Tour de France 2026

The Tour de France, also known as the "Grande Boucle," is the world's most prestigious annual cycling road race. Held primarily in France (with occasional stages in neighboring countries), this Grand Tour is typically run over 21 days in July and serves as the crown jewel of the UCI World Tour calendar.

Since its inception in 1903 by journalist Henri Desgrange, the event has become the ultimate proving ground for all-around cyclists, featuring challenging mountain stages through the Alps and Pyrenees, flat sprint stages, and bustling finishes on the Paris Champs-Élysées. The race has seen legendary cyclists like Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain, all securing five victories each.

Tour de France 2026 vital statistics

Name	Tour de France 2026 (113th edition)
2026 Date	July 4 - 26 2026
First raced	1903
Category	2.UWT (UCI World Tour)
2026 Start Location	Barcelona (Fòrum)
2026 Finish Location	Paris Champs-Élysées
Number of stages	21
Total Distance	3,333 km
Total Climbing	54,450 m
2025 GC winner	Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)
2025 Points winner	Jonathan Milan (Italy)
2025 Mountains winner	Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)
2025 Youth winner	Florian Lipowitz (Germany)
2026 Tour de France route	Click Here
2026 Tour de France start list	To be added
How to watch the Tour de France on TV	To be added

2026 Tour de France route breakdown

7 flat stages (sprint opportunities)
4 hilly stages (mixed terrain)
8 mountain stages including 5 summit finishes (Gavarnie-Gèdre, Plateau de Solaison, Orcières-Merlette, and Alpe d'Huez (twice)
1 team time trial (Stage 1 in Barcelona)
1 individual time trial (Stage 16)
2 rest days (July 13 & July 20)

Recent winners of the Tour de France

2025: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) – UAE Team Emirates XRG
2024: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) – UAE Team Emirates
2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) – Jumbo-Visma
2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) – Jumbo-Visma
2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) – UAE Team Emirates
2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) – UAE Team Emirates
2019: Egan Bernal (Colombia) – Team INEOS
2018: Geraint Thomas (Great Britain) – Team Sky
2017: Chris Froome (Great Britain) – Team Sky
2016: Chris Froome (Great Britain) – Team Sky
2015: Chris Froome (Great Britain) – Team Sky

History and route of the Tour de France

The Tour de France, initiated in 1903 by journalist Henri Desgrange to boost circulation for the newspaper L'Auto-Vélo, is the most historic and prestigious cycling race in the world. Created during a period of intense competition in French sports journalism, the race quickly established itself as the ultimate test of cycling excellence. Over the years, the course has evolved dramatically, traditionally starting with flat or hilly stages, building through medium mountains, and culminating in the high mountain challenges of the Alps and Pyrenees before the traditional finale on the Paris Champs-Élysées.

The 2026 edition marks a historic Grand Départ in Barcelona, the first time the Tour will begin in Spain's Catalan capital. This 113th edition will feature a team time trial on Stage 1 among iconic locations from the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, crossing over to France in Stage 3 at Les Angles in the Pyrenees. The route includes two legendary Alpe d'Huez stages (Stages 19 & 20), making it one of the most mountainous Tours in recent history. Organization is managed by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which has run the event since 1992.

Who is racing the Tour de France 2026?

The big three are all confirmed for 2026: Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel. Pogačar aims for his fifth Tour victory (after 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025), potentially equaling the record of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. Vingegaard, who dominated in 2022-2023, will be looking to reclaim the yellow jersey after finishing second in 2024 and 2025.

Remco Evenepoel, the 2024 Tour de Suisse winner and 2023 World Champion, is making his second Tour appearance with Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe. The 'wildcard' entry is that of Paul Seixas, who will be making his much anticipated Tour de France debut in 2026

How to watch the 2026 Tour de France on TV

TV broadcast by country:

USA: Peacock (NBC Sports streaming)
UK: TNT Sports / Discovery+
Australia: SBS On Demand (free)
Canada: FloBikes
Europe: Eurosport

Name	Number of Tour de France victories + year
Lance Armstrong (USA)	7* (1999 - 2005)
Jacques Anquetil (France)	5 (1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
Eddy Merckx (Belgium)	5 (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974)
Bernard Hinault (France)	5 (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985)
Miguel Indurain (Spain)	5 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995)
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)	4 (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025)
Chris Froome (Great Britain)	4 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Philippe Thys(Belgium)	3 (1913, 1914, 1920)
Louison Bobet (France)	3 (1953, 1954, 1955)
Greg LeMond (USA)	3 (1986, 1989, 1990)

Tour de France 2026