{"id":646911,"date":"2026-06-19T09:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/646911\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T09:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:12:24","slug":"the-inner-ring-tour-de-france-stage-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/646911\/","title":{"rendered":"The Inner Ring | Tour de France Stage Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tour de France guide with all the stage profiles on one page along with a summary of each stageat inrng.com\/tour<\/a> and from here to July available via the menu at the top of the page.<\/p>\n

Once the race rulebook is published there will be details on the points and mountains competitions, time cuts and more for easy reference during July.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Route Summary
54,450m of vertical gain in total, the third most mountainous route in the last 20 years (average is 50,400m) but a lot of this climbing is away from the set-piece mountain stages and reserved for battles stages in the mid-mountains. There are seven summit finishes but some are mild like Les Angles and Gavarnie. One solo time trial with 26km makes it the third lightest for TT distance in the last 20 years (average 50km). The sprinters get five clear chances, the same as last year but those with range have a shot at more wins.<\/p>\n

The start in Barcelona obliges an early visit to the Pyrenees and so these are more hors-d\u2019\u0153uvre than main course. Indeed the route seems designed to leave the reveal of the winner for as late as possible with mid-mountain stages that look promising for frantic breakaway days, although even better if the big names want to try too.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no realistic course that could trouble Poga\u010dar \u2013 a blend of 21 sprints and time trials could thwart him but it\u2019s not a realistic prospect \u2013 and so even if we think we know the winner already, plenty of stages along the way offer amusement before the Alpe d\u2019Huez finale.<\/p>\n

Stage 1 \u2013 Saturday 4 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A team time trial in Barcelona. Held in the evening, the time of each team is taken on their first rider across the line and all riders get credited with the time it takes them to complete the course. It\u2019s on big boulevards at first where strong riders can propel their teams before two climbs in Montju\u00efc where team leaders will make their bids for the first yellow jersey.<\/p>\n

Stage 2 \u2013 Sunday 5 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A spin up the Mediterranean coast then turning inland to add some climbing in the hills before a finishing circuit in Barcelona with the finish again in Montju\u00efc. The finish line is in the same place as the first stage but the preceding climb is different, it\u2019s steeper and was used when the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a finished here in 2023. If it helps imagine the Volta a Catalunya finish, just harder.<\/p>\n

Stage 3 \u2013 Monday 6 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A mountain stage? It goes into the Pyrenees, there are 3,850m of vertical gain and the finish is just short of 1,800m above sea level so yes. The finish isn\u2019t savage but has some hairpins and should give us a glimpse of form.<\/p>\n

Stage 4 \u2013 Tuesday 7 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2,700m of vertical gain and this looks like an ideal mid-mountain stage for the breakaway, especially if the yellow jersey after Barcelona and Les Angles wants to give it away to better reclaim it later. It\u2019s all on scenic roads of the Aude and Ari\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n

Stage 5 \u2013 Wednesday 8 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The stage goes to Pau for the 77th time. It\u2019s not totally flat but this is a day for the sprinters.<\/p>\n

Stage 6 \u2013 Thursday 9 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Tourmalet awaits after the classic route out of Pau via Lourdes to the Col d\u2019Aspin. So far, so d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu but the finish is novel with the climb to the village of Gavarnie. It\u2019s a spectacular location inside a national park which explains why the race hasn\u2019t been here before and if it works it opens up more routes that\u2019s exciting as same road goes on to the Col de Tentes at over 2,200m but next time as that would be too much for the first Thursday.<\/p>\n

Stage 7 \u2013 Friday 10 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A sprint finish in Bordeaux. We\u2019ll see if anyone attacks at all given the move is certain to be reeled in.<\/p>\n

Stage 8 \u2013 Saturday 11 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A sprint stage, this time arguably more scenic as it follows the Dordogne valley to Bergerac.<\/p>\n

Stage 9 \u2013 Sunday 12 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A day for the breakaway on hilly terrain with sapping rural roads that offer little rest. It\u2019s likely more teams have spent more time analysing this stage than the Alpe d\u2019Huez days as so many will want to go for the win on a day with plenty of uncategorised climbs. Expect a raucous first hour and more.<\/p>\n

Stage 10 \u2013 Tuesday 14 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Bastille day and it\u2019s back to Le Lioran for the third time this decade after 2020 and 2024. Visitors to the ski station could be forgiven for thinking there\u2019s only one road there as the same roads are used again: the steep Pas de Peyrol and the Col de Pertus leading to the Font de C\u00e8re. It\u2019s no bad thing, a photofinish<\/a> was needed to separate Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard last time.<\/p>\n

Stage 11 \u2013 Wednesday 15 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A flat stage to Nevers. When Paris-Nice came here in 2024 the team time trial found a steep hill to spice up the finish but this time it\u2019s a day pledged to the sprinters.<\/p>\n

Stage 12 \u2013 Thursday 16 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hillier than the previous stage, the sprinters will be desperate to take this as afterwards their opportunities vanish.<\/p>\n

