Tour de France 2026 gets presidential visit as Emmanuel Macron watches brutal Stage 6 mountain assault from race director’s car
CyclingThursday, 09 July 2026 at 16:30
French President Emmanuel Macron is following the final part of Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France from Christian Prudhomme’s race director’s car, putting a presidential spotlight on the race’s first major Pyrenean showdown.
Macron is attending Thursday’s stage between Pau and Gavarnie-Gedre, with the peloton already deep into a brutal Pyrenean test featuring the Col d’Aspin, Col du Tourmalet and the long final climb towards the finish. According to L’Equipe, the Elysee said the visit would allow Macron to salute the commitment of the riders, organisers and public services involved in the Tour.
Macron returns to the Tour convoy
The Tour has become a regular fixture of Macron’s presidency. Since being elected in 2017, the French President has followed a stage of the race on eight occasions, with mountain stages often providing the backdrop.
Five of those visits have come in the Pyrenees, two in the Alps, and another at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, the home village of General Charles de Gaulle, in 2024. The only year Macron has missed the Tour since becoming president was 2018.
As in previous visits, Macron is expected to watch the decisive part of the stage from Prudhomme’s car before attending the jersey presentation after the finish. He also followed the race from the director’s car during last year’s Tour, when Tadej Pogacar won at Hautacam.
Macron gifts a Maillot Jaune to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping
Presidential visit lands on brutal Stage 6
This year’s visit comes on one of the most important stages of the opening week. Stage 6 takes the race out of Pau and deep into the Pyrenees, with more than 4,000 metres of climbing and the Tourmalet placed before the uphill run to Gavarnie-Gedre.
The timing gives the visit a sharper sporting edge. Torstein Traen began the day in yellow, but Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel all entered the stage with the chance to reshape the general classification on the first serious mountain test of the race.
Macron’s presence also continues the long link between the Tour de France and French political life. The race remains one of the country’s most visible annual events, taking the peloton through villages, mountains and historic regions across three weeks.
For the riders, the presidential visit will quickly fade into the background once the race reaches the Tourmalet. Stage 6 is set to deliver the first real mountain judgement of the 2026 Tour, with Macron watching from inside the race convoy as the favourites face their toughest examination so far.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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PogiFan2Day09-07-2026 - Yep. It couldn't be more predictable at this point. I'm on a remote work site, and was doing what I could to try to see a little live coverage every day, but now I'll just focus on my work and check the evening highlights instead.
santiagobenites09-07-2026 - Hey Cavandish, I`m coming for you. 🚵♂️
Senna196009-07-2026 - Kamon Jonas did not workabstractengineer09-07-2026
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KerisVroom09-07-2026
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