The 2026 Tour de France
The 2026 Tour de France promises to be one of the most exciting cycling races in recent memory. This is largely due to the new route that features new mountains for the riders to climb. Additionally, for the first time in the event’s history, the Grand Départ will take place in Barcelona.
The 113th edition of the world’s most famous and gruelling cycle race starts on the 4th of July and will finish on the 26th of July. The race features 184 riders from 23 teams, who all work together to be the best in the world. Meanwhile, the route of the Tour de France changes every year and will start in Spain and finish in Paris in 2026.
How the Yellow Jersey works
The Yellow Jersey is what teams strive for in the Tour de France. Essentially, the Yellow Jacket represents the rider that does the best in the general classification. In other words, the cyclist that has the lowest cumulative time in a stage gets to wear the Yellow Jacket the next day. Ultimately, the rider that has the fastest overall time in the 21 stages wins the race. Although the Yellow Jacket is the most important in the race, there are other jackets awarded as well.
The Polka Dot Jersey is awarded to the “King of the Mountains”. This means the rider who is first to reach the summit of categorized climbs gets to wear the jacket the next day.
Similarly, the rider who performs best in the sprints earns the Green Jersey. The day’s best sprinter claims the Green Jersey.
Finally, the best rider under the age of 26 in the general classification earns the White Jersey.
The Route
The 2026 Tour de France route covers a distance of 3333km, over 21 stages. Overall, the total amount of elevation gain for the whole race is a staggering 54.4km. Along the way, the riders get a rest day after Stage 9 and again after Stage 15. Almost every Stage covers a distance of well over 150km, except for Stage 1 and Stage 16, which are short Time Trials.
Part one of the Tour de France
To begin, Stage 1 is a Time Trial of 19.6km in Barcelona.
Next, Stage 2 is hilly with a distance of 168.5km from Tarragone to Barcelona.
The 2026 route is only in Spain for two days before it moves over from Spain to France on Stage 3. Notably, Stage 3 is a mountainous stage and also the second longest stage in the race with 195.9km. It stretches from mountainous Granollers to Les Angles.
From there, Stage 4 and 9 are hilly stages, while Stage 5, 7 and 8 are all relatively flat. In between, Stage 6 is a mountain stage.
Part two of the Tour de France
Then, the stages between 10 and 15 are arguably the toughest part of the race. This part of the race features 3 mountain stages, including Stage 10, 14 and 15. Meanwhile, Stage 11 and 12 are flat, leading into the hilly Stage 13 from Dole to Belfort.
The final stretch of the Tour de France
After a rest day, Stage 16 is a short Time Trial from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains with a distance of 21.5km.
Following that, Stage 17 from Chambery to Voiron is a flat stage that leads into three mountain stages, Stage 18, 19 and 20.
Finally, the 21st Stage is the last day of the race and stretches from Thoiry to Paris Champs-Élysées. As is tradition, the last stage is flat with a distance of 133km.
Favourites to Win
When it comes to favourites, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard are the two names that come up when talking about who will win this year’s Tour de France. Pogačar, riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is aiming for his fifth win, thereby placing him in the five-time winners club alongside legends Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.
Meanwhile, two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard of team Visma-Lease a Bike will be challenging Tadej on every corner. In particular, the Danish rider is expected to be the best in the mountain stages of the race.
Betting on the Tour de France
As for betting, markets on the Tour de France include team to win the stage or TTT (The Top Three teams) to win in a stage. Currently, bookies such as Goldrush, Playbet and Hollywoodbets offer odds on the Tour de France. No matter the outcome, however, one thing is sure: it will be a thrilling race. Allez, allez, allez!
Another great race to follow is the Andorra Epic 2026, it kicks off on the 2nd of July and runs over 4 days. It also forms part of the Epic Series.
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