Tour de France 2026 stage 20 preview
July 25, 2026; Le Bourg d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez, 171km
- Stage 20: Bourg d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez
- Date: July 25, 2026
- Distance: 170.9 km
- Start time: 11:20 CET
- Finish time: 16:29 CET





Stage 20 may be the ultimate queen stage in Tour history, 5,600 metres of elevation gain packed into 170.9 kilometres, and placed on the penultimate day of the race for the very first time.
From Bourg-d'Oisans, the first challenge arrives quickly with the HC climb of Col de la Croix de Fer, followed by 42 kilometres of descent and valley roads before the Col du Télégraphe marks the start of nearly 30 kilometres of relentless climbing.
The Galibier follows with barely a descent in between, its summit at 2,642 metres awarded the Souvenir Henri Desgrange as the Tour's highest point.
After 33 kilometres of descent, the riders face the Col de Sarenne, used only once before in Tour history, in 2013, and then only as a descent. From its summit, 14.5 kilometres remain to Alpe d’Huez, for the second consecutive day, before the stage winner is crowned.
Mountains
- Col de la Croix de Fer (cat. HC, 24km at 5.2%), km. 33.7
- Col du Télégraphe (cat. 1, 11.9km at 7.1%), km. 87.6
- Col du Galibier (cat. HC, 17.7km at 6.9%), km. 110.5 - Souvenir Henri Desgrange
- Col de Sarenne (cat. HC, 12.8km at 7.3%), km. 156.5
Sprints
- Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis, km. 66.5
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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