What I hope to witness at this year's Tour de France – The birth of Paul Seixas, the wrath of Remco and great racing every day

Here we go! July is here and therefore it's time for the Tour de France, the biggest race of our sport, a huge moment for Cyclingnews and a chance to witness the most intense, most prestigious and most emotional racing of the season.

I always consider it a privilege to be at the Tour de France as a journalist for Cyclingnews and I'm happy to already be in Barcelona for the Grand Départ countdown before the race begins on Saturday.

I'll be with James Moultrie for the first half of the Tour, before handing over to Deputy Editor Patrick Fletcher and Alasdair Fotheringham. Tech writers Josh Croxton and Tom Wieckowski are also here in Barcelona for Cyclingnews, reporting on all the latest bikes and equipment that will be used.

Stephen Farrand

I've covered some historic editions of the Tour over the years and cherish some special memories. We know the race route and the team rosters but the 2026 Tour is still a book to be written, empty pages and chapters to be filled day after day with the narrative of the racing, the drama, polemics and emotions of each stage.

We know that Tadej Pogačar is the huge favourite to win a record-equalling fifth Tour. Fortunately for us, the Tour never turns out as predicted, someone always rips up the script, excels or fails dramatically. That is the beauty of elite sport.

I can't wait to get up so close to the riders and racing to try to question, capture and analyse every moment, every detail and every emotion for the Cyclingnews readers and subscribers.

This is what I hope to witness at the 2026 Tour de France.

Can anyone challenge or even stop Pogačar's greatness?

Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have dominated the GC battle in the five editions of the Tour but my cycling sixth sense, which I have learnt to listen to carefully, is telling me that things could be different this year.

If Pogačar dominates yet again, we will have to recognise his greatness. He seems in great form, even after racing relatively little since the Classics, but I sense that he will have to fight like never before to pull on the final yellow jersey in Paris.

I think Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike will find some chinks in Pogačar's armour and perhaps be able to take advantage of them. Isaac del Toro will have to play a vital role helping Pogačar, as he also learns how to become a Tour leader in his own right.

If Pogačar and Vingegaard focus too much on each other, then any of Paul Seixas, Juan Ayuso, Remco Evenpeoel and Florian Lipowitz could have a chance to fight for more than third place on the podium. I hope they are ambitious enough to grasp every opportunity.

Allez Paul Seixas!

The presence of 19-year-old Paul Seixas changes everything at this year's Tour and allows the French, and so anyone who loves the race, a chance to dream.

Seixas appears to have the talent to win the Tour. It might not be this year but it seems destined to happen sooner or later, perhaps in the post-Pogačar era or perhaps even sooner.

Seixas' debut Tour will be a journey of discovery for the French teenager and a journey of expectation for all of us. He said he hopes to be a factor in the race, to continue improving and to enjoy himself. That last goal is surely the most important. If Seixas enjoys himself, embraces the pressure and suffering of the Tour, his race will be a success.

Fearing the wrath of Remco

I've felt the wrath of Remco Evenepoel several times, when he vents his frustration towards the Tour media beyond the finish line, but I love his intelligence, intensity and self belief. He gives his absolute all and so rightly demands the same from his team and anyone that comes close to him.

Can he ever win the Tour de France? Perhaps not but that is not going to stop him trying and so it's going to be fascinating to watch him try this year.

The battle for stage victories and the early yellow jersey

The Pogačar-Vingegaard dominance of the Tour GC has forced a lot of other teams to pivot away from riding for the yellow jersey and instead chase stage victories, other classifications and perhaps an early spell in yellow. EF Education-EasyPost executed that strategy well in 2025, with Ben Healy wearing yellow for two days and winning a stage. It was enough to justify their sponsorship for the whole season.

A stage victory has become a stated goal, with rider selections and race strategies built around it. Tour stage wins can be as prestigious and as difficult as winning a major Classic. Win one and a team's tour is deemed a success, fail and the team manager will not be happy.

This year Ben Healy, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), new French national champion Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United), Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5) will all battle for stage on hilly stages, with a similar quality of riders for more mountainous stages.

Every stage will start with an intense battle to get in the break, raise the average speed and intensity, with a chance of taking the yellow day for an early spell as an extra incentive.

Personally, I'd love to see a French rider wear yellow when the Tour crosses the Pyrénées from Spain into France or on Bastille Day on July 14.

Spare a thought for the forgotten sprinters

With so many riders and teams chasing sprint victories and the likes of Pogačar hogging the spotlight, the sprinters have become the forgotten riders of the Tour de France. I hope that will change at this year's Tour.

The sprinters will have to suffer in silence in the opening team time trial and even on Sunday's hilly finish on Montjuïc. They will probably have to wait until stage 5 to Pau for a chance to sprint for victory but in theory there are five sprint chances plus the last stage to Paris if the sprinters can digest the climbs of Montmartre.

Sprint stages can be long days in the saddle and so make for boring television but I believe the thrills of the final kilometres are always worth the wait.

My stand-out stages

Each of the 21 stages will offer some drama and great racing but these are the stages that I'm especially excited about.

Stage 1: Barcelona TTT – The new TT format makes this a GC day and so we can expect time gaps, surprises and disappointment.

I'll be watching to see if Evenepoel drops Lipowitz, how much time Pogačar gains on Vingegaard and Kévin Vauquelin's hot take reaction about his teammates beyond the finish line.

Stage 6: Pau-Gavarnie-Gèdre – The Pyrenees come early this year and avoid some of the legendary climbs but stage 6 includes the Col du Tourmalet and a climb to the finish.

Stage 9: Aurillac-Le Lioran – Stages through the Massif Central are never easy. With the canicule heat expected to return to France next week, this stage could see some GC action as well as a big breakaway.

Stages 19 and 20 – The final mountain stages in the Alps climb to L'Alpe d'Huez twice, first via the iconic hairpins and then via the steeper, lesser known Col de Sarenne.

I'd love to be a fan staying in L'Alpe d'Huez for several days, riding the high mountains and then watching the riders close up from the roadside as they race for overall victory or just survival inside the time limit.

After all, the Tour de France is the ultimate free sporting show. Vive le Tour!

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