Stage 13 \u2013 Friday 17 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The first two editions of the Tour de France did cross some small mountain passes and hills but in 1905 the Ballon d\u2019Alsace was the first big mountain tackled by the race. Today it takes 150km to reach it which is a problem for the eventual stage winner as they\u2019ll have to cope with pushing a big gear for hours before finding their climbing legs to make their winning move. Will the GC riders attack? Don\u2019t bet on it given the next stage.<\/p>\n

Stage 14 \u2013 Saturday 18 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Only 155km and 3,800m of vertical gain but this is a crucial stage. The race has crossed the Col du Haag many times but in passing along the ridge of the Grand Ballon. Now it takes a new route up, a forest track that\u2019s been paved to use as a cycle path and it\u2019s steep and cycle-path wide in places, think an Alsatian version of the Col de Loze<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stage 15 \u2013 Sunday 19 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With luck we could have two races for the price of one as the breakaway goes clear to contest the stage win and the GC contenders battle it out. The stage opens in the Jura mountains and some gentle but persistent climbs. The \u201cnew\u201d climb is Mont Sal\u00e8ve, climbed via the direct route on the north-west flank and while the profile says it\u2019s 4.7km at 11%, it climbs to the start making it 9km at 9% and the upper half has sustained sections at 15% so plenty will be dropped here. There\u2019s still about a third of the stage left before the final climb to the Plateau de Solaison<\/a>, 11km at 9% where Isaac del Toro just wrapped up the Aura Tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stage 16 \u2013 Tuesday 21 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A time trial on the shores of Lake Geneva. The hilly climb out of Evian is gradual, it climbs at 3% most of the time on a regular road before a trickier descent. What looks flat for the final 8km is twisty in Thonon.<\/p>\n

Stage 17 \u2013 Wednesday 22 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Plenty of jagged peaks and cliffs on the horizon but the route avoids the mountain roads. It still crosses the Massif des Bauges and climbs to the Col du Fr\u00eane before dropping back to skirt the start town of Chamb\u00e9ry and then take the Col de Couz before the route reaches the plains for Voiron which hosted the Vuelta\u2019s French arrival last year. Sold as a sprint stage when presented last autumn, many will be tired now and this is a great day for a breakaway battle.<\/p>\n

Stage 18 \u2013 Thursday 23 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A ski station summit finish that avoids the high passes, the Col de la Festini\u00e8re comes after Monteynard and no surprises before the finish in Orci\u00e8re-Merlette, 7km at 6.5%. It featured in the 2020 Tour\u2019s first week and the low gradient saw teams ride up in train formation and anyone who struck out was mown down. Coming in the third week means it should be different and a breakaway should be clear for the stage win.<\/p>\n

Stage 19 \u2013 Friday 24 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just 130km. The Bayard and then Noyer climbs will sting early on as a move tries to go clear for the day. The Col d\u2019Ornon is a gentle climb before a spectacular descent to Le Bourg d\u2019Oisans. Then come the 21 hairpins \u2013 23 if you actually count them \u2013 to the finish line in Alpe d\u2019Huez, back after a four year hiatus. It\u2019s famous for being famous but with 13km at over 8% it\u2019s a decisive climb.<\/p>\n

Stage 20 \u2013 Saturday 26 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After the peloton\u2019s had a rough night\u2019s sleep at 1900m in Alpe d\u2019Huez here comes the Queen Stage with 5,600m of vertical gain. The Croix de Fer is a big start and then comes the mighty Galibier, the high point of the Tour. The plot twist is rather than the descent all the way to Le Bourg d\u2019Oisans at the foot of Alpe d\u2019Huez, a right turn instead to tackle the Col de Sarenne which leads onto Alpe d\u2019Huez via a backroad. The Sarenne has been used before but as a descent and the climb is tougher than the stats suggest.<\/p>\n

Stage 21 \u2013 Sunday 26 July<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s back to Paris with the Rue Le Pic and Montmartre making an encore after the thrills they supplied the last time. The Paris match will be slightly different this time with a longer passage along the Champs-Elys\u00e9es in between to lengthen the laps and give some riders more chance to chase in between the ascents of Montmartre.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Unmissable Stages
Do you really want to miss anything? Every stage is live from start to finish and with most of the best riders present and in peak form there\u2019s an intensity and pressure only felt at the Tour.<\/p>\n

The easy advice is to say watch almost everything but on the sprint stages tune in for the finish; but if you did that last year you\u2019d have missed Jonas Rickaert and Mathieu van der Poel\u2019s thrilling move.<\/p>\n

Stage 1 should look the part amid the landmarks of Barcelona and the team time trial is now a televisual event thanks to the rule timing riders individually
\nStage 2 should offer lively sport in the finish
\nStage 6 for the Tourmalet and Gavarnie finish
\nStage 9 for the breakaway battle, the first hour could be more thrilling than the last
\nStage 14 for the Vosges mountains and the Haag summit finish
\nStage 15 for the Plateau de Solaison finish
\nStage 19 for the Alpe d\u2019Huez summit finish
\nStage 20 and the Alpe d\u2019Huez encore, hopefully there\u2019s some suspense left
\nStage 21 for the Paris match in Montmartre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Tour de France guide with all the stage profiles on one page along with a summary of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-646911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}