar (Spain): Pablo Castrillo (SP); Cian Uijtebroeks (BEL); Pablo Castrillo (SPA); Jefferson Cepeda (ECU); Raul Garcia (SPA); Michel Hessmann (GER); Nelson Oliveira (POR); Javier Romo (SPA); Einer Rubio (COL)
Netcompany Ineos Cycle Team (Great Britain): Egan Bernal (COL); Thymen Arensman (NED); Tobias Foss (NOR); Filippo Ganna (ITA); Dorian Godon (FRA); Michal Kwiatkowski (POL); Joshua Tarling (GBR); Kevin Vauquelin (FRA)
NSN Cycling Team (Switzerland): Biniam Germay (ERI); Lewis Askey (GBR); George Bennett (NZL); Marco Frigo (ITA); Matis Louvel (FRA); Krists Neilands (LAT); Jake Stewart (GBR); Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL)
Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Tram (Switzerland): Tom Pidcock (GBR); Xabier Azparren Irurzun (SPA); Christopher Harper (AUS); Quenten Hermans (BEL); Damiel Craig Howson (AUS); Xandro Meurisse (BEL); Brent Van Moer (BEL); Fred Wright (GBR)
Red Bull – BRORA – Hansgrohe (Germany): Remco Evenepoel (BEL); Mattia Cattaneo (ITA); Nico Denz (GER); Jai Hindley (AUS); Florian Lipowitz (GER); Jan Tratnik (SLO); Tim Van Dijke (NED); Maxim Van Gils (BEL)
Soudal Quickstep (Belgium): Tim Merlier (BEL); Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED); Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL); Valentin Paret Peintre (FRA); Jasper Stuyven (BEL); Dylan Van Baarle (NED); Ilan Van Wilder (BEL); Louis Verbaeke (BEL)
Team Jaco Alula (Australia): Ben O’Connor (AUS); Luke Durbridge (AUS); Pascal Ackermann (GER); Felix Engelhardt (GER); Michael Matthews (AUS); Kelland O’Brien (AUS); Luke Plapp (AUS); Mauro Schmid (SUI)
Team Picnic PostNL (NED): Warren Barguil (FRA); Frits Biesterbos (NED); Pavel Bittner (CZE); John Degenkolb (GER); Robbe Dhondt (BEL); Niklas Markl (GER); Julius Van Den Berg (NED); Frank Van Den Broek (NED)
TotalEnergies (FRA): Jordan Jegat (FRA); Nicolas Breuillard (FRA); Joris Delbove (FRA); Thibault Guernalec (FRA); Mathis Leberre (FRA); Alexandre Delettre (FRA); Anthony Turgis (FRA); Matteo Vercher (FRA);
Tudor Pro Cycling Team (Switzerland): Julian Alaphilippe (FRA); Arvid De Kleijn (NED); Marco Haller (AUT); Marc Hirschi (SUI); Rick Pluimers (NED); Michael Storer (AUS); Matteo Trentin (ITA); Yannis Voisard (SUI)
UAE Team Emirates (UAE): Tadej Pogačar (SLO); Nils Politt (GER); Tim Wellens (BEL); Adam Yates (GBR); Isaac Del Toro (MEX); Felix Grossschartner (AUT); Brandon McNulty (USA); Florian Vermeersch (BEL)
Teams by Country
The Belgians have the most riders at 31, followed by France at 30
British Teams
There are 7 British riders in Tour de France 2026: Tom Pidcock and Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5); Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates); Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos); Lewis Askey and Jake Stewart (NSN Cycling), and Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost).
North American Teams
There are 7 USA and Canadian riders in Tour de France 2026: USA: Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates (UAE), Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss (Visma/Lease a Bike, USA); Sean Quinn (EF Education – Easypost (USA); Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek (Germany) and Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA GGCM (France).
Canada: Derek James Gee (Lidl-Trek (Germany)
Australian Teams
There are 11 Australian riders in Tour de France 2026: Sebastian Berwick (Team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Luke Durbridge, Michael Matthews, Kelland O’Brien, Luke Plapp and Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco AlUla), Chris Harper and Damien Howson (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Jai Hindley (Red Bull – BRORA – Hansgrohe (Germany), Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious, Bahrain), Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
Winners and Losers in the Tour de France
Previous winners
2025 Tadej Pogačar
2024 Tadej Pogačar
2023 Jonas Vingegaard
2022 Jonas Vingegaard
2021 Tadej Pogačar
2020 Tadej Pogačar
2019 Egan Bernal
2018 Geraint Thomas
2017 Chris Froome
2016 Chris Froome
2015 Chris Froome
2014 Vincenzo Nibali
2013 Chris Froome
2012 Bradley Wiggins
2011 Cadel Evans
2010 Andy Schleck
Five riders have managed to win the Tour five times:
Jacques Anquetil (France) 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964
Eddy Merckx (Belgium) 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974
Bernard Hinault (France) 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985
Miguel Induráin (Spain) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995
Chris Froome (GB) 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
Three riders have won three times:
Philippe Thys (Belgium) 1913, 1914, 1920
Louison Bobet (France), 1953, 1054, 1955
Greg Lemond (USA) 1986, 1989, 1990
The record number of wins ever was seven by Lance Armstrong of the United States (1999-2005). But after being found guilty of doping by the USADA in 2012, he was stripped of all of these titles.
Other disqualifications after the winner has been caught out:
In 1904 the winner, Maurice Garin, was stripped of his title after it was discovered that he had caught a train for part of the event
In 2006 Floyd Landis of the United States was found to have raised testosterone levels
In 2010 Alberto Contador was stripped of the win after investigations into his drug use.
And what about…
How do riders in the Tour de France pee? This seems to be a popular question which makes sense. A cyclist can just stop to pee, if possible making sure they are fairly far to the front.
The usual convention is when the leader (rider in the yellow jersey) decides where a pee spot will be, preferably in a remote part of the race. The TV cameras do not film them and riders are not allowed to take advantage of this to improve their position. Sounds very fair to me!
What the jerseys mean and prize money
A total of over 2.3 million Euros will be awarded overall, including €500,000 to the overall winner of each individual classification.
The Yellow Jersey (maillot jaune) is the overall winner of the race up to that point, awarded after each stage.
The Green Jersey is for the best sprinter. Points are awarded at the finish of each stage, and for an intermediate sprint in all normal stages.
Here’s the official website for the Tour de France 2025
Cycling News has excellent up-to-date information on the Tour de France 2025 (and is good on cycling generally). Procycling news is another good source.
Here’s the Le Tour Facebook link
Instagram link
Twitter link
Major events in July 2026 in France
More geographic information about France
More about the regions of France
More about the departments of France
More about the mountains of France