The Tour de France Femmes returns for 2026 on Saturday with possibly the toughest edition yet of what has rapidly become the flagship race for women’s cycling.

Now in its fifth year, the 2026 race features just shy of 19,000m of elevation gain across 1,175km of largely hilly and testing terrain, with an individual time trial on the menu alongside an historic first trip up the legendary Tour climb of Mont Ventoux on stage seven, the race’s queen stage.

The nine-stage race, which begins with three days in Switzerland before crossing into France, could go right down to the wire with an explosive final stage in Nice featuring four climbs of the tough Col d’Eze crammed into less than 100km of racing.

Dutchwoman and 2023 champion Demi Vollering is arguably the favourite to regain her crown but will face fierce competition from reigning champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, who has had a mixed season but with everything building towards her title defence.

2024 winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, who has finished on the podium in every edition, is another major contender, while the start list also features this year’s breakout star, Paula Blasi, former Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini, and world time-trial champion Marlen Reusser.

Route guide

Stage 1: Lausanne > Lausanne (138km, flat)

The race begins in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a parcours officially classified as ‘flat’ but actually rolling, heading north out of Lausanne and following the shores of the Lac de Neuchatel and Lac Leman. There are four categorised climbs and an uphill finish on the category four Côte Saint-François, which is 2.5km long at an average of 4.6%. The undulating terrain and drag to the line means any number of different types of rider could feature in the finale, which should make for a frantic first day of racing, and a reduced group sprint the most likely outcome.

Stage 2: Aigle > Geneva (147.9km, flat)

Stage two is much more sprinter-friendly despite another five categorised hills along the way to a flat finish in Geneva, on the second of three days in Switzerland. The stage hugs the shores of Lake Geneva as it heads west away from Lausanne, with all the climbing in the first 100km and a largely flat final 40km, including the last 8km returning to the shore of Lac Leman, for the sprinters’ trains to get organised. Lorena Wiebes, as on every flat finish, is the favourite here.

Stage 3: Geneva > Poligny (156.5km, hilly)

The hills return on a surprisingly tough stage three, with climbing straight out of the gate as the race leaves Geneva and enters France via the Jura mountains. The Col de la Faucille is the first and most brutal ascent of the day, a category one at 11.4km, averaging 6.3% and kicking off from the gun.

The category three Cote de Lajoux follows straight after the descent off the Faucille and there’s another two categorised climbs on an undulating parcours towards Poligny, before the climbing drops off entirely with the final 24km all flat or downhill. This could be one for a breakaway if enough riders can get organised on the difficult early climbs, or another bunch sprint.

Stage 4: Gevrey-Chambertin > Dijon (21km, ITT)

After an absence from last year’s edition the individual time trial returns to the Tour de France Femmes; this is the first major test for the general classification contenders and a chance for the TT specialists to have their day in the sun. The first 7km wind their way through flat vineyards before a short but steep climb, the 1.8km Lacets de Marsannay, which pitches uphill at 6.9%. It’s a climb that will suit reigning world TT champion Marlen Reusser to a T but isn’t too long and gruelling for the likes of under-23 rainbow jersey Zoe Backstedt.

The intermediate time check is towards the top but the climb continues at a more gentle incline afterwards, before 6km of fast descent on straight roads into Dijon and a flat finish.

Stage 5: Macon > Belleville-en-Beaujolais (140km, hilly)

There’s no rest on this Tour as immediately after the time trial the peloton heads back into the hills on what should be a great day of action in the general classification. There are a whopping eight categorised climbs encompassing 2,900m of elevation gain on the jagged profile of stage five, all condensed into 140km.

The first five ascents are all in the first 75km, then there’s a brief break of just under 30km before yet more climbing, with the last categorised rise the cat-two Mont Brouilly. It’s 11.5km from the finish and tough enough without all that prior climbing in the legs: the second half features ramps up to 14% and rarely dips below 10%.

Stage 6: Montbrison > Tournon-sur-Rhone (153.4km, hilly)

Stage six continues with the same medium-mountain formula as the race enters the Ardeche and Massif Central, with another six categorised climbs, almost all of them short and punchy barring the biggest test of the day, the category two Col de Lalouvesc. That clocks in at 8.6km averaging 5% and comes 105km into proceedings, straight off the descent of an uncategorised rise, before another long descent to a category three climb 16km from the line and a flat finish.

The Col de Lalouvesc will be key: either a breakaway will make a move stick there, or there will be fireworks in the GC; with Mont Ventoux on the horizon there may well be a pause in hostilities among the big names.

Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhone > Mont Ventoux (146.8km, mountains)

Each year the Tour de France Femmes has visited a legendary climb, from the Col du Tourmalet to the Col de la Madeleine last year, and this year it’s time for the infamous Mont Ventoux to make its debut. There are three other categorised climbs first - the Col de la Grande Limite (6.6km at 5%), Col du Colombier (3.2km at 6.4%), and the Col de Suzette (3.9km at 6.4%) - but today’s action is really entirely condensed into the final 20km.

The Giant of Provence (15.7km at 8.8%) is approached from its toughest side from Bédoin, with a summit finish atop its iconic lunar-like slopes, while if there’s a headwind, as there often is, the 11% final drag will be even more leg-sapping than usual. Expect fireworks.

Stage 8: Sisteron > Nice (171.9km, flat)

After the explosive stage seven stage eight is somewhat calmer, a transitional run towards the coast, albeit not easy by any stretch: it’s the longest stage of the race at over 170km and with another four categorised climbs, encompassing 1,420m of elevation gain in total. After the Col de Routes Aures there’s a very long descent towards the Cote d’Azur - 75km, in fact - with another two short, sharp category four climbs inside the final 15km before a descent onto the Promenade des Anglais and flat finish in Nice.

Stage 9: Nice > Nice (99.2km, mountains)

A processional, champagne-sipping run to the Champs-Elysees this is not: the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes is a punchy one, with a shark’s-tooth profile featuring four laps of the Col d’Eze climb (famous for its inclusion in Paris-Nice). The riders will be climbing and descending all day with no let-up, and there’s every chance the GC standings could be radically overhauled.

The first three ascents are category two, 7.7km at 5.9%, with the last time up shorter but harder, 6km at an average of 7.6% via the Chemin du Vinaigrier, with the descents all the same. The last 2km are flat with the finish line on the Promenade des Anglais.

This could be won by a general classification hopeful, the yellow jersey stamping their authority on the race one last time, or any climber let off the leash on the last day. It should make for a dramatic final day’s racing.

Who are the contenders?

Chief among the contenders is the Netherlands’ Demi Vollering, who won this race in 2023 and won the Giro d’Italia in June to complete the full set of Grand Tour wins. The European champion is in stunning form, having won Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Flanders among other races in a glittering Classics campaign before that recent Giro triumph. Her FDJ Suez-United team is assembled entirely around her, with the likes of French climber Evita Muzic and this year’s Paris-Roubaix champion Franziska Koch excellent lieutenants.

Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has had a middling season so far; third place at Paris-Roubaix was the highlight but her results have otherwise been average, including a rather anonymous showing at the Vuelta Femenina. But she has been open about building her season entirely towards the Tour and having cemented her triumph on the Col de la Madeleine last year the inclusion of Mont Ventoux will suit her, although the individual time trial is much better suited to Vollering than the Frenchwoman.

2024 champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney has been on the podium of every edition and reliably brings her best to the Tour; her Canyon-SRAM squad is a strong one, too, including former Giro d’Italia podium finisher Antonia Niedermaier, who will provide support in the mountains. But although she has been putting in significant time on the TT bike the time trial does not play to her strengths, and she has not looked able to match Vollering on the climbs so far this year.

Young Spanish prodigy Paula Blasi blew away the field at this year’s Vuelta Femenina and will be co-leader for UAE Team L'IMAD alongside two-time Giro winner Elisa Longo Borghini, with the team able to play multiple cards. Longo Borghini has had a difficult year hampered by illness but is the more natural leader of the team; the squad will likely have to balance the pair’s competing interests, particularly if Blasi arrives in the same barnstorming form as she displayed in Spain, where she was particularly impressive on the toughest climbs - which bodes well for Mont Ventoux. UAE also have Maeva Squiban, who won two stages last year, and Dominika Wlodarczyk, who finished fourth last year.

Movistar leader Marlen Reusser has had a run of bad luck at the sport’s biggest races, including abandoning last year’s Tour with illness on stage one, and crashes and illness have held her back at points this season too. But she won her home race, the Tour de Suisse, earlier this summer and looks to be back at her best; the 34-year-old can climb with the best and as reigning time-trial world champion will expect to gain time on her rivals on stage four.

Finally, SD Worx-Protime will be led by Anna van der Breggen, a legend of the sport who may not be quite at her electric best but is certainly not far off it. Second at the Vuelta and third at the Giro, where she wore the maglia rosa for much of the race, indicate she remains a serious threat. High mountains like Mont Ventoux have always suited her and the ITT also plays in her favour.