Tour de France Guide

Here’s the 2026 Tour de France guide starting with the profiles of every stage with a quick summary of the day’s course.

There’s also details on the points and mountains competitions (both of which have changed), time cuts and more in case you need to reference them during July.

Route Summary
54,450m of vertical gain in total, the third most mountainous route in the last 20 years (average is 50,400m) but a lot of this climbing is away from the set-piece mountain stages and reserved for battles stages in the mid-mountains. There are seven summit finishes but some are mild like Les Angles and Gavarnie. One solo time trial with 26km makes it the third lightest for TT distance in the last 20 years (average 50km). The sprinters get five clear chances, the same as last year but those with range have a shot at more wins.

The start in Barcelona obliges an early visit to the Pyrenees and so these are more hors-d’œuvre than main course. Indeed the route seems designed to leave the reveal of the winner for as late as possible with mid-mountain stages that look promising for frantic breakaway days, although even better if the big names want to try too.

There’s no realistic course that could trouble Pogačar – a blend of 21 sprints and time trials could thwart him but it’s not a realistic prospect – and so even if we think we know the winner already, plenty of stages along the way offer amusement before the Alpe d’Huez finale.

Stage 1 – Saturday 4 July

A team time trial in Barcelona. Held in the evening, the time of each team is taken on their first rider across the line and all riders get credited with the time it takes them to complete the course. It’s on big boulevards at first where strong riders can propel their teams before two climbs in Montjuïc where team leaders will make their bids for the first yellow jersey.

Stage 2 – Sunday 5 July

A spin up the Mediterranean coast then turning inland to add some climbing in the hills before a finishing circuit in Barcelona with the finish again in Montjuïc. The finish line is in the same place as the first stage but the preceding climb is different, it’s steeper and was used when the Vuelta a España finished here in 2023. If it helps imagine the Volta a Catalunya finish, just harder.

Stage 3 – Monday 6 July

A mountain stage? It goes into the Pyrenees, there are 3,850m of vertical gain and the finish is just short of 1,800m above sea level so yes. The finish isn’t savage but has some hairpins and should give us a glimpse of form.

Stage 4 – Tuesday 7 July

2,700m of vertical gain and this looks like an ideal mid-mountain stage for the breakaway, especially if the yellow jersey after Barcelona and Les Angles wants to give it away to better reclaim it later. It’s all on scenic roads of the Aude and Ariège.

Stage 5 – Wednesday 8 July

The stage goes to Pau for the 77th time. It’s not totally flat but this is a day for the sprinters.

Stage 6 – Thursday 9 July

The Tourmalet awaits after the classic route out of Pau via Lourdes to the Col d’Aspin. So far, so déjà vu but the finish is novel with the climb to the village of Gavarnie. It’s a spectacular location inside a national park which explains why the race hasn’t been here before and if it works it opens up more routes that’s exciting as same road goes on to the Col de Tentes at over 2,200m but next time as that would be too much for the first Thursday.

Stage 7 – Friday 10 July

A sprint finish in Bordeaux. We’ll see if anyone attacks at all given the move is certain to be reeled in.

Stage 8 – Saturday 11 July

A sprint stage, this time arguably more scenic as it follows the Dordogne valley to Bergerac.

Stage 9 – Sunday 12 July

A day for the breakaway on hilly terrain with sapping rural roads that offer little rest. It’s likely more teams have spent more time analysing this stage than the Alpe d’Huez days as so many will want to go for the win on a day with plenty of uncategorised climbs. Expect a raucous first hour and more.

Stage 10 – Tuesday 14 July

Bastille day and it’s back to Le Lioran for the third time this decade after 2020 and 2024. Visitors to the ski station could be forgiven for thinking there’s only one road there as the same roads are used again: the steep Pas de Peyrol and the Col de Pertus leading to the Font de Cère. It’s no bad thing, a photofinish was needed to separate Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard last time.

Stage 11 – Wednesday 15 July

A flat stage to Nevers. When Paris-Nice came here in 2024 the team time trial found a steep hill to spice up the finish but this time it’s a day pledged to the sprinters.

Stage 12 – Thursday 16 July

Hillier than the previous stage, the sprinters will be desperate to take this as afterwards their opportunities vanish.

Stage 13 – Friday 17 July

The first two editions of the Tour de France did cross some small mountain passes and hills but in 1905 the Ballon d’Alsace was the first big mountain tackled by the race. Today it takes 150km to reach it which is a problem for the eventual stage winner as they’ll have to cope with pushing a big gear for hours before finding their climbing legs to make their winning move. Will the GC riders attack? Don’t bet on it given the next stage.

Stage 14 – Saturday 18 July

Only 155km and 3,800m of vertical gain but this is a crucial stage. The race has crossed the Col du Haag many times but in passing along the ridge of the Grand Ballon. Now it takes a new route up, a forest track that’s been paved to use as a cycle path and it’s steep and cycle-path wide in places, think an Alsatian version of the Col de Loze.

