Tour de France Femmes 2026 runs Saturday, August 1 to Sunday, August 9, covering a record 1,175 km from Lausanne, Switzerland to Nice, France. The 5th edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift features Mont Ventoux as its queen stage summit finish and 18,795 m of climbing, the most in race history.
The race will be organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) as part of the 2026 UCI Women’s World Tour. The route will feature passes in three mountain ranges: the Jura, Massif Central, and Alps.
Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returns after her final margin of victory was 3 min 42 sec over Vollering in 2025. Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma will challenge for the yellow jersey.
Keep an eye on Bicycle Xpert to keep up with the updates on Tour de France Femmes 2026.
2026 Route Map & Overview
The route of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will cover a record 1,175 km across two different countries over nine stages. Total elevation gain reaches 18,795 m, surpassing all previous editions. The race travels from Lausanne, Switzerland, to Nice, France. The women’s route shares several iconic climbs with the men’s Tour de France 2026, including stages through the Alps toward Nice.
The route will feature passes in three mountain ranges: the Jura, Massif Central, and Alps. Stage breakdown includes three flat stages, three hilly stages, two mountain stages, and one individual time trial. After entering France, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will cross 12 departments across 3 regions.
Mont Ventoux hosts the queen stage of the 2026 race at 1,910 m elevation, the highest point of the entire route. Stage 8 is the longest of the race at 175 km, running from Sisteron to Nice.
Race director Marion Rousse called the route “mischievous,” noting difficulties on every stage. Download the official route map from the ASO Tour de France Femmes website.
Stage-by-Stage Breakdown of Tour de France Femmes 2026
Nine stages across 1,175 km take riders from the Swiss Grand Départ in Lausanne to the Mediterranean finale in Nice. The nine days of racing will open with the second foreign Grand Départ in the race’s history. The route features three flat stages, three hilly stages, two mountain stages, and one individual time trial, with Mont Ventoux and the Col d’Èze providing the decisive climbs in the final weekend.
Swiss Grand Départ: Stages 1–2
Stage 1: Lausanne → Lausanne (137 km)
The race begins on Swiss National Day, August 1, with a loop around Lausanne on the banks of Lake Geneva. Along the way, they’ll tackle two short climbs before the finish line on Place Saint-François, atop a 2.3-kilometre slog averaging 5.4%. Puncheurs will battle for the first yellow jersey on this uphill finish.
Stage 2: Aigle → Geneva (149 km)
Beginning in Aigle, home of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Cycling Centre (WCC), the riders will roll out of downtown Aigle and race in the vicinity of the UCI headquarters before charting a course for Lake Geneva via Montreux and Vevey. With the final climb coming 35 kilometres from the finish, it looks well-suited to the sprinters. The finish arrives opposite the famous Jet d’Eau, at the end of the home straight on Quai du Mont-Blanc.
Into France: Stages 3–4
Stage 3: Geneva → Poligny (157 km)
The peloton crosses into France and immediately tackles the Col de la Faucille (11.4 km at 6.3%), the longest climb of the opening days. This Jura Mountains test arrives just 12 km into the stage, offering the first serious GC shakeup before a rolling run to Poligny.
Stage 4: Gevrey-Chambertin → Dijon (21 km ITT)
The individual time trial returns after a two-year absence, last featured in Rotterdam 2023. This hilly 21-km test through Burgundy’s famous wine roads suits time-trial specialists like Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser. Significant GC gaps will emerge before the mountains.
Beaujolais & Ardèche: Stages 5–6
Stage 5: Mâcon → Belleville-en-Beaujolais (140 km)
The race heads south through the Beaujolais wine country with 2,783 m of climbing. Mont Brouilly (3 km at 7.7%) provides the day’s sting, testing legs before the mountain stages arrive.
Stage 6: Montbrison → Tournon-sur-Rhône (153 km)
Rolling Ardèche terrain delivers another 2,650 m of elevation gain. Breakaway specialists will eye this stage as their final opportunity before the queen stage showdown on Mont Ventoux.
Mont Ventoux Queen Stage: Stage 7
Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône → Mont Ventoux (144 km)
The “Beast of Provence” makes its Tour de France Femmes debut on stage 7. This 144 km test features 3,565 m of climbing, the hardest single stage of the race. The summit finish at 1,910 m will likely decide the yellow jersey.
