Tour de France Femmes 2026 – 1 August to 9 August: Lausanne – Nice (1175 km, 18,795 hm)

The fifth edition of the Tour de France Femmes departs from outside France just as in 2024 (Rotterdam, NL). Switzerland hosts the Grand Départ, with stage starts in Lausanne, Aigle and Geneva. After three days around Lake Geneva and in the Jura mountains, the peloton crosses the border into France, where the race covers nine days and 1175 kilometres with 18,795 metres of elevation gain. That makes it the toughest edition since the race's revival in 2022, both in distance and climbing.

The route crosses three mountain massifs: the Jura, the Massif Central and the Alps. Riders face an individual time trial in Dijon, a mountain stage finishing on Mont Ventoux and a final stage with four climbs of the Col d'Èze around Nice. According to race director Marion Rousse, every stage has a sting in the tail. There is no prologue, but the finales of the first stages in Lausanne and Geneva already have a rising character that can create time gaps between the GC riders.

Recent winners and records

No one has won the Tour de France Femmes twice so far. Defending champion Ferrand-Prévot could become the first rider to claim a second overall title in 2026, which would also make her the first rider to defend her title.

Candidates

Based on the start list, several contenders emerge for the yellow jersey. Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) won last year with two stage victories in the Alps and is once again listed as team leader. Demi Vollering (FDJ United - SUEZ), the 2023 winner and runner-up in 2025, is regarded as her main rival. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto), the 2024 winner, remains a constant factor in the classification. Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team Women) can immediately make up time on climbers with her time-trialling qualities in Dijon, while Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx - Protime), after her comeback, is one of the few riders who has previously won on both the Ventoux and the final stage around Nice. For the points classification, Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) is dominant: the Dutch rider won the green jersey last year and is the clear favourite for the mass sprints on the flatter stages.

Switzerland and the Jura: stages 1 to 3

Stage 1 is a 138-kilometre loop around Lausanne with a short, uphill finish (2.3 km at 5.4%) after the Olympic Museum, suited to puncheurs. Stage 2 takes the peloton from Aigle to Geneva over 147.9 kilometres; three climbs along the way keep things exciting, but the last one comes 35 kilometres from the finish, making a sprint possible. Stage 3 from Geneva to Poligny (156.5 km) takes the peloton into the Jura mountains and is the first hilly stage in which climbers can gain time on the pure sprinters.

Time trial and Burgundy stages: stages 4 to 6

Stage 4 is the individual time trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon (21 km), the only test against the clock in this Tour and a key day for the GC. Time trial specialists like Reusser can gain tens of seconds to a minute on the pure climbers here. Stage 5 (Mâcon – Belleville-en-Beaujolais, 140 km) and stage 6 (Montbrison – Tournon-sur-Rhône, 153.4 km) are both hilly stages through the Beaujolais and the Loire valley, offering chances for hilly-terrain specialists and attacking GC riders, but without any category 1 or beyond-category climbs.

Mont Ventoux and the finale in Nice: stages 7 to 9

Stage 7 is the queen stage: from La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux (146.8 km), via the Col de Suzette (3.9 km at 6.4%) and then the final climb to the Ventoux itself (15.7 km at 8.8%, summit at 1910 metres). This is the first time the Tour de France Femmes climbs the Ventoux, and the stage where the biggest time gaps in the GC are expected. Stage 8 (Sisteron – Nice, 171.9 km) is a transitional stage towards the Provençal coast that can offer chances to both breakaway riders and sprinters. The ninth and final stage is a local circuit around Nice (99.2 km) with four climbs of the Col d'Èze, before the finish on the Promenade des Anglais. With the GC still undecided, this final stage could still shake up the Tour.

The 2026 route is less demanding than the men's Tour, but with one time trial, one summit finish on the Ventoux and a tricky final stage around Nice, it offers plenty of opportunity for time gaps between the GC riders. Climbers with a good time trial, such as Ferrand-Prévot and Vollering, have a slight edge over pure climbing specialists, while Reusser will need her time-trialling ability to limit her losses on the Ventoux. The four climbs of the Col d'Èze on the final day mean the GC could remain open until the last kilometres.

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