The cycling world is already looking forward to the Tour de France 2026 with great anticipation. As the organizers of the Tour of France announced on Thursday, what is probably the most famous destination in international cycling will celebrate a spectacular comeback.
The legendary Alpine village of L’Alpe d’Huez returns as a stage destination – twice as much! The Tour de France will also be the ultimate challenge for the best cyclists in the world in 2026. They have to conquer the legendary climb up to Alpe d’Huez twice.
At the route presentation in Paris it quickly became clear: the 113th edition of the Tour of France will be spectacular. Eight mountain stages, five of which finish at high altitude. The tour offers everything that makes the hearts of climbing artists and cycling fans beat faster.
According to the organizers’ wishes, the decision about overall victory will only be made on stages 19 and 20. And both lead up to the famous ski area L’Alpe d’Huez, probably the most mythical mountain in tour history.
The mountain is approached from different sides. The double ascent is an absolute rarity and is already being celebrated as a major highlight next July.
Everything will be decided in 2026 at an altitude of 1,850 meters, where cycling greats such as Fausto Coppi, Marco Pantani and Geraint Thomas became legends.
The steep 21 bends and the incomparable atmosphere like in a football stadium make the final climb one of the most emotional scenes in the entire sport.
Dempster sees opportunities for Lipowitz and Co.
“We look at the Tour de France route with an overall ranking in mind. There are numerous stages that suit our racing style and showcase the strengths of many of our riders,” said Zak Dempster, Chief of Sports at Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe. For the German team and hopeful Florian Lipowitz, who sensationally came third in 2025, the route profile could be a perfect fit.
Tadej Pogacar, who dominated the cycling world in 2025 like no one has in decades, is likely to be the big favorite next year.
The Dominator wants to take his fifth overall victory and his third in a row from July 4, 2026. But the Slovenian also has to master the double challenge of the Alpe d’Huez.
The tour otherwise leads over all five French mountain ranges – the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and Alps – and covers a total of 3,333 kilometers. The start is with a team time trial in Barcelona before the race makes its way to the French mountains.
The final is traditionally reserved for the capital: over the poisonous hill of Montmartre we head towards the Champs-Élysées, where the Belgian cycling star Wout van Aert shone this year.