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, a time trial on Plateau de Solaison and a final stage on Montmartre in Paris – following the large crowds and high television viewership of the final stage in 2025. [6] As with previous editions of the race, the remainder of the 2026 route will be announced in October 2025. [6]
| 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 (France) |  | Flat stage | ||
| 4 | July | |||||
| 5 | July | |||||
| 6 | July | |||||
| 7 | July | |||||
| 8 | July | |||||
| 9 | July | |||||
| 10 | July | |||||
| 11 | July | |||||
| 12 | July | |||||
| 13 | July | |||||
| 14 | July | |||||
| 15 | July | |||||
| 16 | July | |||||
| 17 | July | |||||
| 18 | July | |||||
| 19 | July | |||||
| 20 | July | |||||
| 21 | 26 July | |||||
| Total | ||||||
