Saturday 11 July – Tour de France stage 8: Périgueux → Bergerac (180.4 km)

Route

The eighth stage of the Tour de France 2026 goes from Périgueux to Bergerac over 180.4 kilometres. The stage features 1,150 metres of elevation gain and is flat in character: a mass sprint is expected.

The route leaves Périgueux and takes a wide detour to the southeast, along the Vézère river via Montignac-Lascaux, Thonac and Les Eyzies. It then turns towards Sarlat-la-Canéda. At km 102.6 lies the Côte de Domme (3.7 km at 3.3%), the only climb in the first half. After Sarlat the route follows the Dordogne river past La Roque-Gageac and Beynac-et-Cazenac. At km 140.4 comes the Côte du Buisson-de-Cadouin (2.2 km at 5.3%), also fourth category. 

After the Côte du Buisson-de-Cadouin a long descent leads to the Dordogne valley. Via Lalinde and Mouleydier the riders cover the final 25 kilometres to Bergerac.

Final kilometres

The peloton enters Bergerac via the N21 at 10.1 kilometres from the finish. Via the D936 (5.9 km from the finish) and a short urban circuit the peloton approaches the finishing straight. The finishing straight in Bergerac is wide and flat. There are no technical corners in the final 500 metres that play a significant role.

Recent editions

This is the fourth time a Tour stage finishes in Bergerac. In 1994 Miguel Indurain (Banesto) rode an individual time trial from Périgueux here (64 km) and won by more than two minutes over Tony Rominger. In 2014 Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp) won as a breakaway rider solo in rainy conditions (stage 19). In 2017 Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) sprinted to victory ahead of John Degenkolb and Dylan Groenewegen.

Scenarios

Both climbs are fourth category and will not play a role in the outcome of the stage. The intermediate sprint in Saint-Cyprien (km 122.8) will animate the race, but Bergerac sets up as a mass sprint. Pure sprinters with an organised lead-out train have the best chance. Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) has the strongest lead-out structure, with Van der Poel as the direct lead-out man. Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) is his closest rival in top speed. Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Ackermann (Team Jayco-AlUla) and Girmay (NSN Cycling Team) are also among the sprinters who can go for the win.

Location

The route passes through the Vézère valley near Les Eyzies, home to prehistoric caves listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Grotte des Combarelles. Sarlat-la-Canéda is a well-preserved medieval town in the Périgord. Bergerac is the centre of the Bergerac AOC, one of the largest wine regions in the Dordogne. Périgueux is the capital of the Dordogne department; the Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral Saint-Front dominates the city centre.