Cycling. Will the Massif Central and Alpe d'Huez be featured in the 2026 Tour de France?

Heading to Barcelona in 2026. After Lille this year, the Grand Départ of the next Tour de France will once again be held abroad. On the program for Saturday, July 4, is a 19.7-kilometer team time trial through the city's streets and a hilly finale with the climbs of Montjuic (1.1 km at 5.1%) and the Olympic Stadium (0.8 km at 7%). The next day, a hilly stage from Tarragona back to Barcelona (178 km, 2,500 m D+). Finally, the third stage will start in Granollers, heading for France (a finish in Andorra is unlikely). That's the part already known.

According to information from La Montagne , the first week should end on Sunday, July 12 in the Massif Central. The town of Ussel (Corrèze) should be the finish line of a hilly stage from Bergerac (Dordogne). On Tuesday, July 14, the day after the rest day, the national holiday should be celebrated in Cantal with a new explosive stage between Aurillac and Le Lioran. The following day, a departure from Vichy is mentioned.

Before the Massif Central, the Pyrenees could be on the way, as soon as you leave Spain. In this configuration, the Alps should only be crossed in the third week, with a passage through Haute-Savoie envisaged, as a teaser a year before the 2027 super world championships. According to information from the Dauphiné Libéré , a discussion around a time trial at the Plateau de Solaison is underway. What about Alpe d'Huez? One of the most legendary passes of the Tour de France, absent from the route since 2022 (victory of Thomas Pidcock, editor's note), will it make its return four years later, like Mont Ventoux this year?

The Tour de France is expected to primarily focus on the southern half of the country in 2026, with the exception of a detour through the Grand Est region at the end of the second week. This means the Vosges Mountains should be on the peloton's path. The answer will be in October.