Stage 8 is the longest of the Tour de France Femmes at 171.9km, in fact the third-longest women’s UCI race ever. Adding a 10.5km neutral zone, it will be a long day that could end in a sprint or in a breakaway victory, with the short, steep wall of the Chemin de l’Arieta 6km from the finish being the key point of the stage.
Starting in Sisteron, the first 49km partly follow the Route Napoléon, though in the opposite direction of the way the exiled French emperor took after landing in Cannes in 1815 and taking a shortcut over an unclassified climb instead of following the river valley to Digne-le-Bains.
In Barrême, the race turns off the historic road, following the Asse de Moriez river up its valley before climbing the fourth-category Col des Robines and descending into the valley of the Verdon river, famous for its gorges a bit further south. After 7.5km of almost flat roads, skirting the dammed-up reservoirs, the Col de Toutes Aures begins, a long but gradual fourth-category climb that marks the highest point of the stage at 1124 metres above sea level, 95.4km from the finish.
The next 75km are practically one long downhill, first on an 11km descent to the Var river valley, then following the river downstream towards the Côte d’Azur until reaching the last feed zone in Colomars after 151.3km. After the small town, the cat. 4 Côte de Colomars begins, a 1.4km climb through a forested hillside at 5.4% followed by a switchback descent back to the Var river.
The next 5km, flat along the river, evoke feelings of Milano-Sanremo before turning left onto the fourth-category Côte de la Ginestière. 2.5km at 4.4%, it isn’t the hardest climb, but it will soften the legs for what comes afterwards.
Instead of a descent, the race will go along the side of the hill for almost 2km and then turn left onto the 450-metre, 10% wall of the Chemin de l’Arieta, the steepest part reaching 13.6%, very similar to the Paterberg. The descent includes long straights and several sharp corners before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The riders then race along the famous Promenade des Anglais for the last 3.4km to the finish in Nice.
The stage is classified as a flat stage and could end in a mass sprint. But since Lorena Wiebes was unbeatable on the first two stages, even overcoming the Côte Saint-François finishing climb in Lausanne, all teams but SD Worx-Protime would be ill-advised to ride for a sprint finish.
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Instead, they should try to send one or several riders into a breakaway, the larger the better, let SD Worx-Protime do the chasing, and hope that their rider(s) can go for the stage victory in the final. Should the break be brought back, they can then launch attacks on the late climbs.
SD Worx-Protime have two cards up their sleeve, though: Mischa Bredewold and Lotte Kopecky should be able to follow attacks on the climbs … or they could even join the early breakaway. If things stay together on the Chemin de l’Arieta, expect Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) to attack the descent.
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Profile of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes stage 8
(Image credit: ASO)
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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