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Tour de France 2026: Route, Favourites & What to Watch Last Updated: July 2, 2026 The 113th edition of the Tour de France rolls out on 4 July 2026 , and this year’s race breaks with tradition before a single climb has been settled. For the first time since 1971, the Tour opens with a team time trial — and it does so on foreign soil, in Barcelona. Here is your complete guide to the route, the favourites and the storylines that will define the next three weeks. What’s Happening The 2026 Tour de France runs from 4 to 26 July across 21 stages and 3,333 km , organised as ever by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). The Grand Départ takes place in Barcelona, Spain — only the third time the race has begun in Spain, after San Sebastián in 1992 and Bilbao in 2023. Stage 1 is a 19.7 km team time trial through Barcelona, with both of the opening two stages finishing on the Montjuïc hill beside the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys of the 1992 Olympics. It is the first time since 1971 that a team time trial has opened the Tour, and organisers are using the individual-time format first trialled at Paris–Nice, where each rider gets their own finishing time rather than the whole team sharing one. T…

The 2026 Tour de France stage guide: 21 stages, two Alpe d'Huez ... The 2026 Tour de France runs from 4 July to 26 July across roughly 3,320km, starting with a team time trial in Barcelona and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. How you watch the Tour de France may be a challenge depending on where you are viewing from, with free-to-air coverage disappearing in territories such as the UK. You can see our guide on how to watch the Tour in different countries at the bottom of this article. When it comes to watching live, some stages demand five hours of your attention; others turn on the final climb or sprint. The interactive tool below converts the race's key viewing windows into your local timezone, stage by stage. The guide that follows identifies which days matter most and, within them, where to tune in. The stages worth planning around Stage 1: Barcelona team time trial (4 July, 19.6km). The Tour hasn’t started with a team time trial in decades, making the opening evening appointment viewing. The route starts on the waterfront near Barcelona-Fòrum and threads through the city on flat, straight roads, passing the Sagrada Família at around km 10.5, before heading to Montjuï…

Grand Départ Barcelone 2026 - Tour de France The third start of the du Tour de France in Spain, following San Sebastian (in 1992) and Bilbao (in 2023), will be the first welcomed by Barcelona, to kick off the 113th edition of the race. The Catalan capital, which has already welcomed the Tour de France for stages on three occasions (in 1957, 1965 and 2009), shares a long history with cycling, especially on the roads of Montjuïc hill, which has hosted stages of the Vuelta a España and Volta a Catalunya as well as races at the World Championships and Olympic Games. The main site of the 1992 Olympics will also be at the heart of the programme on the first two stages on 4th and 5th July 2026, because the finishes of the inaugural team time-trial (19.7 km) and the following day’s stage (178 km) will both take place on Montjuïc hill in front of the Olympic stadium, with, from the outset, a possible showdown between the big favourites for the race. WEBSITE GRAND DÉPART BARCELONE 2026 Grand Départ 2026 - Tour de France

The key stages of the 2026 Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images) Copy link Facebook X Pinterest Email Share this article 5 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The 2026 Tour de France is nearly here, and with it another tough edition full of mountains, TTs and sprints that will decide the next winner. Will it be another year of Tadej Pogačar domination, or could Jonas Vingegaard push him to his limit? We've covered the contenders in depth in our analysis of the Tour favourites , but as well as their own form, the terrain and stages they have to tackle will be a huge deciding factor on who pulls on the final yellow jersey in Paris. This year's Tour de France route kicks off in Barcelona with a three-day Grand Départ, which is set to be more crucial than ever as ASO are starting the race with a team time trial, the first time the discipline has featured in the race since 2019. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: The special and rare effort will award the first yellow jersey, and indeed set the early hierarchy in the fight for the overall victory. Stage 16's individual TT will also be a big factor in…

Five 2026 Tour de France key stages to watch out for The 2026 Tour de France will open with a short, fast, team time-trial in Barcelona on Saturday, the first round of the battle to decide who will wear the coveted yellow jersey on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Many of the tougher mountainous stages are packed into the final week, but there will be opportunities to make a difference before then.