Mont Ventoux rises 15.7 km at 8.8% from Bédoin, its toughest approach. The exposed, treeless upper slopes offer no shelter from wind or heat. Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot holds a home advantage: “Mont Ventoux is a climb I’ve done many times. It’s actually quite easy for me to train there.”
Nice Finale: Stages 8–9
Stage 8: Sisteron → Nice (175 km)
The longest stage of the race crosses Col des Robines and Col de Toutes Aures before descending to the Mediterranean. Sprinters get their final chance on the flat run into Nice, though the day’s 2,000+ metres of climbing may thin out the fast finishers.
Stage 9: Nice → Nice (99 km)
Four ascents of Col d’Eze (7.7 km at 5.9%) pack 2,175 m of climbing into the shortest stage. The yellow jersey remains vulnerable until riders reach the Promenade des Anglais. Ferrand-Prévot knows this terrain intimately, having lived and trained in the Nice area.
2025 Final Standings & What It Means for 2026
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s 3:42 winning margin was the largest since Annemiek van Vleuten’s dominant 2022 victory. The Frenchwoman controlled the race from stage 6, then demolished the field on Col de la Madeleine to seal her historic triumph.
2025 Tour de France Femmes Final GC
| Pos | Rider | Team | Gap |
| 1 | Pauline Ferrand-Prévot 🇫🇷 | Visma-Lease a Bike | — |
| 2 | Demi Vollering 🇳🇱 | FDJ-SUEZ | 3’42” |
| 3 | Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney 🇵🇱 | Canyon/SRAM | 4’09” |
| 4 | Daria Włodarczyk 🇵🇱 | UAE Team ADQ | 5’45” |
| 5 | Niamh Fisher-Black 🇳🇿 | Lidl-Trek | 6’25” |
| 6 | Sarah Gigante 🇦🇺 | AG Insurance-Soudal | 6’40” |
| 7 | Juliette Labous 🇫🇷 | FDJ-SUEZ | 9’13” |
| 8 | Cédrine Kerbaol 🇫🇷 | EF Education-Oatly | 13’43” |
| 9 | Pauliena Rooijakkers 🇳🇱 | Fenix-Deceuninck | 13’59’ |
| 10 | Evita Muzic 🇫🇷 | FDJ-SUEZ | 15’50” |
Four French riders finished in the top ten, signalling exceptional home nation depth heading into 2026. FDJ-SUEZ placed three riders in the top ten (Vollering, Labous, Muzic), giving them tactical options against Ferrand-Prévot.
Niamh Fisher-Black’s fifth place marked a breakout Grand Tour performance for the 24-year-old New Zealander. Sarah Gigante confirmed her climbing credentials despite a late-season injury, while Poland claimed two top-five spots through Niewiadoma-Phinney and Włodarczyk.
GC Contenders for 2026
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot — Defending Champion
The 33-year-old Frenchwoman won the 2025 Tour by 3:42, the largest margin since Annemiek van Vleuten’s dominant 2022 victory. Ferrand-Prévot is a 15-time world champion across road, cyclocross, mountain bike, and gravel racing, plus Olympic MTB gold at Paris 2024.
Visma-Lease a Bike has extended her contract through 2028, taking her through the next Olympiad. For 2026, she’s expected to skip Paris-Roubaix and instead target Strade Bianche, the Ardennes Classics, and the Tour defence.
Her home advantage looms large: she lives near Nice and trains regularly on Mont Ventoux. “I’ll do everything I can to defend my title,” she declared at the Visma-Lease a Bike team launch.
Demi Vollering — Three-Time Runner-Up
Vollering has finished second in 2022, 2024, and 2025, adding to her 2023 Tour victory. The FDJ-SUEZ leader enters 2026 as European champion with a radically overhauled calendar.
Her schedule drops to 18 race days, down from 29 in 2025, with the Giro Donne (moved to June) followed by altitude camps before August. She highlighted the 2026 Tour route, including the time trial and Mont Ventoux, as well-suited to her skill set.
FDJ-SUEZ offers deep support: Labous finished 7th in 2025, Muzic 10th, with Chabbey providing mountain firepower. “I want to win the Tour de France with the team,” Vollering stated at the Grand Départ presentation.