Stage 15 – Sunday 19 July

With luck we could have two races for the price of one as the breakaway goes clear to contest the stage win and the GC contenders battle it out. The stage opens in the Jura mountains and some gentle but persistent climbs. The “new” climb is Mont Salève, climbed via the direct route on the north-west flank and while the profile says it’s 4.7km at 11%, it climbs to the start making it 9km at 9% and the upper half has sustained sections at 15% so plenty will be dropped here. There’s still about a third of the stage left before the final climb to the Plateau de Solaison, 11km at 9% where Isaac del Toro just wrapped up the Aura Tour.

Stage 16 – Tuesday 21 July

A time trial on the shores of Lake Geneva. The hilly climb out of Evian is gradual, it climbs at 3% most of the time on a regular road before a trickier descent. What looks flat for the final 8km is twisty in Thonon.

Stage 17 – Wednesday 22 July

Plenty of jagged peaks and cliffs on the horizon but the route avoids the mountain roads. It still crosses the Massif des Bauges and climbs to the Col du Frêne before dropping back to skirt the start town of Chambéry and then take the Col de Couz before the route reaches the plains for Voiron which hosted the Vuelta’s French arrival last year. Sold as a sprint stage when presented last autumn, many will be tired now and this is a great day for a breakaway battle.

Stage 18 – Thursday 23 July

A ski station summit finish that avoids the high passes, the Col de la Festinière comes after Monteynard and no surprises before the finish in Orcière-Merlette, 7km at 6.5%. It featured in the 2020 Tour’s first week and the low gradient saw teams ride up in train formation and anyone who struck out was mown down. Coming in the third week means it should be different and a breakaway should be clear for the stage win.

Stage 19 – Friday 24 July

Just 130km. The Bayard and then Noyer climbs will sting early on as a move tries to go clear for the day. The Col d’Ornon is a gentle climb before a spectacular descent to Le Bourg d’Oisans. Then come the 21 hairpins – 23 if you actually count them – to the finish line in Alpe d’Huez, back after a four year hiatus. It’s famous for being famous but with 13km at over 8% it’s a decisive climb.

Stage 20 – Saturday 26 July

After the peloton’s had a rough night’s sleep at 1900m in Alpe d’Huez here comes the Queen Stage with 5,600m of vertical gain. The Croix de Fer is a big start and then comes the mighty Galibier, the high point of the Tour. The plot twist is rather than the descent all the way to Le Bourg d’Oisans at the foot of Alpe d’Huez, a right turn instead to tackle the Col de Sarenne which leads onto Alpe d’Huez via a backroad. The Sarenne has been used before but as a descent and the climb is tougher than the stats suggest.

Stage 21 – Sunday 26 July

It’s back to Paris with the Rue Le Pic and Montmartre making an encore after the thrills they supplied the last time. The Paris match will be slightly different this time with a longer passage along the Champs-Elysées in between to lengthen the laps and give some riders more chance to chase in between the ascents of Montmartre.

The Unmissable Stages
Do you really want to miss anything? Every stage is live from start to finish and with most of the best riders present and in peak form there’s an intensity and pressure only felt at the Tour.

The easy advice is to say watch almost everything but on the sprint stages tune in for the finish; but if you did that last year you’d have missed Jonas Rickaert and Mathieu van der Poel’s thrilling move.

• Stage 1 should look the part amid the landmarks of Barcelona and the team time trial is now a televisual event thanks to the rule timing riders individually
• Stage 2 should offer lively sport in the finish
• Stage 6 for the Tourmalet and Gavarnie finish
• Stage 9 for the breakaway battle, the first hour could be more thrilling than the last
• Stage 14 for the Vosges mountains and the Haag summit finish
• Stage 15 for the Plateau de Solaison finish
• Stage 19 for the Alpe d’Huez summit finish
• Stage 20 and the Alpe d’Huez encore, hopefully there’s some suspense left
• Stage 21 for the Paris match in Montmartre

The Rules

The Jerseys

Yellow: the most famous one, the maillot jaune, it is awarded to the rider with the shortest overall time for all the stages added together, the rider who has covered the course faster than anyone else. First awarded in 1919, it is yellow because the race was organised by the newspaper L’Auto which was printed on yellow paper. Today it is sponsored by LCL, a bank.

There are time bonuses of 10-6-4 seconds for the finish of each stage except the time trials.

Green: the points jersey, which tends to reward the sprinters. Points are awarded at the finish line and at one intermediate point in the stage and the rider with the most points wears the jersey. It is sponsored by Skoda, a car manufacturer.

