The key stages: This is where the 2026 Tour de France Femmes will be decided

​The Tour de France Femmes is entering its decisive phase. This means the key stages are drawing nearer. It is here that the 2026 Tour de France will be decided.

The opening days of a major stage race often merely lay the foundations for the battle for the yellow jersey. The real decisions are usually made when the riders compete against the clock, tackle the highest mountains or are pushed to their limits on particularly demanding stages. It is precisely at this Having reached this stage, the Tour de France Femmes is now entering its crucial phase. The coming days will reveal who has what it takes to be the overall winner and who will have to say goodbye to their dreams of the title.

Although many fans are already looking forward to the spectacular mountain finish at Mont Ventoux, the race will not be decided solely on the slopes of this famous peak. With the individual time trial, the queen stage to Ventoux and the challenging finale around Nice, there are three stages on the programme that could have a decisive impact on the general classification. Here, the favourites can gain valuable time, but they can also lose everything. Anyone hoping to be in contention for the overall victory at the end will therefore have to make the difference on at least one of these three stages.

​An overview of the key stages

• Stage 4: Individual time trial around Dijon
• Stage 7: Mountain finish at Mont Ventoux
• Stage 9: Final stage around Nice

The individual time trial around Dijon

The fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes promises significant time gaps early on in the race and could set the tone for the battle for the yellow jersey. The 21-kilometre individual time trial in the Côte d’Or will challenge the riders on a demanding course that is by no means suited solely to pure time trial specialists. In the middle section, two crucial climbs await: the ascent to Marsannay-la-Côte (1.8 km at 6.9 per cent) and a further climb to Corcelles-les-Monts, both of which demand strength and pace management. This is followed by a predominantly downhill and undulating section leading to Dijon, where high speeds and sheer determination could make all the difference. It is precisely on this terrain that the favourites for the general classification are likely to reveal their hand for the first time.

The summit finish at Mont Ventoux

Arguably the Tour de France’s greatest challenge lies in store on the seventh stage, with the legendary mountain finish at Mont Ventoux. After crossing the Rhône Valley and tackling the climbs to the Col de la Grande Limite and the Col du Colombier, the peloton heads towards the ‘Giant of Provence’. The final climb from Bédoin up to the summit is 15.7 kilometres long with an average gradient of 8.8 per cent and is one of the most demanding climbs in international cycling. The long, consistently steep gradients offer the best female climbers ideal conditions to put the competition under pressure and build up significant time gaps. The wind here should not be underestimated! Once the tree line has been passed, there is hardly any shelter from it. As the highest and most iconic stage of this year’s Tour, Mont Ventoux is likely to play a key role in the general classification.

A final stage featuring four ascents of the Col d’Èze

The final stage around Nice, however, promises to be thrilling right up to the very last kilometre. Instead of a lap of honour on the final stage of the Tour de France, the riders face an extremely demanding finale involving four ascents of the Col d’Èze. Anyone celebrating overall victory on Mont Ventoux could be in for a rude awakening. The repeated climbs alone make the final stage selective, but on the final lap, an additional section over the Chemin du Vinaigrier and the Col des Quatre Chemins significantly increases the difficulty once again. In total, the riders will have to tackle six kilometres with an average gradient of 7.6 per cent, including a section over one kilometre long with gradients of up to 12 per cent. This means the race for the Tour victory could only be decided in the final kilometres as the riders head towards the Promenade des Anglais.

Conclusion: The decision

Three stages, three completely different challenges and one shared goal: the yellow jersey. The time trial in Dijon, the mountain finish at Mont Ventoux and the gruelling finale around Nice will decide the overall classification. Anyone hoping to win the 2026 Tour de France Femmes must deliver now, if not before.