Tour de France Femmes 2026 Route stage 3: Geneva - Poligny

Monday 3 August – Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes features roughly 2,500 metres of elevation gain, most of which comes in the first half of the 156.5-kilometre route from Geneva to Poligny.

First published 28 July 2026

For: breakaway riders
Key feature: long climb comes early on

Right from the flag, the road heads uphill, although at very shallow gradients, and after passing through Gex, the first climb proper begins. It is immediately the toughest of the day. The Col de la Fauceille provides 11.4 kilometres of climbing at an average gradient of 6.3%. The summit, at 1,323 metres above sea level, is the highest point of the day.

The descent is short, and then the Côte de la Lajoux awaits: 3.6 kilometres at 5.6%. By the time they pass through the mountain village, the riders have covered 36 kilometres. In that relatively short distance, they have already tackled the lion's share of the day's total elevation gain.

After Lajoux, the route continues along flat to rolling roads, with the occasional downhill section, until the riders reach the foot of the third climb. The Col de la Savine rises for 5.6 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.1%. There are still 82.4 kilometres to go at the summit.

The long descent to Champagnole marks the start of the easier second part of the race, after which the route continues over rolling terrain towards the Côte de Chaux-Champagny, a 1.8-kilometre climb averaging 6.4%. The riders then descend for 9 kilometres to Arbois, where the flat 14.9-kilometre finale begins.

In the final 2 kilometres, the road is as straight as a ruler. Ideal for a bunch sprint, but whether it comes to that remains to be seen after such a mountainous opening.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX stage 3

Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes starts at 13:25 and the race is expected to finish around 17:50 - both local times (CEST).