The 5th Tour de France Femmes
Chasing Yellow Across France
Mark your calendars for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes!
The first women's Tour de France was held in 1955. It ran five days through Normandy, was won by Millie Robinson of the Isle of Man, and was not repeated.
The next attempt came in 1984, when the Tour de France Féminin ran alongside the men's race over eighteen days on shortened versions of the same roads. Marianne Martin won it. That version lasted until 1989, was succeeded by the Grande Boucle Féminine until 2009, and then the idea more or less disappeared for over a decade. What filled the gap was La Course, a one-day race from 2014, which came about after a petition led by Kathryn Bertine, Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley and Chrissie Wellington gathered 97,307 signatures.
The race we have now started in 2022, run by ASO, the same organisation behind the men's Tour. The first edition began on the Champs-Élysées on the afternoon the men finished, and ended eight days later on La Super Planche des Belles Filles. It drew a cumulative audience of more than 23 million. It has grown every year since.
Four editions, four different winners, nobody has won it twice yet. Annemiek van Vleuten in 2022, Demi Vollering in 2023, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney in 2024 by four seconds over Vollering (the closest winning margin in the history of the Tour de France, men's or women's), and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in 2025, the first French winner and the first French victory at any Tour de France since Jeannie Longo in 1989.
The 2026 edition, in numbers
Nine stages from 1 to 9 August, 1,175 km, 18,795 metres of climbing. Both of those last two are records. Three flat stages, three hilly, two mountain stages and a 21 km individual time trial. It starts in Lausanne, the second foreign Grand Départ in the modern race's history after Rotterdam in 2024, and finishes in Nice. Four jerseys are contested: yellow for the general classification, green for points, polka dot for the mountains and white for the best rider under 23.
Who wins it: the specialist press has settled on a three-name front row. Vollering has the most complete package of climbing, time trialling and consistency, and has finished second in each of the last two editions. Ferrand-Prévot defends the title she won last year and has built her whole season around peaking in August rather than in spring. Paula Blasi arrives off a breakthrough year that has already produced a Grand Tour win. Behind them, Marlen Reusser, Anna van der Breggen, Niewiadoma-Phinney and Elisa Longo Borghini are all capable of the podium. For the sprints and the green jersey, Lorena Wiebes is the reference point, with Elisa Balsamo, Marianne Vos and Lotte Kopecky dangerous as the finishes get more selective.
And then there is the mountain, which is the real headline of this route. Stage 7 finishes on top of Mont Ventoux, somewhere the women's Tour has never been.
Here is what the nine days actually look like, why stage 7 is the one to clear your evening for, and where to watch it with other people rather than alone on your sofa.
Team to watch: UAE L'IMAD Team
The squad has been building towards a Tour like this. Since the UAE structure took over the licence in 2022, it has climbed steadily, and the arrival of Elisa Longo Borghini in 2025 changed what was realistic. She is a two-time Giro d'Italia Donne winner, in 2024 and 2025.
Last summer produced the team's best Tour to date: two stage wins for Maëva Squiban, at Ambert and Chambéry, and fourth overall for Dominika Włodarczyk.
A note on the name, since it changes mid-story. From 1 August, the morning the race starts, UAE Team ADQ becomes UAE Team L'IMAD, following the consolidation of ADQ into L'IMAD. The kit stays as it has been all season, with a special-edition Falcon of the Emirates jersey for the Tour.
Team president Melissa Moncada's summary of it was that the name is changing and the ambitions are not.
The full seven-rider selection had not been published at the time of writing. The riders widely expected to be named are Longo Borghini, Paula Blasi, Włodarczyk and Squiban, with the remaining places drawn from a deep roster including Mavi García, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Silvia Persico and Karlijn Swinkels.
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THE TOUR DE FRANCE JERSEYS
Maillot Jaune – Yellow Jersey:
Awarded to the overall race leader. It’s the most iconic symbol in cycling—honoring consistency, strength, and tactical brilliance.
