II Tour de France revealed its 2026 itinerary yesterday at the Palais des Congrès at Porte Maillot, in Paris. The Grande Boucle will start on July 4th in Barcelona and finish on July 26th in Paris, after 3.333 kilometres. The Pyrenees will pass by quickly. Then a good stretch of flatland, like in the old days. The mountains, before the confirmed Montmartre circuit for the final stage.
Yesterday there were many champions in Paris, but fewer than usual. The season has just ended and many are already on vacation. For example, even the... Tadej pogacar e jonas vingegaard, winners of the last six editions and already favorites for the next yellow jersey. We talk about it with Stefano Garzelli. But first, let's take a quick look at the route.
The five mountain ranges
2026 will mark the return of the Tour to Spain, After the starts in Bilbao (2023) and San Sebastian (1992), Barcelona will offer an iconic setting, with the opening team time trial in front of the Sagrada Familia. This is a striking but also challenging choice, as the street course will be technical and tense. The second stage, with the finish on Montjuïc, will immediately present treacherous terrain for those who don't want to waste precious seconds.
From there, the race will quickly enter French territory to face the Pyrenees, the first real test. Then they will be scaled, in order, Central Massif, Vosges, Jura and finally the AlpsA route that will touch all five of the country's major massifs, respecting the tradition of "France in miniature" desired by Christian Prudhomme. The arrival at the Solaison Plateau, already the scene of memorable duels, will precede the two queen days on theAlpe d'HuezThe 19th stage climbs the classic Bourg d'Oisans face, while the 20th stage climbs the enchanting, wild, and challenging Col de Sarenne. These two stages will decide the Grande Boucle.
While there will be only two time trials: the inaugural 19-kilometer team race, and the 26-kilometer individual race on stage 16.
The line to Garzelli
As mentioned, we're handing over to former pink jersey winner and current RAI technical director, Stefano Garzelli. He's commentated on the latest Grand Tours and knows the French route and its pitfalls well.
Stefano, so, what do you think?
It's an interesting Tour, more or less similar to those we've experienced in recent years. There are 53.000 meters of altitude difference, which is quite a lot. A tough Tour, because in the end, you only have one individual time trial, which is also complicated, with climbs and descents: a detail not to be underestimated. The team time trial on the first day in Barcelona, moreover, is an event not to be taken lightly.
With the formula seen last year at Paris-Nice, therefore with the time taken individually…
An interesting formula. But Barcelona is a complicated team time trial, full of twists and turns. These are very delicate tests: you can't win the Tour, but you can jeopardize it. You have to start well, in solid condition, as in all the major races of recent years. It's a technically challenging first week, also tactically difficult: we'll have to be very careful.
And Montjuic in the second stage?
In terms of altitude, it is not a difficult stage, however on the second day of the Tour, every detail matters. Montjuïc is a climb where getting ahead is crucial. These are the stages everyone dreads: maybe nothing happens in terms of gaps, but the tension is high, crashes are always around the corner. They are very, very delicate days, as I mentioned before.
We've noticed that there's a good number of sprinter stages again. Is that right?
Five are clearly for sprinters: fifth, seventh, eighth, eleventh, and twelfth. Then there are a couple of mixed stages, where sprinters and stage hunters will battle it out. Leaving aside Paris, which along with Montmartre has now become a district for attackers, that's a good number for modern courses. And I'd say it's fine, especially with those two up in the air.
Let's get to the heart of the matter: the climbs. Okay, the double climb to Alpe d'Huez and the fact that Prudhomme said they'll tackle all five French mountain ranges, but overall this Tour didn't seem that impossible to us. What do you think?
It's tough, but not impossible. The twentieth stage, with over 5.500 meters of elevation gain, is one of those days where anything can happen. There will be this double climb to Alpe d'Huez… A very tough stage, in my opinion, is Le Markstein. There is also the new Col du Haag: 11 kilometers with a significant average gradient.It climbs up the hill and doesn't descend, so it's like a mountain finish, less than ten kilometers from the finish line. And we're only on the 14th stage. The next leg also features a lot of elevation gain.
But they were Tour-level climbs: not much gradient…
They are Tour-worthy climbs, it's true. But in recent years, also because of Pogacar's domination, we struggled to assess the difficulty of the Grande Boucle, Because he kills everything. The routes have been more or less similar, but he obliterates any strategy. If Vingegaard weren't there, he'd win by twenty minutes. There aren't any particularly tough stages, except for the two or three we've mentioned, but there's plenty of elevation gain, and in the long run, the man at the end always emerges. Paradoxically, a flat stage with a sudden uphill finish would create more chaos.
And what can you tell us about time trials?
I'm curious about the individual stage after the rest day: it will be a very delicate and demanding stage, both in terms of altitude and planimetry.
Yesterday in Paris, Prudhomme was asked if this wasn't a Tour designed for Remco. He replied that it wasn't an "anti-anyone" Tour. Stefano, who do you think it's best suited to?
To Pogacar! If he goes as he has so far, the course is perfect for him, tough or not. I don't think it favors Evenepoel though: there's only one time trial, tough but not long, so not for pure aerodynamic specialists.If Pogacar performs like he did in 2024 or 2025, there's little that can be done. Personally, I would have expected a smaller gap between him and Vingegaard this year, but in the end, they'll still be competing. And who do you see as the third man?
You ask the questions! Seixsas comes to mind for a suggestion…
It's a bit risky to bring such a young guy, with all the pressures of being French, to the Tour. The Dauphiné, the European Championships, or the Lombardy are one thing, but the Grande Boucle is another. Numbers matter, of course… Watts, VO2 Max, threshold, but the Tour is another thing. It takes a monstrous mental and physical stamina. We'll see... I say. Lipowitz.
That's fair enough. He made it to the final podium this year...
And I liked the fact that after the podium in Paris they almost never let him race again (he only raced for a few days, ed.). If the choice was made to help him recover and grow, it was the right one. But, in my opinion, it will still be between the two of them, Vingegaard and Pogacar.
Tour Femmes: there is the Ventoux
In all this the route of the was also presented Tour de France Women's cycling with Zwift 2026, in the presence of the director Marion Rousse. The race will start in Switzerland and will consist of nine stages totaling 1.175 kilometers, a record for the event. The stages are divided as follows: three flat, three steep, two mountainous, and a 21-kilometer individual time trial on the fourth stage.
The race will touch three major chains: Jura, Central Massif e Alps, with an overall difference in altitude of 18.795 meters, another record. The symbolic arrival will be on Mont Ventoux, so dear to our Martha Cavalli, highest peak of the route (1.910 metres) and stage of the seventh stage, destined to become the “queen” of this fifth edition.
Expectations are sky-high for the home favourites: the defending champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot, super popular yesterday, and Switzerland Marlene Reusser, which will run on home roads. The last stage, the longest with 175 kilometers between Sisteron and Nice, will close a Tour Femmes increasingly complete and spectacular, in perfect harmony with the male one.
