Preview Tour de la Provence 2026 stage 1 - Dorian Godon the big favourite to take first win with INEOS Grenadiers

The 2026 Tour de la Provence will take place from the 13th to the 15th of February, giving continuation to the French stage-racing calendar and also returning to the mountains, where the race has in the past seen notable performances. We preview stage 1, which is estimated to start and finish at 11:50 and 16:00CET.

The French race was first held in 2016 and its very first winner was one of France's most iconic figures: Thomas Voeckler. Rohan Dennis won the following edition, and the race surged into the spotlight back in 2020 when Nairo Quintana set an incredible climbing performance on Chalet Reynard - the toughest part of the climb to Mont Ventoux, the region's most reputable climb.

It is a race that changes its route quite often and hence, it allows different types of riders to battle for victory. After not being held in 2023, the race returned in 2024 and the two previous editions have been won by Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen. These weren't victories taken due to his sprinting power, but rather his ability to ride the hilly terrain, as last year he also beat Matej Mohoric.

The opening stage of the race takes place from Marseille to Saint-Victoret and it is a roller-coaster of a stage, lacking any big climb however presenting plenty of them throughout the day. 2400 meters of climbing in 163 kilometers, starting right from kilometer 0.

The riders take on plenty ascents, in which attacks may come at any time. The last notable of which comes with 30 kilometers to go, but most of the finale has a downhill trend which also makes it rather hard to put on an effective chase. All--in-all, a day that is designed to be hard to control and quite chaotic.

*** Dorian Godon, Luke Lamperti
** Anthony Turgis, Alexis Renard
* Mathias Vacek, Soren Kragh Andersen, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Axel Laurance, Neilson Powless, Jason Tesson, Clément Champoussin

Pick: Dorian Godon

How: Reduced peloton sprint.