Six editions ago, the Tour last visited Orcières-Merlette. On that occasion, a group of around twenty riders sprinted for victory in the ski resort. Those were different times, with Primoz Roglic getting the better of Tadej Pogacar.
The riders set off from Voiron to head south towards Grenoble. Just before reaching the city, they turn right and tackle the climb to Engins: 11.4 kilometres at 5.4%. The climbing isn’t over in the village, though, as a long false flat continues all the way to Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte. From there, the route drops to the banks of the Drac river.
After roughly 10 kilometres in the valley, the route starts to climbs again. The ascent to Monteynard is 9.7 kilometres long and averaging 5%. Again, there’s no real descent afterwards; instead, the course stays at around 900 metres altitude for some 55 kilometres, over constantly undulating terrain.
From La Fare-en-Champsaur onwards, with 32 kilometres remaining, the road rises almost continuously all the way to the line. Inititially at very shallow gradients, with the Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes standing out as it rises at 6.8% for 2.8 kilometres. From that point, the route is identical to 2020, meaning the finale is exactly the same as back then.
Whether the outcome will be the same — a sprint from a reduced peloton — remains to be seen. Back then it was stage 4, and many riders were still keeping their powder dry. This time, with only two mountain stages left after Orcières-Merlette, the race situation will be very different.
On the other hand, it could pan out the same way, as the final climb isn’t especially tough. The 7.1 kilometres ascents serves up an average gradients of 6.7%, and it’s remarkably even.
Orcières-Merlette is best remembered for Luis Ocaña’s audacious attack in the 1971 Tour. After riding alone for 60 kilometres, he finished 9 minutes ahead of Eddy Merckx and Joop Zoetemelk. Ocaña would later crash out of the race, allowing Merckx to claim his third Tour de France title.
Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 18th stage 2026 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2026, stage 18: routes, profiles, videos
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