How do time cuts work in the 2026 Tour de France?
The Tour de France contains two very different races. At the front, riders compete for stage wins and the major classification jerseys. Further back, sprinters, domestiques and tired climbers are often fighting for a simpler objective: reaching the finish before the time limit expires.
Why do time cuts exist in the Tour de France?
Time cuts help preserve the competitive integrity and practical organisation of the race. They ensure that riders remain within a reasonable distance of the front of the race and prevent the field from becoming too widely spread across the route.
The limits have the greatest impact on sprinters and domestiques during difficult mountain stages. When the general classification contenders increase the pace on the climbs, heavier riders can quickly lose time.
These riders often form the gruppetto, a group that works together to maintain a steady pace and reach the finish before the deadline. In the mountains, cooperation can make the difference between continuing in the Tour and being eliminated.
How is the time limit calculated?
Each stage of the 2026 Tour de France is assigned a coefficient from 1 to 7.
Coefficients 1 to 5 apply to road stages. The coefficient reflects the difficulty and profile of the stage. The winner’s average speed determines which percentage is added to the winner’s finishing time.
Coefficient 6 applies to the individual time trial in stage 16.
Coefficient 7 applies to the team time trial in stage 1.
For example, when the winner completes a road stage in exactly four hours and the applicable allowance is 10 percent, the time limit is four hours and 24 minutes.
Time cut coefficients for the 2026 Tour de France
The stage table below shows which coefficient applies to each stage of the 2026 Tour de France.
| Stage | Route | Coefficient | Stage type | Time cut category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | Barcelona > Barcelona | 7 | Team time trial | Best team time plus 30% |
Stage 2 | Tarragona > Barcelona | 3 | Road stage | Very rolling terrain |
Stage 3 | Granollers > Les Angles | 3 | Road stage | Very rolling terrain |
Stage 4 | Carcassonne > Foix | 2 | Road stage | Slightly rolling terrain |
Stage 5 | Lannemezan > Pau | 1 | Road stage | No particular difficulty |
Stage 6 | Pau > Gavarnie-Gèdre | 4 | Road stage | Very difficult stage |
Stage 7 | Hagetmau > Bordeaux | 1 | Road stage | No particular difficulty |
Stage 8 | Périgueux > Bergerac | 1 | Road stage | No particular difficulty |
Stage 9 | Malemort > Ussel | 3 | Road stage | Very rolling terrain |
Stage 10 | Aurillac > Le Lioran | 4 | Road stage | Very difficult stage |
Stage 11 | Vichy > Nevers | 1 | Road stage | No particular difficulty |
Stage 12 | Magny-Cours > Chalon-sur-Saône | 1 | Road stage | No particular difficulty |
Stage 13 | Dole > Belfort | 2 | Road stage | Slightly rolling terrain |
Stage 14 | Mulhouse > Le Markstein Fellering | 4 | Road stage | Very difficult stage |
Stage 15 | Champagnole > Plateau de Solaison Brison | 4 | Road stage | Very difficult stage |
Stage 16 | Évian > Thonon-les-Bains | 6 | Individual time trial | Best individual time plus 30% |
Stage 17 | Chambéry > Voiron | 2 | Road stage | Slightly rolling terrain |
Stage 18 | Voiron > Orcières-Merlette | 3 | Road stage | Very rolling terrain |
Stage 19 | Gap > Alpe d'Huez | 5 | Road stage | Very difficult short stage |
Stage 20 | Le Bourg-d'Oisans > Alpe d'Huez | 5 | Road stage | Very difficult short stage |
Stage 21 | Thoiry > Paris Champs-Élysées | 2 | Road stage | Slightly rolling terrain |
Coefficient 1
Stages with no particular difficulty. The time limit is calculated according to the actual time recorded by the winner plus:
