Tour de France Tour de France 2026 route rumours

[Red Rick]

I wonder if someone left autotranslate on/off or clicked a wrong knop

 

[gavia88]

Wrong language, mate.

They are starting from Granollers and then supposedly going via Collada de Toses and entering France in Bourg-Madame, that would already be a >180k stage via the shortest route so the big detour to take in Llose or Creu is almost certainly not happening. Calvaire is possible, but the hardest side they can do is 12.4k at 5.1% and that would be at 19k to go at a minimum if they don't go through the centre of Les Angles (unlikely) and at 23k to go if they do, so that won't do much.

Guzet-Neige is apparently out and we are going to Foix again instead (possibly a descent finish, possibly the return of Prat d'Albis).

damn, typing in Dutch was a bit silly. But yeah, with Guzet-Neige out, it's already a bit of a different story indeed about my story about the
originality of the Pyrenees stages

 

[gavia88]

I wonder if someone left autotranslate on/off or clicked a wrong knop

no, just switching bad between languages haha

 

[tobydawq]

It sounds like there will be no Planche des Belles Filles next year. Will the forum be able to recover from this disappointment?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

It sounds like there will be no Planche des Belles Filles next year. Will the forum be able to recover from this disappointment?

I‘m trying to cope, I‘ve read that, should Cross become an Olympic sport in 2030, the race could be held on Planche des Belles Filles.

 

[HashRouge]

Last thing I read was an article shared on Reddit claiming stage 14 would finish on Planche des Belles Filles. I can't wait till the route is announced. I was hoping there would be another group of Pyrenees mountain stages but not sure that will happen based on the rumours I've seen.

 

[rghysens]

Course so far:
1) ttt Barcelona
2) Tarragona - Barcelona: hilly final around Montjuic
3) Granollers - Les Angles: medium mountain with rolling final (breakaway stage or big group uphill sprint)
4) Limoux - around Foix: mountainous
5) Lannemezan - Pau: can be anything, but probably flattish
6) Pau - Gavarnie: massive mountain stage
7) to Bordeaux: flat
8) Bergerac - Perigueux: rolling stage in the Dordogne region or itt
9) Malemort - Ussel: very hilly stage, similar to the stage Healy won this year, and even more to the stage Hirschi won in 2020.
Restday
10) Aurillac - Le Lioran: see 2024
11) Vichy - around Nevers: flat
12) Moulins - Chalons-sur- Saône: depends. Immediately south of Chalons there are some nasty hills, but when coming from the north(west), probably flat
13) Dole - Belfort: probably not very difficult, but is possible to include the Ballon d´Alsace as historical reference. That, however, would only avoid a mass sprint.
14) to Le Markstein: difficult Vosges stage, similar to the 2023 stage, but probably witb col du Haag (most difficult side of Grand Ballon - 12.5 km @ 7.5% or thereabouts)
15) Champagnole - Plateau de Solaison: hc mtf
Rest
16) Evian - Thonon: itt?
17 - 20) unclear, but a finish in Alpe d´Huez and a stage to Orcières-Merlettes similar to the 1982 one seem garanteed.
21) Paris montmartre

So, all in all a very backloaded route, and with the dominance of Pog that´s all we can hope for.

 

[Monsi]