Maillot Vert – Green Jersey:
For the best sprinter, rewarding points collected on flat stages and intermediate sprints.
Maillot à Pois – Polka Dot Jersey:
Given to the best climber—the Queen of the Mountains. Earned by conquering France’s toughest climbs.
Maillot Blanc – White Jersey:
Awarded to the best young rider (under 26) in the general classification—highlighting the sport’s rising stars.
THE ROUTE
Three days in Switzerland before the race crosses into France, then a steady march south towards Provence and the Mediterranean. Against 2025, it is slightly longer and carries roughly 1,500 metres more climbing.
- Total Distance: 1,175 km
- Stages: 9
- Official Summit Finishes: 1 (Mont Ventoux – Stage 7)
- Time Trials: 1 Individual Time Trial
- Rest Days: 0 (The race runs continuously from 1–9 August 2026
THE TOUR STAGES
The 2026 Tour de France Femmes starts with a Grand Départ in Lausanne (Switzerland) before crossing into France on Stage 3. The race travels through two countries and three mountain ranges: the Jura, Massif Central, and Alps, featuring the first-ever Mont Ventoux summit finish in the history of the Tour de France Femmes before concluding in Nice.
- 9 stages
- 1,175 km total distance
- 3 flat stages
- 3 hilly stages
- 2 mountain stages
- 1 Individual Time Trial
- 1 summit finish (Mont Ventoux)
- 18,795 m total elevation gain
- Rest Days: None (1–9 August 2026)
Stage 1
Lausanne → Lausanne (138 km, flat)
A loop north along Lake Neuchâtel before returning to the city. The finish on Place Saint-François sits at the top of a 2.3 km rise averaging 5.4%, which puts the first yellow jersey within reach of a fast all-rounder rather than a pure sprinter.
Stage 2
aigle → geneva (148 km, flat)
The last climb comes 35 km from the line. Of the three stages officially classified as flat, this is the one most likely to end in a bunch sprint.
Stage 3
geneva → poligny (156 km, hilly)
Into France through the Jura. Rolling and awkward, the kind of day where a break can stick.
Stage 4
gevrey-chambertin → Dijon (21 km, individual time trial)
The 2025 edition had no time trial at all. This one is not flat, and it is the first point where the general classification gets pulled apart by something other than terrain.
Stage 5
mâcon → Belleville-en-Beaujolais (140 km, hilly)
Eight climbs, around 2,850 metres of elevation. Mont Brouilly, 3 km at 7.7%, arrives roughly 10 km from the finish.
Stage 6
montbrison → Tournon-sur-Rhône (153 km, hilly)
Six classified climbs through the Massif Central, heading south towards the Rhône. The last chance to gain time before the mountain.
Stage 7
La Voulte-sur-Rhône → mont ventoux (146 km, mountain)
The queen stage. More below.
Stage 8
sisteron → nice (172 km, Flat)
The longest stage of the race, classified flat, arriving the day after Ventoux. Two late hills give it a sting.
Stage 9
nice → nice (100 km, mountain)
Not a procession. The Col d'Èze is climbed four times: the first three via the 7.7 km ascent at 5.9%, the last via a steeper approach through the Chemin du Vinaigrier and the Col des Quatre Chemins, 6 km at 7.6% with a stretch above 13%. The summit comes with 15.4 km to go, then a descent to the Promenade des Anglais. Yellow can still change hands here.
Stay tuned to our social media for the full fan zone schedule, prize announcements, and daily Tour de France updates.
A Month of Cycling Magic
The 2026 Tour de France Femmes promises epic battles, emotional wins, and unforgettable moments. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the sport, there’s no better way to experience the Tour than alongside the community at Wolfi’s Fan Zones .
Follow us on Instagram for updates, giveaways, and our daily watch schedule.
See you at the Fan Zones—and let’s ride with the best!
Allez UAE Team L'IMAD!
