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

Let us hope that the battle for the Tour title is still wide open at this point. Will it be Tadej Pogacar for a fifth crown? Jonas Vingegaard for a third? Paul Seixas for his first? Or... will we witness a complete shock?

A Tour winner's palmarès almost feels incomplete without a victory atop Alpe d'Huez after its legendary 21 hairpin bends, especially following a stage as brutal as this one. 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%.

We just suggested that every Tour de France winner should have an Alpe d'Huez stage victory on their palmarès, but that is perhaps a little unfair. Only five overall Tour winners have won a stage finishing in Alpe d'Huez: Fausto Coppi, Bernard Hinault, Joop Zoetemelk, Carlos Sastre and Geraint Thomas.

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

Favourites 19th stage - 2026 Tour de France

*** Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas
** Juan Ayuso, Thymen Arensman, Lenny Martinez, Isaac del Toro
* Sepp Kuss, Remco Evenepoel, Richard Carapaz, Egan Bernal, Jai Hindley

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

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