Tour de France Femmes 2026 stage 7 preview – Queen stage set to deliver GC fireworks on Mont Ventoux

• Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône - Mont Ventoux
• Date: August 7, 2026
• Distance: 146.8km
• Elevation gain: 3500 metres
• Start time: 12:50 CET
• Finish time: 17:17 CET

The legendary "Giant of the Provence”, the Mont Ventoux, crowns stage 7, with a summit finish after 146.8km and 3,500 metres of climbing. The Queen stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes will deliver GC fireworks.

The stage starts in La Voulte-sur-Rhône, and the first climb crests after 13.6km. Compared to the Ventoux, the second-category Col de la Grande Limite looks small on the profile, but it is a 6.6km climb at an average 5% and is an ideal springboard for a breakaway of strong climbers, hoping against hope that the GC contenders will not want the stage win atop the mythical “Bald Mountain” for themselves.

Cresting after 41.1km, the cat. 3 Col du Colombier (3.2km at 6.4%) is only half the length of the previous climb but somewhat steeper. It is followed by a long section of flat to rolling roads as the race makes its way south-southwest through the Drôme and Vaucluse departments. The intermediate sprint in Beaumes-de-Venise marks a change as the race turns northeast to climb the second-category Col de Suzette (3.9km at 6.4%).

Due to wildfires in the Dentelles de Montmirail, no spectators are allowed on the road between the village of Suzette at the top of the climb and the unclassified Col de la Chaine, followed by a descent to Malaucène. Only spectators on foot are allowed on the next section to Bédoin, rolling through the hills at the foot of the Mont Ventoux and over the unclassified Col de la Madeleine.

In the centre of Bédoin, the uphill begins with 21km to go. The first kilometres climb very gently through the vineyards at 3 to 4% before getting steeper at 5-6%, still not on the ‘official’ climb, followed by a kilometre at 3.5%.

Entering the forest, the 15.7km climb begins for real, starting with a 10% ramp right away. After that, it never lets up until the Chalet Reynard, a 9.5km stretch at a brutal average 9.3%, a short section even reaching 12.1%. The only positive thing about this section is that there is some shade from the sun and shelter from the wind, provided by the forest the road climbs through.

From the Chalet Reynard, 6.2km from the finish, the riders are above the treeline and now truly on the “Bald Mountain”, continuing to climb through a lunar, windswept landscape. For 1.5km, the road ‘only’ climbs around 6%, but on the last 4.5km after the Fontaine de la Grave, the gradient rarely dips below 7%. The final 1.5km are extremely hard at almost 10%.

The weather will be an important factor on that last part of the climb. There is no shade from the baking sun, and a cloudless sky is forecast for Friday afternoon. Possibly even more important is the wind. The forecast wind direction is north-northwest, meaning that the ridge of the mountain will provide the tiniest bit of shelter, but it is still an almost head-on headwind with speeds of 25-30 km/h.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) is the favourite to win the stage. The headwind on the last kilometres, however, is in favour of Marlen Reusser (Movistar) as it makes it harder to attack. If she wants to gain a lot of time, Vollering will have to go early, still in the forest; alternatively, if she only wants to overcome her 12-second deficit to Reusser, she could wait for the last 1.5km. Supported by a strong team, it is likely that Vollering goes all-in to possibly decide the GC on the Mont Ventoux, wanting to create a large enough buffer ahead of the final stage around Nice.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) is a punchy rider who can climb very well, but the long climb up the Ventoux isn’t ideal for her. Still, she can be expected to be right up there with Vollering and Reusser. The climb suits her teammate Antonia Niedermaier better. The German doesn’t have the same status in the team as the 2024 Tour winner and had to work at the front of the peloton in the final of stage 6, but in the end, the Mont Ventoux comes down to who has the legs.

Niedermaier will want to defend her white U24 jersey against Isabella Holmgren, who starts the stage 25 seconds behind. Both Niedermaier and Holmgren proved their climbing talent in the Giro d’Italia Women, where they finished only one second behind Vollering on the Colle delle Finestre.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) was part of the same group but is far from her best form, losing almost 14 minutes on stage 6. Unless she deliberately saved herself, the 36-year-old will not play a role on the queen stage. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) recovered somewhat from her time losses in the stage 4 ITT and on the hilly stage 5, but she also seems to be far from the form that saw her solo to victory on the Col de la Madeleine in 2025.

Last but not least, there is Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’IMAD). The headwind will suit her climbing style, opting not to follow attacks and accelerations and instead keeping a steady rhythm. However, the Italian champion went on the attack on stage 6, not holding anything back as she hunted a stage victory. She will still be among the best on the Mont Ventoux, but it's possible that Longo Borghini will be surpassed by her teammate Dominika Włodarczyk.

Stage 5 winner Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) is on the up at the race, though she'll face a major battle to keep progressing on the GC after her leap back into the top 10 on Thursday. Last summer, the Tour's big climb, the Col de la Madeleine, saw her drop from yellow to 11th overall, and Ventoux will pose a similar challenge to her and the rest of the peloton.

"I don't think you're able to enjoy Mont Ventoux," she said in the post-stage press conference.

"Of course we're going to fight to the end. I've done it once, and it's a beautiful climb, it's an iconic climb, and I'm so happy that we have it in the Women's Tour de France this year.

"I've only done it once, so I don't have a lot of experience, and I'm maybe glad about that. But I think it's going to be tough. I think, of course, we've seen in every Tour de France it plays on the big mountains. Of course I'm going to suffer. I think everyone's going to suffer."

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Climbs

• Col de la Grande Limite (cat. 2, 6.6km at 5%), km. 13.6
• Col du Colombier (cat. 3, 3.2km at 6.4%), km. 41.1
• Col de Suzette (cat. 2, 3.9km at 6.4%), km. 105.3
• Mont Ventoux (HC, 15.7km at 8.8%), km. 146.8 - finish

Sprints

• Beaumes-de-Venise, km. 97.9 - points only to first 15 riders