Five key stages to watch in the 2026 Tour de France With the start of the 2026 Tour de France fast approaching, attention is turning to the stages that could shape the race and ultimately decide who wears yellow in Paris. We take a closer look at five decisive days that every cycling fan should have marked in the calendar. Looking for more Tour de France coverage? Check out ourcomplete stage guidefor a detailed breakdown of every stage, or visit ourhow to watch guidefor broadcast and streaming information. After five relatively relaxed stages, the first real mountain battle of the Tour arrives on stage 6 with a summit finish on the long and newly introduced climb of Cirque de Gavarnie (18.7km at 4%). It promises some of the most spectacular scenery of the entire 2026 race, with the Cirque also recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Before the riders reach this draggy final ascent, they must tackle two Pyrenean icons earlier in the day: the Col d’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet. These climbs will already test the legs and could create opportunities for a strong group to try their luck. Yet with the sheer dominance and presence of Tadej Pogačar, that freedom might be short-li…

Tour de France 2026 Kicks Off with 23 Teams and... | France in English Sports NEWS sports.orange.fr Tour de France 2026 Kicks Off with 23 Teams and 184 Riders From Across the Globe July 2, 2026 6:00pm The 2026 Tour de France starts in Barcelona with 23 teams and 184 riders, featuring top cyclists from around the world. Key details • The Tour de France 2026 started on July 2 in Barcelona. • 23 teams and 184 riders are participating in the race. • Key teams include ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH, BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, and UAE EMIRATES-XRG. • Top riders include Mathieu Van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, and Damiano Caruso. The 2026 Tour de France officially began on July 2 in Barcelona, featuring a competitive field of 23 teams and 184 riders. This prestigious cycling event includes prominent teams such as ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH with stars like Mathieu Van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS boasting riders Damiano Caruso and Matej Mohoric, COFIDIS with Hugo Page and Ion Izagirre, and UAE EMIRATES-XRG led by Tadej Pogacar and Adam Yates. The diversity of the lineup spans cyclists from several countries including Belgium, France, I…

Tour de France in Barcelona - Barcelona With Marta Home » Blog » Sport » Tour de France in Barcelona Barcelona is getting ready to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world: the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026. In July 2026, Barcelona will officially host the start of the 113th edition of the Tour de France , marking only the third time in history that the famous race begins in Spain. For cycling fans, this will be a unique opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the world’s most iconic cycling competition right here in Barcelona. In this post I’ll be sharing with you the key events and things you need to know in order to make the most of this event while you’re in Barcelona. A perfect event for cycling lovers Whether you are a big cycling fan or simply visiting Barcelona during those dates, the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026 will be a fantastic opportunity to experience the city in a completely different atmosphere. Watching the world’s best cyclists ride through some of Barcelona’s most iconic streets and landmarks is something truly special and an event that will undoubtedly become part of the city’s sporting history. In this post, I’ll share the…

Tour de France 2026 stage 1: Team Visma | Lease a Bike win Barcelona ... Team Visma | Lease a Bike won stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona, with Jonas Vingegaard powering across the line to take the first yellow jersey of the race. The Danish rider finished alone after shedding his final teammates on the uphill run to Montjuïc, stopping the clock at 21:47 and beating Netcompany INEOS by 7 seconds. Table of Contents UAE Team Emirates-XRG, the last team on course, had been 13 seconds down at the final intermediate checkpoint and could not overturn the gap despite Tadej Pogačar’s strength on the final climb. They finished third in 21:59.15, 12 seconds down on Team Visma | Lease a Bike and just behind Netcompany INEOS, leaving Pogačar with an early deficit to his main rival. The opening 19.6-kilometre team time-trial was the first time since 1971 that the Tour de France had begun with the discipline. Barcelona delivered a fast, technical and spectacular Grand Départ, with wide avenues, city landmarks and the final uphill stretch towards Montjuïc immediately creating the first gaps of the race. The 113th Tour de France began with a 19.6-kilometre team time-trial in Barc…