2026 Tour de France Femmes

In June 2025, it was announced that 2026 edition would have a Grand Départ in Switzerland, with stage starts in Lausanne, Aigle and Geneva.^[2] The race will start in August – a week after the men's race, with ASO choosing to avoid an overlap with the men's race to allow for resources to be shared between the two races.^[8] The Guardian noted that the "new stand-alone date for the Femmes reveals how quickly the race has established itself and how popular it has become, particularly after the win of France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot".^[9] Prior to the route announcement, Le Dauphiné libéré reported rumours that the race would have a summit finish on Mont Ventoux for the first time, with Ici reporting that Dijon would host a time trial.^[10][11][12]

In October 2025, the full route was announced by race director Marion Rousse.^[13] The route has nine days of racing with nine stages, covering a total of 1,175 km (730 mi) with 18,795 metres (61,663 ft) of elevation gain – the longest distance and most elevation gain of any Tour de France Femmes.^[14] The first two stages will take place in Switzerland, before heading north for a individual time trial finishing in Dijon. The route then heads south towards the Mediterranean, with the queen stage on stage 7 having a summit finish at Mont Ventoux, at an elevation of 1,910 m (6,270 ft). Mont Ventoux has previously been tackled by the women's professional peloton at the 2022 Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge and the 2016 Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche.^[15] The final stage will be a circuit around Nice, with four ascents of the Col d'Èze before a finish on the Promenade des Anglais.

Reacting to the route, L'Équipe considered that the route was the toughest so far,^[16] Velo stated that the route offered "something for each type of rider",^[17] whereas Escape Collective thought that there was "no real opportunities for the sprinters".^[18] The Athletic stated that the race "reaches new heights on Ventoux",^[19] with L'Équipe considered that "the women's Tour continues its momentum of discovering legendary climbs" with the inclusion on Mont Ventoux.^[20] Sporza considered that the final stage in Nice would be "incredibly tough" and that the Tour would remain exciting "until the very end".^[21] Rousse called the route "mischievous", noting that there were difficulties on every single stage.^[22] Rousse hoped the time trial on stage 4 would allow riders like Marlen Reusser to gain time, enhancing the battle for the general classification.^[22]

Defending champion Ferrand-Prévot stated that the route was "super nice" and "beautiful", adding that she was "ready to put in the work on the time trial".^[23] 2024 winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma stated that she “definitely [likes] the course", and that " the time trial [...] stood out to me the most".^[24] French rider Marion Bunel stated she thought the "route [was] made for Pauline".^[25]

Stage characteristics^[14]

Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type		Winner
1	1 August	Lausanne to Lausanne (Switzerland)	137 km (85 mi)		Flat stage
2	2 August	Aigle to Geneva (Switzerland)	149 km (93 mi)		Flat stage
3	3 August	Geneva (Switzerland) to Poligny	157 km (98 mi)		Hilly stage
4	4 August	Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon	21 km (13 mi)		Individual time trial
5	5 August	Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais	140 km (87 mi)		Hilly stage
6	6 August	Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône	153 km (95 mi)		Hilly stage
7	7 August	La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux	144 km (89 mi)		Mountain stage
8	8 August	Sisteron to Nice	175 km (109 mi)		Flat stage
9	9 August	Nice to Nice	99 km (62 mi)		Mountain stage
Total			1,175 km (730 mi)

• Official website