After starting in Tarragona, the riders head along 85 kilometres of flat roads on the Costa Dorada before turning inland towards Begues. To get there the road climbs for 6.1 kilometres at 6.5%. After Begues the road trends gently downhill for around 10 kilometres before another rise of 4.7 kilometres at 3.4% precedes the descent into the valley of the River Llobrega
The valley is a major transport corridor that also carries the A-2 and B-23 motorways, but the riders soon tackle another climb on the opposite side. The road rises towards the Ermita de Santa Creu d’Olorda, a religious complex dating back to the 9th century, named after the nearby summit, the Puig d’Olorda. It’s an 8.4-kilometre ascent at 4.5%, followed by the descent into Barcelona.
With 38.5 kilometres remaining, the riders enter the local circuit, and shortly tackle the first of two climbs — up to Montjuïc Castle, or, in good French, the Côte du Château de Montjuïc. It’s a real leg-breaker: 1.6 kilometres at 9.3%, with a maximum gradient of 13%. From the top, the road drops for just over 1 kilometre before rising again for 600 metres at 7% on the Côte du Stade Olympique.
At the first passage over the Côte du Stade Olympique, there are 24.4 kilometres to go — two identical laps of 12.2 kilometres each.
Each lap begins with a descent, followed by a rolling section leading onto the two climbs: first the Côte du Château de Montjuïc, then the Côte du Stade Olympique. The finish line is placed on that last ascent.
The Montjuïc circuit does overlap with the traditional finale of the Volta a Catalunya, but this course largely stands on its own. The punchy climb up to Montjuïc Castle, for instance, plays no part in the Catalan race, and the finish line is in a different location altogether.
Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 2nd stage 2026 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2026, stage 2: routes, profiles, videos
Click on the images to zoom
