Route and stages
In February 2025, race organisers ASO announced that the Barcelona in Spain would host the Grand Départ. [2] Both stage 1 and 2 will finish on the Montjuïc hill above Barcelona, next to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys used for the 1992 Summer Olympics. [3] The team time trial will return to the Tour for the first time since 2019, and will use new rules first tested at the 2023 Paris–Nice. In this format, each rider is given an individual finish time, rather than all riders who finish together getting the same time. This format allows tactics by general classifications contenders – whether to ride as a team, or ride solo to achieve a better time. [3]
Following protests against the Gaza war that disrupted the 2025 Vuelta a España, the City Council of Barcelona expressed a desire to host the Grand Départ without the Israel–Premier Tech team taking part. However, Israel–Premier Tech is likely to have an automatic invitation to the Tour. [4] [5] Protesters noted that if Israel–Premier Tech are present, protests in Barcelona were "very likely". [5]
Rumours regarding the rest of the route included a return to Alpe d'Huez for the first time since the 2022 edition and a final stage on Montmartre in Paris – following the large crowds and high television viewership of the final stage in 2025. [6] [7]
The full route was announced on 23 October 2025 by Christian Prudhomme, with Prudhomme describing the route as having a "crescendo" towards the finish. [8] [9] The race will feature 5 summit finishes, including Plateau de Solaison for the first time and two finishes at Alpe d'Huez. [10] The race will feature just 26 km (16 mi) of individual time trial, with a team time trial starting the Tour for the first time since 1971. [10] Some stages in the race will feature multiple intermediate sprints, for the first time since the 2010 edition of the race. [11]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 July | Barcelona (Spain) | 19.7 km (12.2 mi) |  | Team time trial | ||
| 2 | 5 July | Tarragona (Spain) to Barcelona (Spain) | 178 km (111 mi) |  | Hilly stage | ||
| 3 | 6 July | Granollers (Spain) to Les Angles | 196 km (122 mi) |  | Mountain stage | ||
| 4 | 7 July | Carcassonne to Foix | 182 km (113 mi) | | Hilly stage | ||
| 5 | 8 July | Lannemezan to Pau | 158 km (98 mi) |  | Flat stage | ||
| 6 | 9 July | Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre | 186 km (116 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 7 | 10 July | Hagetmau to Bordeaux | 175 km (109 mi) | | Flat stage | ||
| 8 | 11 July | Périgueux to Bergerac | 182 km (113 mi) | | Flat stage | ||
| 9 | 12 July | Malemort to Ussel | 185 km (115 mi) | | Hilly stage | ||
| 13 July | Cantal | Rest day | |||||
| 10 | 14 July | Aurillac to Le Lioran | 167 km (104 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 11 | 15 July | Vichy to Nevers | 161 km (100 mi) | | Flat stage | ||
| 12 | 16 July | Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône | 181 km (112 mi) | | Flat stage | ||
| 13 | 17 July | Dole to Belfort | 205 km (127 mi) | | Hilly stage | ||
| 14 | 18 July | Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering | 155 km (96 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 15 | 19 July | Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison | 184 km (114 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 20 July | Haute-Savoie | Rest day | |||||
| 16 | 21 July | Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains | 26 km (16 mi) |  | Individual time trial | ||
| 17 | 22 July | Chambéry to Voiron | 175 km (109 mi) | | Flat stage | ||
| 18 | 23 July | Voiron to Orcières-Merlette | 185 km (115 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 19 | 24 July | Gap to Alpe d'Huez | 128 km (80 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 20 | 25 July | Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez | 171 km (106 mi) | | Mountain stage | ||
| 21 | 26 July | Thoiry to Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 130 km (81 mi) | | Flat stage | ||
| Total | 3,333 km (2,071 mi) | ||||||
