Tour de France Femmes 2026 Route stage 1: Lausanne - Lausanne

Saturday 1 August – The Tour de France Femmes opens with a 138-kilometre loop north of Lausanne. After two climbs along the way, the road rises at an average gradient of 4.5% over the final 2.6 kilometres.

First published 28 July 2026

For: (resilient) sprinters
Key feature: punchy finish

After the start on the shores of Lake Geneva, the riders head north over gently rolling terrain towards Lake Neuchâtel. They ride along the water for some 20 kilometres, with the Côte de Châbles, a 1.6-kilometre climb at 7.7%, the only notable obstacle along the way. They then leave the lakeshore and head via Payerne towards Lucens.

By the time they tackle the next climb, the Côte de Villars-le-Comte, the riders are just past the halfway mark. The climb to Villars-le-Comte is 4 kilometres long and averages 5.8%. Soon after the descent, the Côte de Vulliens presents a similar challenge: 3 kilometres at 5.3%. At the summit, 40 kilometres remain.

The first half of that distance kilometres take the riders across a gently rolling plateau, followed by a gradual descent towards Lake Geneva. They reach the lakeshore with 18 kilometres to go before billiard-flat roads along the water lead them back to Lausanne.

Once in the city, the road rises at an average gradient of 4.5% over the final 2.6 kilometres to the finish on Place Saint-François. It is a punchy finale, with a 500-metre section at 8% in the middle, while the final 500 metres are almost flat.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 1st stage

Stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes starts at 14:15 and the race is expected to finish around 17:45 - both local times (CEST).