2026 Tour de France

The first few days of the race saw an early GC battle, with Visma-Lease a Bike winning the opening TTT to put Jonas Vingegaard in yellow before Tadej Pogačar won stage 3 to take the lead.

Then on stage 4 a large breakaway that was allowed to move ahead by more than 12 minutes turned the tables, with Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility) taking the yellow jersey, in the reduced group where Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) won the stage.

The Dane retained the race lead on Wednesday, as the sprinters had their day into Pau, Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) winning the first sprint stage of the first week.

The tables turned on the first major mountain stage over the Col du Tourmalet and into Gavarnie-Gèdre, where Tadej Pogačar returned to the maillot jaune with an attack 5km from the summit of the Tourmalet and 43km to go. Gaining time on Vingegaard, Pogačar seemed poised for a fifth Tour victory after just six days of racing.

Patrick Fletcher writes in his analysis that the Tour de France organisers wanted 'suspense to the end,' but the Tourmalet stage design backfired dramatically – and they should have seen it coming.

The sprinters returned to the picture on stage 7 and stage 8, with Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) taking back-to-back victories in Bordeaux and Bergerac, respectively. But in a new development Pogačar says an agreement has been reached by the GC favourites to sit at the back and stay safe on Tour de France sprint finishes.

The shortened stage 9 into Ussel saw Mathieu van der Poel power to a breakaway victory, just a whisker ahead of the bunch sprint. The main story of the day, however, was the extreme heat, nearing 40C, that prompted Pogačar to say he believed a complete overhaul of the cycling calendar was necessary and that he would put a stop to any racing at all in the summer months when there was excessive heat.

There were no changes at the top in the GC standings, and Pogačar heads into the first rest day on Monday, July 13, as the overall leader 2:42 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).

• As it happened: Breakaway holds off charging bunch on Tour de France stage 9 as former world champion wins in Ussel
• 'I couldn't change gear' – Tom Pidcock explains electronic shifter issues that hampered sprint from Tour de France breakaway
• 'Thanks to the GC contenders for this respect' – Tadej Pogačar says agreement has been reached by favourites to sit at the back and stay safe on Tour de France sprint finishes

Who will win the Tour de France 2026? That's the question, and writers Matilda Price and James Moultrie tried to answer it with our definitive ranking of the yellow jersey favourites.

As usual, you can read our comprehensive Tour de France team-by-team guide for a rundown of every single squad on the start list and their goals, leaders, ones to watch and more.

We also have expert analysis from Philippa York, who says that Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Pogačar show.

Alasdair Fotheringham spoke to UAE Team Emirates' Head of Performance in an eye-opening Q&A about how they have constructed Pogačar's search for a fifth Tour title, with part 2 revealing the 'game changing' tool that has transformed the team's training.

Important Tour de France news

• All the special kits for the Tour de France - Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe unveil switch-out jersey
• Tour de France team-by-team guide – Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list
• How to watch the Tour de France 2026 – TV, streaming, official broadcasters for the biggest race in the world

2026 Tour de France start list

Who is riding the Tour de France?

The start list is taking shape as teams confirm their line-ups, and the riders who will be in action to support the likes of Pogačar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel.

See the Tour de France start list.

2026 Tour de France route

The 2026 Tour de France heads to Spain for the Grand Départ in Barcelona on July 4, 2026 where the race will begin with a team time trial.

It's been rare for a Grand Tour team time trial to land on the first stage, and the last time the Tour de France began with one, it was 1971, and the opening stage was an 11-kilometre TTT in Mulhouse, won by Eddy Merckx's Molteni team.

The Tour de France will have three stages in northern Spain, centred around Barcelona and the climb to Montjuïc, before entering France and the Pyrenees as early as stage 3 to Les Angles.

See the full details of the 2026 Tour de France route.

The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.

How does the Tour de France work?

The 113th edition of the Tour de France starts in Barcelona on July 4 and ends three weeks later.

Riders have to cover all 21 stages of the 2026 Tour de France route.

The rider who completes the distance in the fastest time wins the race, also known as the 'overall classification'. Each day, the rider who has completed the entire distance raced the quickest is the leader of the Tour de France, and wears a yellow jersey to signify him as such.

Read more about the jerseys of the Tour de France and the Tour de France prize money.

There is a secondary time classification for the best rider under the age of 26, the best young riders' classification, and he wears a white jersey if leading.

Riders also gain points for their position at the end of each day of racing, known as "stages". There is a secondary prize for the rider who gains the most points - the points classification, and the leader each day wears a green jersey.

There are also points atop a select number of mountain passes for the first riders to cross the top, with more points available the harder the mountain is to climb. The leader of the mountains classification wears a white jersey with red polka dots.

Most days, the peloton race the distance of the Tour de France stage as a bunch. This year's Tour de France features two individual time trials, where riders race a set distance alone against the clock.

There are other prizes, too. Read about the Souvenir Henri Desgranges and Souvenir Jacques-Goddet.

Find out how to watch the Tour de France.

Get unlimited access to all of our coverage of the Tour de France - including breaking news and analysis reported by our journalists on the ground from every stage of the race as it happens and more. Find out more.