From July 4–26, the Tour de France returns to the road. From Barcelona to Paris via the Pyrenees and the Alps, Le Tour remains one of the most iconic sporting events of the year.
Tour de France, the oldest and most prestigious of the Grand Tours, gets underway on July 4 in Barcelona with the Grand Départ. The 113th edition spans 21 stages and covers approximately 3,333 kilometres before finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 26. Here is all you need to know:
– The Tour de France 2026 will see 23 teams competing, made up of 18 World Tour teams and Pro Teams completing the start list.
– The route combines flat opening stages, a demanding mountain block across the Pyrenees and Alps, and a decisive final week expected to shape the general classification.
– For the first time since 1971, the race opens with a team time trial. Stage 1 is a 19.6km effort around Barcelona, with individual rider times taken at the finish rather than a single team classification time, following a format already used at Paris-Nice.
– There is one individual time trial on Stage 16, a 26.1km effort around Lac LĂ©man, placed deep into the final week and shorter than in many recent editions.
– The race concludes in Paris on July 26 with a stage featuring the Montmartre climbs before the traditional finish on the Champs-ÉlysĂ©es.
– Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe arrive with a dual leadership approach, as Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz co-lead the team at the Tour de France for the first time. Both riders share a rare statistical link: each has finished third overall and won the best young rider classification in recent editions of the Tour.
– “The Tour is no longer won by an exceptional rider alone, but by an exceptional team. We believe we are bringing one of the most complete squads to the start,” says Zak Dempster, Chief of Sports at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. “With Remco and Florian, we have two leaders who have already proven they can stand on the Tour podium. Their different strengths give us tactical options that could prove decisive.”
– Evenepoel enters his third consecutive Tour de France after a season built around July, bringing explosive and versatile racing qualities alongside proven Grand Tour podium experience.
– Florian Lipowitz lines up for his second Tour de France after establishing himself as one of the most consistent stage racers in the peloton, underlined by his previous Tour podium and best young rider classification.
– With Remco Evenepoel, Lipowitz and Jai Hindley, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe field three riders who have already stood on a Grand Tour podium, underlining the team’s depth in the general classification battle. Maxim Van Gils, Mattia Cattaneo, Jan Tratnik, Nico Denz and Tim van Dijke provide balance across climbing terrain, flat stages, and race control.
– Both riders believe the team’s shared leadership will be one of its strengths throughout the three weeks. Evenepoel says: “Sharing the leadership is something I’m quite excited about. It’s going to be a different approach, but I think it’s better for us to have multiple guys up there to fight against these strong riders. Florian and myself are ready to race together”.
– Lipowitz shares the same view: “On one side, having two leaders takes a little bit of pressure away. On the other side, we’re two different riders, so we can really benefit from each other. If we race together and make a good plan, I think we can really enjoy these three weeks in France”.
– “The strength of this roster goes far beyond Remco and Florian”, says Patxi Vila, Sports Director for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. “We have experienced climbers, strong all-rounders and riders capable of taking responsibility in every race situation. Every Tour develops its own dynamic, and with this team we have an answer to almost every possible scenario”.
Special Edition Kit
– Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe will race in a special edition kit celebrating the team’s 13th participation in the race. The design features an oversized inverted number 13 as its central graphic, integrated into a white-to-deep-blue gradient that connects the jersey with the team’s new S-Works Tarmac SL9 design.