Course so far:
1) ttt Barcelona
2) Tarragona - Barcelona: hilly final around Montjuic
3) Granollers - Les Angles: medium mountain with rolling final (breakaway stage or big group uphill sprint)
4) Limoux - around Foix: mountainous
5) Lannemezan - Pau: can be anything, but probably flattish
6) Pau - Gavarnie: massive mountain stage
7) to Bordeaux: flat
8) Bergerac - Perigueux: rolling stage in the Dordogne region or itt
9) Malemort - Ussel: very hilly stage, similar to the stage Healy won this year, and even more to the stage Hirschi won in 2020.
Restday
10) Aurillac - Le Lioran: see 2024
11) Vichy - around Nevers: flat
12) Moulins - Chalons-sur- Saône: depends. Immediately south of Chalons there are some nasty hills, but when coming from the north(west), probably flat
13) Dole - Belfort: probably not very difficult, but is possible to include the Ballon d´Alsace as historical reference. That, however, would only avoid a mass sprint.
14) to Le Markstein: difficult Vosges stage, similar to the 2023 stage, but probably witb col du Haag (most difficult side of Grand Ballon - 12.5 km @ 7.5% or thereabouts)
15) Champagnole - Plateau de Solaison: hc mtf
Rest
16) Evian - Thonon: itt?
17 - 20) unclear, but a finish in Alpe d´Huez and a stage to Orcières-Merlettes similar to the 1982 one seem garanteed.
21) Paris montmartre

So, all in all a very backloaded route, and with the dominance of Pog that´s all we can hope for.

Hmm I don't think it's backloaded at all as of now. Foix (and possibly Prat d'Albis) and possibly Tourmalet-Gavarnie in the first week. Le Lioran, Le Markstein, and Solaison in the second week. The ITT and Alpe d'Huez (possibly twice) in the third week.

 

[Netserk]

It's looking very good. Possibly excellent (modolo expectations).

I hope stage 8 is like the 2014 ITT.

I hope the last week is:

16 - mountain stage to Chambéry
17 - Orcières
18 - AdH
19 - breakaway stage
20 - ITT
21 - Montmartre

 

[Jan the Man]

With the TTT would probably be surprising to see 2 other ITTs but that would be my preferance.

 

[OlavEH]

I like the rumours for the two first weeks here, not so much the last week. AdH is a bit "meh, and even more so a MTF at Orcieres. There are so many and better climbs or combo of climbs in the French Alps than these.....

 

[Netserk]

I like the rumours for the two first weeks here, not so much the last week. AdH is a bit "meh, and even more so a MTF at Orcieres. There are so many and better climbs or combo of climbs in the French Alps than these.....

Theoretically, those could be awesome stages back-to-back.

 

[hayneplane]

Course so far:
1) ttt Barcelona
2) Tarragona - Barcelona: hilly final around Montjuic
3) Granollers - Les Angles: medium mountain with rolling final (breakaway stage or big group uphill sprint)
4) Limoux - around Foix: mountainous
5) Lannemezan - Pau: can be anything, but probably flattish
6) Pau - Gavarnie: massive mountain stage
7) to Bordeaux: flat
8) Bergerac - Perigueux: rolling stage in the Dordogne region or itt
9) Malemort - Ussel: very hilly stage, similar to the stage Healy won this year, and even more to the stage Hirschi won in 2020.
Restday
10) Aurillac - Le Lioran: see 2024
11) Vichy - around Nevers: flat
12) Moulins - Chalons-sur- Saône: depends. Immediately south of Chalons there are some nasty hills, but when coming from the north(west), probably flat
13) Dole - Belfort: probably not very difficult, but is possible to include the Ballon d´Alsace as historical reference. That, however, would only avoid a mass sprint.
14) to Le Markstein: difficult Vosges stage, similar to the 2023 stage, but probably witb col du Haag (most difficult side of Grand Ballon - 12.5 km @ 7.5% or thereabouts)
15) Champagnole - Plateau de Solaison: hc mtf
Rest
16) Evian - Thonon: itt?
17 - 20) unclear, but a finish in Alpe d´Huez and a stage to Orcières-Merlettes similar to the 1982 one seem garanteed.
21) Paris montmartre

So, all in all a very backloaded route, and with the dominance of Pog that´s all we can hope for.

That is potentially one of the better paced GTs in recent years especially with regards to having promising stages in the weekend stages before the rest days (8-9 and 14-15).

There should be some proper gaps on GC before we get to the first flat sprint day so hopefully less crash filled chaos.

A super hilly stage on Stage 9 at the longest point in the race without a day off can be very attritional and cause bigger gaps even than traditional MTF.