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. Although the finish is not uphill, the GC contenders are expected to go all-out en route to the ski resort of Le Markstein. Whether that also decides the stage win is another question, but we hope it does. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 30 June

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.

A finale like this seems tailor-made for Pogacar, although Vingegaard or Seixas will not be ruling themselves out. Whether the GC contenders go for the stage win or merely for time gains in Le Markstein remains to be seen, but the 14th stage promises to be a, but the 14th stage promises to be a real blockbuster.

How the race unfolds depends on the standings, so we will update this article during the Tour de France.

Favourites 14th stage - 2026 Tour de France

*** Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas
** Lenny Martinez, Mattias Skjelmose, Sepp Kuss, Isaac del Toro
* Remco Evenepoel, Michael Storer, Thymen Arensman, Tobias Halland Johannessen

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

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