Tour de France 2026

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 a 11-kilometre TTT in Mulhouse, won by Eddy Merckx's Molteni team.

The Tour de France will have three stages around Barcelona before entering France on stage 3.

The remaining details of the route will be revealed on October 23, 2026.

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.

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.

Who is riding the Tour de France 2026? Stay tuned for the start list.

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