Tour de France 2026 Favourites stage 14: GC showdown in the Vosges

fotobureau Cor VosOver 155.3 kilometres, the riders take on 3,800 metres of climbing. Even though the finish is not uphill, all the ingredients are there for a major GC battle on the road to Le Markstein. Whether the stage win will also be decided in that fight is another question, but we think it will. And if it does, there is really only one likely winner. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 30 June - last updated 18 July: weather forecast updated

The riders travel from Alsace into the nearby Vosges mountains. They soon tackle the Grand Ballon (21.5 kilometres at 4.8%) before passing the finish line shortly afterwards. They then head out on a 111.4-kilometre loop over the Col du Page (9.8 kilometres at 4.7%), Ballon d’Alsace (8.9 kilometres at 6.9%), Col du Schirm (3.7 kilometres at 5.3%), Col du Hundsruck (3.6 kilometres at 5.2%) and Col du Haag (11.2 kilometres at 7.3%), before returning to the plateau where the finish is located – though this time from a different side.

The Col du Haag provides a fascinating obstacle. The road first climbs for 4 kilometres at an average of 9% to Geishouse, before a short descent. From there, the route continues at a fairly steady gradient, which ramps up again in the final kilometre below the summit, where it averages 9.5%. Once over the top, there are still 5.9 kilometres of rolling terrain to the finish.

The finale is tailor-made for Pogacar. Whether the overwhelming favourite to win the Tour will also go all out for his fourth victory remains to be seen, but given his insatiable appetite for stage wins in this Tour, one would say: absolutely. With the other podium contenders battling it out for every second behind him, stage 14 promises to be a real blockbuster.

If Pogacar decides to take it easy, a breakaway of strong climbers could well steal the show. There are plenty of top riders sitting well down on GC. Of the riders listed below, Bernal is the highest placed overall, sitting more than 12 minutes behind the yellow jersey.

Favourites 14th stage - 2026 Tour de France

*** Tadej Pogacar
** Richard Carapaz, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Sepp Kuss, Egan Bernal
* Thymen Arensman, Derek Gee-West, Sergio Higuita, Ben O'Connor, Harold Tejada

Weather forecast:
Stage 14 is set to be raced in near-perfect conditions. Sunny spells are expected to alternate with showers, while temperatures will hover around 25°C, although it will be cooler on the climbs. Rain could be a factor, as it could make the descents particularly treacherous. A light headwind is forecast across the plateau after the Col du Haag, which slightly favours the chasers over a lone attacker.

Start: 27°C, sunny, south-westerly wind (11 km/h)
Finish: 18°C, sunny with a chance of showers, north-westerly wind (10 km/h)

Another interesting read: route 14th stage 2026 Tour de France.