Tour de France 2026 rolls out rider list and mountain stage previews

The 2026 edition of the Tour de France departed from Barcelona on 4 July, with a 19‑km team time trial opening the race. Ahead of the first mountain day, organizers released the official start list of 184 riders across 23 teams. The lineup features defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull‑Bora‑Hansgrohe) among other high‑profile contenders such as Juan Ayuso, Richard Carapaz, and Egan Bernal.

Stage 5, beginning in Lannemezan and finishing in Pau, offers sprinters a rare chance after a series of hilly sections, with the peloton expected to navigate several short climbs before a flat finish. Stage 6 will be the first true Pyrenees test, climbing the Col d’Aspin and the legendary Col du Tourmalet before a summit finish at Gavarnie‑Gèdre, a route poised to create decisive gaps in the general‑classification battle.

Regional representatives from the Hautes‑Alpes attended the Grand Départ in Barcelona to promote their mountain‑tourism offerings, highlighting routes such as the Durance bike trail, gravel adventures around Lake Serre‑Pónçon and climbs including the Galibier.

In parallel, the 2026 Tour de France Femmes—now the longest edition at 1 175 km—will tackle the Mont Ventoux for the first time, a historic step for women’s cycling with top riders Pauline Ferrand‑Prévot, Kasia Niewiadoma and Demi Fuller Vollering expected to contest the summit finish.