Stages & Profiles Tour de France Femmes 2026 - Mont Ventoux and Col d'Èze circuit on brutal final Nice stage
CyclingTuesday, 28 July 2026 at 11:24
The route of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes has been announced this morning in Paris and it features a very difficult route which differs quite a lot from this year's. The time trials are back at next year's edition and we will have a mythical first-time summit finish at Mont Ventoux, with a finale in Nice where we will have another GC showdown. We take a look at its stages and profiles.
The equivalent of the men's Tour de France, the Tour de France Femmes was finally brought to life in 2022 after many years of discussion. Whilst the race does not have the same duration, it provides the women's peloton with nine days of hard racing, a lot of exposure, and an event that has quickly become one of - if not the - most important in the women's side of the sport, whilst rivaling many of the men's biggest races.
The race was first won by Annemiek van Vleuten and the following year in 2023 her compatriot Demi Vollering became the maillot jaune. The Dutch rider was second over the past two seasons, losing it to Katarzyna Niewiadoma in a dramatic finale that came down to a fight for seconds on the Alpe d'Huez in 2024; whilst in 2025 it was Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who took France's first win at the Tour with a set of dominant performances in the mountain stages.
Profile stage 1: Lausanne - Lausanne
Lausanne - Lausanne, 138.1 kilometers
The race begins in Switzerland with a 138-kilometer long stage starting and finishing in Lausanne. There will be no gift to the sprinters, the first stage right away should see the climbers and overall classifications come to the front on the race's first hilltop finish.
Some classics specialists may survive and be within a shot of the first yellow jersey on a day that is hilly from start to finish, but mainly features a 2.6-kilometer long final ascent.
It won't be overly difficult, but the approach towards it should be quite fast, and the gradients do go above the average quite a bit. 4.6% however is still enough to do some damage, and it will be a thrilling finale to kick off the action.
Read also
Profile stage 2: Aigle - Genève
Aigle - Genève, 147.9 kilometers
The second day of racing is also the second day of the race fully within Swiss territory. A tricky day, one that begins in Aigle where the UCI headquarters are based.
The riders will find a combination of climbs early on where a strong breakaway might go up the road, and then a hilly profile throughout the Swiss back country.
There are five categorized ascents on what is a difficult day to control, as in Genève a bunch sprint is expected, but the pace has to be managed carefully throughout the many climbs - including those that are not categorized as well.
It is terrain for the classics specialists, however the final 37 kilometers are either flat or slightly downhill and allow for some control before the finish.
Profile stage 3: Genève - Poligny
Genève - Poligny, 156.9 kilometers
The third day of racing is another one that is hard to control, and designed to be rather chaotic. The riders start off in Genève and leave Switzerland right in the opening kilometers of the stage.
As they enter France, they also begin climbing. The Col de la Caucille is 11.6 kilometers long at 6.3%, and it is quickly followed by another third category climb.
The tough ascents combined with the plateau and downhill sections means that this is terrain where it is very hard to put on an organized chase. The riders don't have a truly flat section throughout the stage where the dust can settle and have no more obstacles ahead far from the finish.
The final categorized climb comes with 24 kilometers to go and also features bonus seconds, meaning the race can implode. After a descent, the final 13 kilometers are flat and should lead towards a sprint in Poligny.
Profile stage 4 (ITT): Gevrey-Chambertin - Dijon
Gevrey-Chambertin - Dijon, 21 kilometers
Like the men's Tour de France, the organizers of the Tour de France Femmes have organized a hilly time trial. 21 kilometers in length, it will take place from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon.
Halfway through there is a climb to be tackled, 2 kilometers in length and 6.7% average gradient. Whilst many of the specialists coincide with the GC contenders, the heavyweight specialists might lose time in this part of the route.
The riders will spend a few kilometers descending, a fast and straight-line descent, not a technical one. At the end, this is a day where meaningful differences can be created.
Profile stage 5: Mâcon - Belleville-en-Beaujolais
Mâcon - Belleville-en-Beaujolais, 140.3 kilometers
140 kilometers form the fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes, a proper day of racing for the classics specialists, where the overall classification riders will have to be at their best not to lose time - or even win some.
From Macôn to Belleville-en-Beaujolais there are 2900 meters of climbing and they come right from the gun. There are no less than eight categorized ascents during this day on the Massif Central, a region known for its tricky roads and chaotic racing.
The riders have some longer efforts and also a few short and very explosive climbs. A breakaway can succeed, and GC raid happen on a day like this.
The final two climbs of the day end with 30 and 10.5 kilometers to go respectively, one being 3.7 kilometers at 5.8% and the second being 2.9 kilometers long at 7.9%. The latter can be quite important and see the victory contenders go on the attack.
Profile stage 6: Montbrison - Tournon-sur-Rhône
Montbrison - Tournon-sur-Rhône, 153.6 kilometers
The sixth day of racing is also quite tricky, without it being clear if it's a day that can end in a reduced bunch sprint, breakaway scenario or even an all-out GC fight. The start takes place in Montbrison, and the riders don't take long to arrive on explosive roads.
