Tour de France 2026 Favourites stage 19: Monster stage to Alpe d'Huez

fotobureau Cor VosThe 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. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 2 July - last updated 24 July: weather forecast updated

Pogačar, then, the rider who is expected to join the illustrious company of five-time Tour winners on Sunday: Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Induráin. You would think that a victory on the legendary final climb, with its 21 hairpin bends, simply has to be on the palmarès of a rider of his calibre.

Straight from the start, the riders tackle the Col Bayard (4.7 kilometres at 7.2%), before taking on the Col du Noyer (7.2 kilometres at 8.5%). After the descent, the route settles into several dozen kilometres of flat to gently rolling roads. In theory, that makes any breakaway relatively easy to control – assuming one has even formed after those opening climbs. It is entirely possible that nobody manages to get away, in which case the stage would appear tailor-made for the GC contenders.

If no breakaway has gone clear by then, a short climb from the shores of Lac du Sautet after 52 kilometres could provide another launch pad, although it is hardly a long effort: 2.7 kilometres at 6%. The rolling roads then continue before the Col d’Ornon signals the start of the decisive finale after just over 95 kilometres. Following the 5.4-kilometre climb at 6.4%, the riders descend to Bourg-d'Oisans, at the foot of the final ascent. From there, the road to Alpe d'Huez climbs for 13.8 kilometres at an average gradient of 8.1%.

Incidentally, Bernard Hinault is the only one of the five-time Tour winners to have won at Alpe d'Huez. In fact, surprisingly few Tour winners have claimed a stage victory there. Of the 31 Tour stages to finish at Alpe d'Huez, only five were won by a Tour winner. Besides Hinault, those riders were Fausto Coppi, Joop Zoetemelk, Carlos Sastre and Geraint Thomas.

There are reports of illness in the UAE Emirates camp. It's far from ideal, but you could question how much of an impact it will have on Pogacar. With his comfortable lead in the GC, all he has to do is follow his rivals... That said, he still has to be able to follow the attacks, and if he's feeling ill himself, it could be a different story

Favourites 19th stage - 2026 Tour de France

*** Tadej Pogacar, Sepp Kuss, Isaac del Toro
** Thymen Arensman, Richard Carapaz, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Remco Evenepoel
* Paul Seixas, Matteo Jorgenson, Harold Tejada, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Davide Piganzoli

Weather forecast:
It's a beautiful day as the riders head through the Alps towards Alpe d'Huez. It's sunny with barely any wind, so the weather conditions are unlikely to play a role in how the race unfolds.

Start: 29°C, sunny, south-westerly wind (9 km/h)
Finish: 22°C, sunny, westerly wind (9 km/h)

Another interesting read: route 19th stage 2026 Tour de France.