Tour de France 2026 Route stage 13: Dole

Tour de France 2026 Route stage 13: Dole – Belfort

Friday, 17 July - At 205 kilometres, stage 13 is the longest of the 2026 Tour de France. It's also the sole stage stretching beyond 200 kilometres. With the Ballon d’Alsace and its sweeping descent as the closing act, it’s a golden chance for the brave and the bold.

We’re headiing for the Vosges Mountains. From the start, the route rolls gently north-east on undulating roads. The race is already 150 kilometres underway when the first climb appears. The Col des Croix is a 5.4-kilometre ascent at 4.9%. The riders fly down into the Moselle valley before tackling the climb of the day.

The Ballon d’Alsace was, 121 years ago, the very first real mountain ever tackled in Tour de France history. It’s is an 8.7-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 6.9% and ramps up to 8.8%. In other words, it’s a steady drag — not a brute, but one that quietly torments the legs. The summit comes 30 kilometres from the finish line.

The first half is a proper descent and the route then runs alsighly dpwnhill towards Belfort. Yet, within in the final 5 kilometres awaits an 800-metre stretch at 8%, with the potential to shake things up in the breakaway.

It’s been a long time since Belfort last hosted a stage finish. You have to go back to the 1978 Tour, when Belgian Marc Demeyer out-sprinted the Dutchman Jan Raas to take victory.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 13th stage 2026 Tour de France.