Every Tour de France enthusiast knows: when the race starts in Spain, the big mountains of the Pyrenees come early.
That happened during the 2023 edition too, when it started from Bilbao.
In 2026 Tour de France will start in Barcelona, and mountains will be part of the program almost since the beginning. (For example, the peloton will climb the ascent Montjuïc during the 2nd stage)
Unfortunatelly, the 2026 edition of Tour de France won't necessarily please the fans of the Pyrenees.
There will be only two real mountain stages, the 3rd (6 July 2026), when the peloton returns to France, and the 6th (9 July 2026) with the classic program including Col du Aspin and Col du Tourmalet.
More information later.
While waiting for Tour de France 2026
10 most thrilling Pyrenees stages of the Tour de France in the 20th century -
Long before GPS maps and power meters, the Pyrenees were the Tour de France's wild frontier - a place of suffering and spectacle, where legends were born and mythologies were forged in sweat and fog. From the very first time the peloton dared cross the Col du Tourmalet in 1910, the Pyrenees have been the...
The toughest Tour de France stage ever (Tour de France 1926) -
The 10th stage of Tour de France 1926 is often dubbed as the toughest stage ever in the history of the race
When Octave Lapize called the Tour de France organizers "murderers" -
First time climbing Col du Tourmalet - when Octave Lapize called the Tour de France organizers murderers (1910)
Do you like read about cultural history of food?
Seven food stories from the French Pyrenees
Seven historical anecdotes that reveal how deeply food and history intertwine in the French Pyrenees.