The 2026 Tour de France kicks off on Saturday, July 4, with four-time champion Tadej Pogacar once again the hot favourite to defend his title. The Slovenian currently sits level with Chris Froome on Tour victories, and Froome quietly revealed his retirement on the eve of the race. Few would bet against Pogacar extending his lead over Froome, potentially securing a fifth title. Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time champion and recent Giro d’Italia winner, poses the strongest challenge, while Remco Evenepoel returns after a disappointing last edition from which he withdrew partway through. French prodigy Paul Seixas is the rising hope for home fans in his debut at the sport’s pinnacle event.
The Tour begins with a team time trial in Barcelona on Saturday, with three stages of the Grand Départ in Spain before the route heads to France. Here is everything you need to know to follow the race.
When is the Tour de France 2026?
The race starts in Barcelona on Saturday, July 4, and runs over 21 stages plus two rest days, finishing in Paris on Sunday, July 26.
How can I watch it?
This year marks the first Tour without full free-to-air coverage in the UK, after ITV declined to bid for streaming rights beyond 2025. The Tour will be shown exclusively in full on TNT Sports and HBO Max, while a free daily highlights show will air at 7pm BST on Channel 5. A TNT Sports subscription to watch the Tour starts from £30.99 a month.
Tour de France 2026 route
Stage 1: Saturday 4 July — Barcelona to Barcelona, 19.6km (team time trial)
Stage 2: Sunday 5 July — Tarragona to Barcelona, 168.5km (hilly)
Stage 3: Monday 6 July — Granollers to Les Angles, 195.9km (mountain)
Stage 4: Tuesday 7 July — Carcassonne to Foix, 181.9km (hilly)
Stage 5: Wednesday 8 July — Lannemezan to Pau, 158.3km (flat)
Stage 6: Thursday 9 July — Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre, 186.2km (mountain)
Stage 7: Friday 10 July — Hagetmau to Bordeaux, 175.1km (flat)
Stage 8: Saturday 11 July — Perigueux to Bergerac, 180.4km (flat)
Stage 9: Sunday 12 July — Malemort to Ussel, 185.5km (hilly)
Stage 10: Tuesday 14 July — Aurillac to Le Lioran, 166.6km (mountain)
Stage 11: Wednesday 15 July — Vichy to Nevers, 161.3km (flat)
Stage 12: Thursday 16 July — Nevers Magny-Cours circuit to Chalon-Sur-Saone, 179.1km (flat)
Stage 13: Friday 17 July — Dole to Belfort, 205.8km (hilly)
Stage 14: Saturday 18 July — Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering, 155.3km (mountain)
Stage 15: Sunday 19 July — Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison, 183.9km (mountain)
Stage 16: Tuesday 21 July — Evian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, 26.1km (individual time trial)
Stage 17: Wednesday 22 July — Chambery to Voiron, 174.7km (flat)
Stage 18: Thursday 23 July — Voiron to Orcieres-Merlette, 185.2km (mountain)
Stage 19: Friday 24 July — Gap to Alpe d’Huez, 127.9km (mountain)
Stage 20: Saturday 25 July — Le Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez, 170.9km (mountain)
Stage 21: Sunday 26 July — Thoiry to Paris Champs-Elysees, 133km (flat)
For the best SEO presentation, the route is laid out with the dates, start and finish locations, and distances for each stage.
Content Source: Yahoo News
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