Tour de France 2026 stage 4 preview
July 7, 2026; Carcassonne - Foix, 182km
- Stage 4: Carcassonne - Foix
- Date: July 7, 2026
- Distance: 181.9km
- Start time: 13:10 CET
- Finish time: 17:34 CET


Stage 4, which crosses Cathar Country before tackling some of the less challenging climbs in the Ariège, seems destined to be one for a breakaway to make it to the line.
From the medieval city of Carcassonne, the peloton heads east across hilly, rugged terrain, picking off four climbs over 181.9km: the Col de Bedos, Col du Paradis, Col de Coudons, and finally the Col de Montségur. The last summit crests 34km from the finish, leaving a long descent all the way the the finish line in Foix.
The five finishes in Foix have rewarded opportunists, most recently, Canada's Hugo Houle, in 2022 at the end of a 40km solo breakaway.
Mountains
- Col de Bedos (cat. 4, 3.3 km at 4.4%), km. 48.2
- Col du Paradis (cat. 3, 5.8 km at 4.1%), km. 64.9
- Col de Coudons (cat. 2, (10.7 km at 5.5%), km. 104.9
- Col de Montségur (cat. 2, 6.9 km at 6.6%), km. 146.7
Sprints
- Quillan, km. 93.4
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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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