Contenders & Dark Horses
- Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM) brings five consecutive Tour podiums into 2026 after finishing third at 4:09. The Polish climber remains the most consistent GC threat behind the top two.
- Marlen Reusser (Movistar) missed the 2025 Tour through illness but returns as the reigning time trial world champion. The Swiss start in Lausanne adds home motivation, and stage 4 suits her perfectly.
- Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) announced herself with fifth place at 6:25 in her Grand Tour breakthrough. The 24-year-old New Zealander is a pure climber primed for Mont Ventoux.
- Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) finished sixth despite a late-season injury. The Australian has recovered fully, and Ventoux’s sustained gradient matches her climbing style.
- Daria Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) continues her upward trajectory after fourth place at 5:45, giving Poland two genuine GC threats.
Preliminary Startlist — Teams Confirmed
Twenty-one teams will take part in the race, one fewer than in previous editions. The teams were announced on 18 February 2026. A total of 147 riders (7 per team) will line up in Lausanne.
All 14 UCI Women’s WorldTeams were automatically invited. They were joined by seven UCI Women’s ProTeams selected by ASO. ASO has stuck closely to the letter of the updated rules and has again not invited any Continental teams.
| Team | GC Leader(s) |
| Visma-Lease a Bike | Ferrand-Prévot, Vos |
| FDJ United-SUEZ | Vollering |
| Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto | Niewiadoma-Phinney |
| Movistar | Reusser |
| AG Insurance-Soudal | Gigante, Le Court-Pienaar |
| Lidl-Trek | Fisher-Black |
| SD Worx-Protime | Kopecky, Van der Breggen |
| UAE Team ADQ | Longo Borghini, Rooijakkers |
American Riders in Tour de France Femmes 2026
Yes, American riders will compete in the 2026 Tour de France Femmes. Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) leads the US contingent as a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Paris 2024 and two-time US national road champion. The 33-year-old excels in punchy terrain and aggressive breakaways.
Other Americans to watch include Leah Thomas, with her stage-race experience, and young talent Megan Jastrab (Team Picnic PostNL). Human Powered Health, the US-registered WorldTeam, will also field American riders.
Peacock offers live start-to-finish coverage for every stage through 2029 as the exclusive US home for Tour de France Femmes, making it easier than ever for American fans to follow their compatriots.
How to Watch Tour de France Femmes 2026
All nine stages will broadcast live across 190+ countries. Peacock offers live start-to-finish coverage for every stage through 2029 as part of NBC’s six-year deal with ASO.
Broadcaster by Region:
| Region | Broadcaster | Cost |
| USA | Peacock, NBC | $7.99–$13.99/month |
| UK | TNT Sports, HBO Max | £30.99/month |
| Canada | FloBikes | $39.99/month |
| France | France Télévisions | Free |
| Spain | RTVE | Free |
| Australia | SBS | Free |
| Netherlands | NOS | Free |
| Ireland | TG4 | Free (Irish language) |
UK viewers should note that TNT Sports will move from Discovery+ to the HBO Max app on 26 March 2026, though existing login credentials and pricing will carry over.
For digital-first fans, the official Race Center at letourfemmes.fr provides live tracking, results, and stage profiles throughout the race.
Key Dates & Timeline
| Date | Event |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Teams announced (21 teams confirmed) |
| Aug 1, 2026 | Stage 1: Lausanne → Lausanne (Swiss National Day) |
| Aug 4, 2026 | Stage 4: 21 km ITT (Gevrey-Chambertin → Dijon) |
| Aug 6, 2026 | L’Étape du Tour Femmes (amateur sportive to Ventoux) |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Stage 7: Mont Ventoux summit finish (Queen Stage) |
| Aug 9, 2026 | Stage 9: Nice finale (Promenade des Anglais) |
Mark your calendar: the yellow jersey battle intensifies on Mont Ventoux (Aug 7), with everything decided on the Col d’Eze circuit two days later.
Conclusion
The 2026 Tour de France Femmes promises to be the hardest edition yet, with record climbing and Mont Ventoux as the decisive battleground. The Ferrand-Prévot vs Vollering rivalry reaches its peak, and with four Col d’Eze ascents on the final stage, yellow could change hands on the last day.
Bookmark this page for startlist updates as August approaches. For more cycling coverage, explore BicycleXpert’s race previews, rider profiles, and gear guides to stay ahead of the peloton.
