Race thread: 🇫🇷 Tour de France 2026, last week, July 21-26

The third and last week stays in the Alps – that we already reached on Sunday, except for the last day which suddenly ‘jumps’ to Paris.

Standings after week 2

General Classification:

Unless he undergoes an accident, the race is already won for the Slovenian rider. The battle for podium is however still open, after the unfortunate withdrawal of Vingegaard🇩🇰. The top-10 didn’t change much, but it ‘stretched’, and Pidcock and Jegat entered it.

Tadej Pogatchar 🇸🇮 UAE
Remco Evenepoel 🇧🇪 Bora: +5′00″
Isaac Del Toro 🇲🇽 UAE +5′58″
Paul Seixas 🇫🇷 Decathlon: +6′23″
Florian Lipowitz 🇩🇪 Bora: +6′48″
Juan Ayuso 🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek: +7′28″
Mattias Skjelmose 🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek: +9′38″
Lenny Martinez 🇫🇷 Bahrain: +10′28″
Thomas Pidcock 🇬🇧 Q36.5: +11′19″
Jordan Jegat 🇫🇷 Total : +19′12″

5 other riders follow close to Jegat, at less than 25 minutes, and can thus hope to enter top-10: Voisard🇨🇭, Carapaz🇪🇨, Van Wilder🇧🇪, A. Yates🇬🇧, and Piganzoli🇮🇹 (Visma) who will have to make up for Vingegaard’s withdrawal. The rest is farther than 40 minutes.

Points classification (Green jersey):

Merlier🇧🇪, who was in 4^th position, couldn’t finish the race in time on Sunday and withdrew. Philipsen did the best 2^nd week.

Mads Pedersen 🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek: 417 pts (+149)
jasper Philipsen 🇧🇪 Alpecin: 191 (+195)
Biniam Girmay 🇪🇷 NSN: 361 (+138)
Max Kanter 🇩🇪 Astana: 271 (+99)
Olav Kooij 🇳🇱 Decathlon 210 (+100)

Mountain (Polka Dots jersey)

Those who try to fight for points cannot seem to be able to beat Pogatchar who doesn’t, and other GC guys aren’t far either. Martinez didn’t go for points this week, and Baudin disappeared.

Tadej Pogatchar 🇸🇮 UAE: 67 pts (+39)
Valentin Paret-Peintre 🇫🇷 Soudal-QS: 45 (+33)
Richard Carapaz 🇪🇨 EF: 39 (+38)
Paul Seixas 🇫🇷 Decathlon: 34 (+22)
Remco Evenepoel 🇧🇪 Bora: 31 (+26)
Isaac Del Toro 🇲🇽 UAE: 30 (+20)

Stages

Stage 16, Tuesday 21

26 km, D+ 500 m, Individual Time Trial

This ITT presents an unusual profile, with an horrible 4,5% strongly uphill false-flat right from the start which lasts for 10 km (!), then a steeper descent and only finally a flat section.

Press to see the map

Stage 17, Wednesday 22

175 km D+ 2400 m

This stage will probably be disputed between a breakaway which could leave in the small/medium climbs of the first 60 km, and sprinter teams. Perhaps Pedersen will attempt to go into the breakaway.

Press to see the map and the finish profile

Stage 18, Thursday 23

186 km, D+ 3900 m

Many climbs, long and short, but never too steep. There is a finish on top, but it might still be good for breakaways if GC guys wait for the 2 harder stages which follow.

NB: the way the profile is drawn makes it look almost flat, but there is almost 4000 m of total elevation to climb, it is really a medium mountain stage.

Press to see the map

Stage 19, Friday 24

128 km, D+ 3600 m

The first Alpe d’Huez stage presents climbs in the beginning and in the end, with smaller and smoother hills in the centre part. It is short. A breakaway might succeed if Pogatchar doesn’t want the stage (who else would ride for it after the withdrawals of Vingegaard and Lipowitz?).

Press to see the map and the profiles of Noyer Pass and Alpe d'Huez.

Stage 20, Saturday 25

171 km, D+ 5600 m

Another finish at the Alpe d’Huez after 3 Hors-Catégorie climbs for the main and last mountain stage. As the stage also starts from the bottom of the Alpe d’Huez, I fear about the crowd being too important, as it will also be compacted on this reduced version of the climb, and those risks come on top of the race staying 2 days in the same place and this stage being on a week-end.

Stage 21 (final), Sunday 26

133 km, D+ 1600 m

Last year’s experiment is renewed: 4 laps of Champs-Élysées only (7 km) and then 3 longer (16 km) laps including the climb to Montmartre and its somewhat scary downhill. The finish is located a bit farther from the last top: 11 km instead of 6, which may cause more regrouping and favour punchers a little bit less.

Special regulations: if the streets are deemed slippery, times shall be taken on the 1^st crossing of the finish line, or any later crossing of the line. Riders must complete the full distance in any case. Only one car per team is allowed on the circuits.