Record breaking climbs
The race’s second weekend brings two very different mountain stages. The first heads through the home region of 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, taking in the cat 1 Mijares pass and two cat 2 hills, the San Bartolomé de Pinares and the Alto de Santa María. There’s one final climb to the line in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the first time this has been used as a stage finish. That final cat 3 ascent features ramps of up to 28 per cent, which could be the steepest ever to feature in a grand tour. If the previous climbs haven’t split
the CG contenders, these ramps surely will.
TOPICS
-
Giant overhauls gravel range with two new bikes and a suite of gravel components
Just when we thought the gravel releases were over for the year, Giant has released a slew of new gravel products -
Best bike locks 2026: Quality locks to keep your bike secure
The highest-rated U-locks, chain locks and folding locks we've tested -
Sprinter Tim Merlier spearheads Soudal-QuickStep's first assault on Tour de France in post-Remco Evenepoel era
No Paul Magnier nor Mikel Landa in lineup, but 2025 Mont Ventoux winner Valentin Paret-Peintre returns for more climbing stages -
Save up to $372.60 on a NordVPN subscription – Lock down your Tour de France viewing from anywhere this summer
If you're a cycling fan travelling overseas, the only way to avoid geo-restrictions on your Tour de France streaming service is by using a VPN, making these NordVPN deals perfectly timed, with up 75% off