- 5% if the average speed is ≤ 38 km/h
- 6% between 38 km/h and 40 km/h
- 7% between 40 km/h and 42 km/h
- 8% between 42 km/h and 44 km/h
- 9% between 44 km/h and 46 km/h
- 10% between 46 km/h and 48 km/h
- 11% between 48 km/h and 50 km/h
- 12% over 50 km/h
Coefficient 2
Stages with rolling terrain. The time limit is calculated according to the actual time recorded by the winner plus:
- 8% if the average speed is ≤ 37 km/h
- 9% between 37 km/h and 38 km/h
- 10% between 38 km/h and 39 km/h
- 11% between 39 km/h and 40 km/h
- 12% between 40 km/h and 41 km/h
- 13% between 41 km/h and 42 km/h
- 14% between 42 km/h and 43 km/h
- 15% between 43 km/h and 44 km/h
- 16% between 44 km/h and 45 km/h
- 17% between 45 km/h and 46 km/h
- 18% over 46 km/h
Coefficient 3
Stages with very rolling terrain. The time limit is calculated according to the actual time recorded by the winner plus:
- 11% if the average speed is ≤ 36 km/h
- 12% between 36 km/h and 37 km/h
- 13% between 37 km/h and 38 km/h
- 14% between 38 km/h and 39 km/h
- 15% between 39 km/h and 40 km/h
- 16% between 40 km/h and 41 km/h
- 17% between 41 km/h and 42 km/h
- 18% between 42 km/h and 43 km/h
- 19% between 43 km/h and 44 km/h
- 20% over 44 km/h
Coefficient 4
Very difficult stages. The time limit is calculated according to the actual time recorded by the winner plus:
- 9% if the average speed is ≤ 31 km/h
- 10% between 31 km/h and 32 km/h
- 11% between 32 km/h and 33 km/h
- 12% between 33 km/h and 34 km/h
- 13% between 34 km/h and 35 km/h
- 14% between 35 km/h and 36 km/h
- 15% between 36 km/h and 37 km/h
- 16% between 37 km/h and 38 km/h
- 17% between 38 km/h and 39 km/h
- 18% between 39 km/h and 40 km/h
- 19% over 40 km/h
Coefficient 5
Very difficult short stages. The time limit is calculated according to the actual time recorded by the winner plus:
- 11% if the average speed is ≤ 29 km/h
- 12% between 29 km/h and 30 km/h
- 13% between 30 km/h and 31 km/h
- 14% between 31 km/h and 32 km/h
- 15% between 32 km/h and 33 km/h
- 16% between 33 km/h and 34 km/h
- 17% between 34 km/h and 35 km/h
- 18% between 35 km/h and 36 km/h
- 19% over 36 km/h
Coefficient 6
Coefficient 6 applies to the individual time trial in stage 16, from Évian to Thonon-les-Bains.
The time limit is the fastest individual time plus 30 percent.
Coefficient 7
Coefficient 7 applies to the team time trial in stage 1, in Barcelona.
The time limit is the fastest team’s finishing time plus 30 percent.
Exceptions and discretion
The time cut is not always completely automatic. In exceptional or unforeseeable circumstances, such as severe weather, blocked roads or a serious accident, the commissaires’ jury may adjust the time limit in agreement with the race directors.
The jury may also reinstate one or more riders who finished outside the time limit in exceptional circumstances. Factors that may be considered include the average speed of the stage, the point at which the incident occurred, the effort made by the delayed rider and possible congestion or obstruction on the route.
A rider who is reinstated after finishing outside the time limit forfeits all points previously earned in the secondary classifications.
Later changes to the stage result do not retroactively change whether an eliminated rider qualifies for reinstatement. The time limit is calculated using the finishing time initially recorded for the first rider across the line.
For riders near the back of the race, the calculation is therefore never an afterthought. Teams monitor the winner’s pace, estimate the likely percentage allowance and continuously calculate how much time remains. On the hardest days of the Tour, finishing within the limit can be an achievement in itself.
