Tour de France Femmes 2026
01.08-09.08
The 5th Tour de France Femmes takes place from August 1-9, starting with a Swiss Grand Départ in Lausanne. The route will cover a record 1,175km across two different countries over nine stages with a total vertical gain of 18,795m. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is the defending champion after becoming the first French winner in 2025.
How to watch?
Curious about how to watch the 2026 Tour de France Femmes? Discover it in our complete how-to-watch guide, featuring a full overview of all broadcasters and live streaming options.
The route of the Tour de France Femmes 2026
The route of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will cover a record 1,175km across two different countries over nine stages. The route will pass through three mountain ranges in the Jura, Massif Central and Alps, with a record total vertical gain of 18,795m.
- 3 flat stages
- 3 hilly stages
- 2 mountain stages, including a summit finish on Mont Ventoux
- 1 individual time-trial
The Tour begins with a punchy 137km circuit in Lausanne, Switzerland, before stage 2 gives the sprinters their first big opportunity on the road to Geneva. Stage 3 quickly takes the peloton across the French border through the rugged Jura mountains to Poligny.
A flat 21km individual time trial on stage 4 brings the first major GC shake-up. The middle section then delivers relentless rolling terrain through the Beaujolais and Ardèche, favouring aggressive breakaways on stages 5 and 6.
The race turns brutal on stage 7 with a monumental summit finish on Mont Ventoux. After a long transition day to the coast, stage 9 concludes the Tour in Nice with four gruelling ascents of the iconic Col d'Èze before the final podium on the Promenade des Anglais.
A full stage-by-stage guide for the 2026 route can be found here.
Favourites
Demi Vollering starts as the leading favourite after victories at Flanders, Liège and the Giro, while defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot remains dangerous despite limited stage racing form. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Antonia Niedermaier give Canyon//SRAM two strong GC options.
Paula Blasi arrives as the breakthrough contender after winning the Vuelta, supported by Elisa Longo Borghini. Anna van der Breggen and Marlen Reusser could gain crucial time in the time trial, while Niamh Fisher-Black targets the mountains overall.
Lorena Wiebes leads the sprint field, with Puck Pieterse and Zoe Bäckstedt hunting stages in the race that will end in Nice. Read the full race preview and explore the start list.
