The 2025 Tour de France has been kind to riders with no hard mountain passes throughout the first week of racing, but 2026 edition will not be so nice with confirmed Grand Départ in Barcelona likely singalling a pass through Pyrenees will be inevitably on the menu of the day at latest on fourth or fifth day of the race.According to La Montagne, the race should then head into Massif Central to end the first racing block with a hilly stage finishing in Ussel. After a rest day, another explosive stage should be a celebration for breakaway specialists on the day of French national holiday (July 14). Before all of that, first week should see riders pass through the Pyrenees, however not much more is known about the roads that will bring riders from Spain to Massif Central.A logical conclussion: the race should once again be decided in Alps in the third week of the race. According to information from the Dauphiné Libéré, we could be up for another edition with a mountain time trial at the Plateau de Solaison. In addition, whispers suggest that mythical Alpe d’Huez could be back on the menu after four years of absence.