There are six categorized ascents this time around, once again moving from short and explosive ones, to longer efforts. Notably, the Col de Lalouvesc is 8.6 kilometers long at 4.9% and maay see attacks as it finishes with 48 kilometers to go and sees a long and steep descent afterwards.
We might see action then on the Côte de Boucleu-le-Roi which is 3.9 kilometers long at 5.6%. This climb ends with a mere 16 kilometers to go; and with 9 there is a small uphill ramp with a bonus sprint included.
Inbetween are descents, and the riders will go al the way down to Tournon-sur-Rhône to finish the stage.
Profile stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône - Mont Ventoux
La Voulte-sur-Rhône - Mont Ventoux, 147 kilometers
The queen stage of the race, and the only true high mountain day of the Tour - but what a beauty it promises to be. On paper, an 'unipuerto' day, however the Mont Ventoux truly overshadows all other smaller ascents on the day.
The peloton starts off from La Voulte-sur-Rhône and moves towards the Géant de Provence over a 147-kilometer stage. On the day are three categorized climbs, but all will be a warm-up for the final one.
The climb, tackled for the first time in this race, is around 21 kilometers long at 8%. Its toughest sections are its first two thirds, often reaching into 10% for many kilometers.
As the riders reach the most exposed section of the climb the gradients lower and the wind becomes a big factor - depending on where it's facing - but the final kilometers once again steepen and make way for big differences to be created.
Profile stage 8: Sisteron - Nice
Sisteron - Nice, 171.8 kilometers
Stage 8 starts off in Sisteron and is the longest day of the race, one that once again is unclear on who will be the main favourites. The riders will go up and down quite a lot throughout most of the 171-kilometer stage, but very gradually.
As the riders approach Nice, most of the peloton should be relatively fresh, but they face an explosive finale.
The Côte de la Gineste is 2.5 kilometers long at 4.2% and summits with only 7.5 kilometers to go. But right after comes a 13% ramp that extends for 450 meters of duration. This ends with only 6 kilometers however and after a short descent, the riders are already on the Promenade des Anglais and will reach the finish quite quickly.
Profile stage 9: Nice - Nice
Nice - Nice, 99 kilometers
The final stage of the race starts and ends with Nice and features a very simplistic profile: A four-lap circuit including a climb and a descent back to the finish.
The circuit is 23.5 kilometers long and the climbing begins right from the first kilometers. The riders will ascend it through its traditional side, which is 7.8 kilometers long at 5.9%. The ascent is rather inconsistent, and provides opportunities to attack from early on.
The descent is fast and somewhat technical. The climbs will end with 92, 66, 40 and 15.5 kilometers to go.
List of winners Tour de France Femmes
| Year | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | FERRAND-PRÉVOT Pauline | VOLLERING Demi | NIEWIADOMA Kasia |
| 2024 | NIEWIADOMA Kasia | VOLLERING Demi | ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena |
| 2023 | VOLLERING Demi | KOPECKY Lotte | NIEWIADOMA Kasia |
| 2022 | VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek | VOLLERING Demi | NIEWIADOMA Kasia |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Three examples: Remco and MVDP....and last year in week 3 of TdF. He gifted Jonas a win over him.PogiSloFans28-07-2026
- Pogi is just a nice guy. For some cyclists (Del Toro, Remco and MVDP) Santa came early this year. Without Pogi, MVDP would have never won on Montmartre, and we all know that very well.PogiSloFans28-07-2026
- pogačar is NOT a gift giver to anyone who doesn’t ride for UAE and HIM, and even then it’s a rare occurrence. del toro and mcnulty are all i can recall within UAE. but to a rider from any other team? give me just ONE example…OCexile28-07-2026
- Further.... his bs diminishes the brilliance of the last stage and what MVDP achieved!slappers6628-07-2026
- As long as Pogicar is the dominant gc rider Ayuso is looking like a top ten rider at best. He might surprise us yet though. I hope so.Cyclingsbestfan28-07-2026
- NO, Pogi needs to retire, Jonas needs to become old or Trine needs to tell him to retireabstractengineer28-07-2026
- He has to give up till Pogi retiresabstractengineer28-07-2026
- How so whknan?Cyclingsbestfan28-07-2026
- First step prove yourself in the Giro Vuelta, learn how to manage yourself with the new team. 2 years, then assault on Pogi. Going into the TDF with even a small issue means you are defeated before you start. The TDF are raced at supersonic speedsabstractengineer28-07-2026
- Its called tactics. Why would Log chase every rider if he had 7 mins lead over 2nd place. The author is suggesting that Pog should race like a 4th cat and chase very person that goes up the road. Lets be hones the riders doing the podcast are not exactly top draw pros. I have never even heard of them . Clickbait thoughpaultryan200228-07-2026
Loading
Write a comment