2026-07-22T11:20:24.812Z
Unofficial start of stage 17

Riders are gone from the start line of stage 17 of the Tour de France in Chambéry! The flag should be dropped at kilometre 0 in around 15 minutes. From then on, expect major breakaway action all the way to the line.

2026-07-22T11:16:25.967Z

No prizes for guessing which bus tends to be the busiest at each of the stage starts. Anything to get a peak at the yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar, but also the ultr-popular Isaac del Toro. Maybe only Decathlon CMA CGM’s bus and the furore surrounding French hope Paul Seixas rivals this.

CHAMBERY, FRANCE - JULY 22: Fans at the paddock of UAE Team Emirates - XRG prior to the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 17 a 174.7km stage from Chambery to Voiron / #UCIWT / on July 22, 2026 in Chambery, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-07-22T11:10:57.352Z

Just 10 minutes to go now until the unofficial start of stage 17. It’s more blue skies and hot weather welcoming the riders to Chambéry on this Wednesday afternoon.

2026-07-22T10:58:29.786Z

After the leaving the race following his stage 15 crash, Jonas Vingegaard has reportedly undergone successful surgery to his fractured collarbone. Despite the sadness of having to abandon the race, the Dane showed his leadership as he bid farewell to his teammates on Monday, with the remaining riders changing focus to chasing stages in these final five days:

‘Make the best of it!’ – Over an emotional burger and fries, Jonas Vingegaard encouraged his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates to go on the attack at the Tour de France

2026-07-22T10:42:05.391Z

All of the riders are currently signing on at the start in Chambéry. You can watch the team presentation live before every stage on Le Tour’s X account: Podium signature stage 17.

2026-07-22T10:36:48.916Z

It was a bittersweet day for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe as they took victory, though, with last year’s podium finisher and Evenepoel’s co-leader Florian Lipowitz crashing out of the race. He suffered a fractured collarbone after coming down at high speed around a corner, leaving the Belgian to defend his second place without a second GC option.

Florian Lipowitz abandons the Tour de France after a heavy crash during the stage 16 time trial

THONON-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JULY 21: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop) Florian Lipowitz of Germany and Team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe injured after falling during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 16 a 26.1km individual time trial stage from Evian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains / #UCIWT / on July 21, 2026 in Thonon-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-07-22T10:34:04.271Z

If you missed any of the action from yesterday’s 16th stage, it was a dramatic start to the final week with a back-to-back winner in the individual time trial:

Tour de France: Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel destroys race against the clock and takes back-to-back wins on stage 16

2026-07-22T10:08:25.180Z
Today’s route

Here’s a look at the profile today, which is listed as a flat stage by the Tour’s official website, but the four categorised climbs in the first 60km of the route might have something to say about that.

Heading southwest from Chambéry down to Voiron, it’s likely the final chance for the breakaway specialists to have their chance, with three brutal mountain stages and the finale in Paris likely to favour the top GC riders better.

A key point on the route is the positioning of the intermediate sprint in Colombe, where current green jersey points leader, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), will be looking to defend against Alpecin-Premier Tech’s Jasper Philipsen. But will either of them be able to make it and fight out the points available at the finish?

Lidl will be the favourites as Pedersen is the better climber and has already won from a breakaway this Tour, but Alpecin have Mathieu van der Poel as a second option for the stage if green looks impossible. Either way, it should be fast and explosive right from the flag drop at 13:30 CEST.

The profile for stage 17 of the 2026 Tour de France

(Image credit: ASO)

Good morning and welcome to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of stage 17 of the Tour de France!