Tour de France 2026: Favourites
fotobureau Cor VosWith five stage wins as well as overall victory, Tadej Pogacar stood head and shoulders above his rivals in the 2026 Tour de France. Tim Merlier turned out on top in three sprint finishes, while Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel and Richard Carapaz each claimed two stage wins.
Read about the pre-race favourites or click on the links in the table below for our prognosis regarding the individual stages. Obviously, all these articles were written before the start of the race(s).
Tour de France 2026 - stage contenders
| # | date | favourites | km | type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4-7 | Looking for the best finisher | 19.6 | TTT |
| 2 | 5-7 | Puncher's Paradise | 168.5 | hills |
| 3 | 6-7 | Yellow for the taking | 195.9 | mountains |
| 4 | 7-7 | Half the peloton rolls the dice | 181.9 | hills |
| 5 | 8-7 | For fast men #1 | 158.3 | flat |
| 6 | 9-7 | Clash in the Pyrenees | 186.2 | mountains |
| 7 | 10-7 | For fast men #2 | 175.1 | flat |
| 8 | 11-7 | For fast men #3 | 180.4 | flat |
| 9 | 12-7 | Attackers in the Massif Central | 185.5 | hills |
| 13-7 | rest day | |||
| 10 | 14-7 | Spectacular run to Lioran | 166.6 | hills |
| 11 | 15-7 | For fast men #4 | 161.3 | flat |
| 12 | 16-7 | For fast men #5 | 179.1 | flat |
| 13 | 17-7 | For daredevil descenders | 205.8 | hills |
| 14 | 18-7 | GC showdown in the Vosges | 155.3 | mountains |
| 15 | 19-7 | All-out on final climb | 183.9 | mountains |
| 20-7 | rest day | |||
| 16 | 21-7 | Evenepoel versus Ganna | 26.1 | ITT |
| 17 | 22-7 | Sprinters or attackers | 174.7 | flat |
| 18 | 23-7 | Attackers in the Alps | 185.2 | mountains |
| 19 | 24-7 | Monster stage to Alpe d'Huez | 127.9 | mountains |
| 20 | 25-7 | Who conquers the toughest stage? | 170.9 | mountains |
| 21 | 26-7 | Heroes on the Elysian Fields | 133.0 | flat |
Heroes of the Elysian Fields
Every rider who reaches the Champs-Élysées is a hero, but two earn a special place in history: the overall winner and the rider who triumphs in the final stage after the cobbled battle on Montmartre. Mathieu van der Poel, how about following in Wout van Aert's footsteps?
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Who conquers the toughest stage?
Featuring the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier, Col de Sarenne and a summit finish in Alpe d'Huez, the penultimate stage is, on paper, the toughest of the entire Tour de France. Will Pogacar make it another day of domination, or can the breakaway steal the show?
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Monster stage to Alpe d'Huez
The final two mountain stages of the Tour de France both finish in Alpe d'Huez. Stage 19 takes the riders to the legendary ski resort via its iconic traditional ascent. Short, intense and packed with climbing, the race could provide the perfect opportunity for the eventual Tour winner to put the finishing touch on his triumph by conquering this monster stage.
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Attackers in the Alps
Stage 18 of the Tour de France kicks off a three-stage mountain trilogy. It is the easiest of the three, so you might expect the GC contenders to keep their powder dry for the two days ahead, that both finish in Alpe d’Huez. If so, the road will be open for a strong breakaway to fight for glory.
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Sprinters or attackers
Earlier in the Tour, the 17th stage would almost certainly have ended in a bunch sprint. With just four days to go before Paris, however, that is far from certain. The opening phase is fairly hilly, and if a strong breakaway slips clear, the outcome could be very different.
Read more »
More articles
Evenepoel versus GannaAll-out on final climb
GC showdown in the Vosges
For daredevil descenders
For fast men #5
For fast men #4
Spectacular run to Le Lioran
Attackers in the Massif Central
For fast men #3
For fast men #2
Clash in the Pyrenees
For fast men #1
Half the peloton rolls the dice
Yellow jersey for the taking
A puncher’s paradise
Looking for the best finisher
GC Favourites