Direction Barcelona in 2026. After Lille this year, the big departure of the next Tour de France will be once again given from abroad. On the program on Saturday July 4, a team time trial in the streets of the city 19.7 kilometers long and an injured final with the Côtes de Montjuic (1.1 km at 5.1 %) and the Olympic stadium (0.8 km at 7 %). The next day, a hilly stage from Tarragona for a return to Barcelona (178 km, 2500 m D +). Finally, the third stage will start from Granollers, direction France (an arrival in Andorra is unlikely). So much for the already known part.
According to information from The mountainthe first week is expected to end on Sunday July 12 in the Massif Central. The commune of Ussel (Corrèze) should thus be the finish line of a stage hilly from Bergerac (Dordogne). On Tuesday July 14, the day after the rest day, the national holiday should be celebrated in Cantal with an explosive stage between Aurillac and Lioran. The next day, a departure from Vichy was mentioned.
A time on the Solaison tray?
Before the Massif Central, the Pyrenees could be on the way, as soon as it comes to Spain. In this configuration, the Alps should only be crossed in third week with in particular a passage by the Haute-Savoie envisaged, as a teasing a year before the super world championships in 2027. According to information from Dauphiné liberated a reflection around a time trial on the Solaison plateau would be in progress. What about Huez Alpe? One of the most legendary passes in the Tour de France, absent from the route since 2022 (Thomas Pidcock’s victory, editor’s note), will he return four years later, like Mont Ventoux this year?
The Tour de France should mainly concern the southern half of the country in 2026, with the exception of a trip by the Grand Est at the end of the second week. This induces that the Vosges massif should be on the chemin of the peloton. Response in October.
