Tour de France 2026 Favourites stage 20: Who conquers the toughest stage?

fotobureau Cor VosFeaturing 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. We expect a showdown between the GC contenders, although a strong breakaway rider could just as easily steal the honours. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 2 July

There is every chance that the GC contenders will not want to let victory in the toughest stage of this year's Tour slip through their fingers. Which brings us to the usual suspects: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, with Paul Seixas waiting in the wings. Of the three, the Slovenian holds by far the strongest hand.

Stage 19 finishes on Alpe d'Huez via the traditional approach, while Stage 20 ends at the same location after an unprecedented finale. Rather than tackling the iconic climb with its 21 hairpins, the riders reach the ski resort via the Col de Sarenne. This 12.8-kilometre climb at an average gradient of 7.3% is followed by a 9-kilometre descent, featuring a gently rising section halfway down. The final sting then comes in the shape of a 3.7-kilometre kicker at 6.2%, with the opening 2 kilometres averaging just under 9%.

Before that finale, the riders must first conquer the Col de la Croix de Fer (24 kilometres at 5.2%), Col du Télégraphe (11.9 kilometres at 7.1%) and Col du Galibier (17.7 kilometres at 6.9%).

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

Favourites 20th stage - 2026 Tour de France

*** Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas
** Thymen Arensman, Lenny Martinez, Isaac del Toro, Sepp Kuss
* Remco Evenepoel, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Juan Ayuso, Jai Hindley

Another interesting read: route 20th stage 2026 Tour de France.

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