• • Flat stages (Stages 5,7,8,11,12) 70-50-40-35-30-26-24-22- 20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 points for the first 18 riders
  • Hilly stages (Stages 4,13,17,21): 50-30-20-18- 16-14-12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 points for the first 15
  • Very hilly stages (Stages 2,3,9,18): 30-25-22-19-17-15-13-11-9-7-6-5-4-3-2 points
  • Very difficult stages + ITT (Stages 6,10,14,15,16): 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points
  • Intermediate sprits 25-20-16-14-12-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points

Note the scale is new for 2026 with more points for the flat stages, eg 70 for the winner rather than 50, also the intermediate sprints now offer 25 to the winner when it was 20 last year. This tilts the competition even more to the sprinters.

Polka dot: also known as the “King of the Mountains” jersey, points are awarded at the top of categorised climbs and mountain passes, with these graded from the easier 4th category to the hors catégorie climbs which are so hard they are off the scale. In reality these gradings are subjective. Again the rider with the most points wears the jersey. It is sponsored by Leclerc, a supermarket.

• • • Hors Catégorie (6 in total): 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-2 points
    • Category 1 climbs (13): 10-8-6-4-2-1 points
    • Category 2 (11) 5-3-2-1 points
    • Category 3 (21): 2-1 points
    • Category 4 (18): 1 point

There is also a change for 2026 here as no HC climb gets double points, ie the Col de la Loze was worth 40-30-24 etc points last year but this year’s highest climb is the Galibier and it is a normal HC climb with 20-15-12 points etc.

White: for the best young rider, this is awarded on the same basis as the yellow jersey, except the rider must be born after 1 January 2000, ie aged 25 or under. It is sponsored by Krys, a retail chain of opticians

Timekeeping
Three second rule: normally a one second gap on the finish line is needed to separate groups on time in a finish. But for Stages 4,5,7,8,11,12,17 and 21, the likely sprint stages, three seconds is needed for a split in the field.

Sprint zone
The three kilometre rule doesn’t apply on Stages 1,3,6,14,15,18,19 and 20. It’ll be extended to 4km to go on Stage 15, and 5km to go for Stages 1,3,8,9,17 and 21 and this protected part of the course is now being branded as the “sprint zone”.

Time Cuts

Stages are given a coefficient rating from 1-6, look up the stage’s rating in the table above. Then see the average speed for the day’s winner and look up the corresponding line below to calculate the time cut. Note they’ve been eased by a percentage point this year.

Tour de France prize money

• Each day on a normal stage there’s €11,000 for the winner, €5,500 for second place and a decreasing scale down to a modest €300 for 20th place
• For the final overall classification in Paris, first place brings in €500,000 and the Sèvres porcelain “omnisports trophy”, awarded “in the name of the Presidency of the French Republic”. The full breakdown is €500,000 for first place, €200,000 for second place, €100,000 for third place and then €70,000, €50,000, €23,000, €11,500, €7,600, €4,500, €3,800, €3,000, €2,700, €2,500, €2,100, €2,000 €1,500, €1,300, €1,200 and €1,100 for 19th place. €1,000 for 20th-160th overall

There are other pots of money available in the race:

• €500 a day to whoever wears the yellow jersey
• €300 for the other jersey holders
• €25,000 for the final winner of the green and polka dot jerseys, €15,000 for second place, €10,000 for third place, €4,000, €3,500, €2,500, and €2,000 for eighth in the competition
• €20,000 for the final winner of the white jersey
• There’s also money for the first three in the intermediate sprint each day: €1,500, €1000 and €500
• The climbs have cash too with the first three over an hors catégorie climb earning €800, €450 and €300 and lesser sums for lesser climbs down to €200 for winning a 4th category climb
• The highest point in the race sees a prize when on Stage 18 the Henri Desgrange prize is awarded at the Col de la Loze and is worth €5,000
• the Jacques Goddet prize is also €5,000 for the first over the Tourmalet on Stage 14
• The “most combative” prize is awarded and worth €2,000 each day, the “Super combative” prize is awarded in Paris and the winner collects €20,000
• the best team mate gets €9,000
• There’s also a team prize with €2,800 awarded each day to the leading team on the overall, €50,000 for the final winners in Paris with a scale down to €8,000 for fifth place. Note the team prize is calculated by adding the time of the best three riders each day rather than the best three on GC. For example if a team has riders A, B and C make the winning break one day then their times for the stage are taken and added together. If riders X, Y and Z on the same team go up the road the next day, their times are taken. So it’s the times of a team’s best three riders each day as opposed to the best three riders overall.

The total prize pot is €2,574,991. This is meagre for an event of this scale but this isn’t tennis or golf, remember pro cyclists are salaried and paid bonuses by their teams, it’d be hard to find anyone at the Tour on less than a six-figure salary. So prize money is just a nice bonus on the side. Win a Tour stage and a rider might add a zero onto the salary: the race creates value rather than pays it.

Crucially prize money is shared around the team (as well as levied and taxed) rather than pocketed by the winner, it’s possible the actual prize winner sees 5-10% of the headline sum. In addition, every team that starts gets paid a participation fee of over €50,000 to cover expenses. And should a squad make it to Paris with six or more riders they stand to collect an additional €1,600 bonus for each rider.