2026 Tour de France Femmes: Preview of Stage 8: A breather before the grand finale?

​Key information on Stage 8 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes

• Saturday, 8 August: Sisteron – Nice
• 171.9 kilometres, 1,420 metres of elevation gain (flat)
• Mountain climbs: km 61 (4th category), km 76.5 (4th category), km 154.7 (4th category), km 164.2 (4th category)
• Sprint classification: 105.7 km
• Start: 1.40 pm, Finish: approx. 5.43 pm
• Live updates and results

The route of the 8th stage of the Tour de France Femmes

Via Sisteron, the women’s peloton leaves the Alps, which it never really entered in the first place. After Ventoux, on the 7th day, the peloton winds its way westwards along the foothills of the Maritime Alps. By kilometre 77, the terrain climbs once more to 1,124 metres. The Col de Toutes Aures (4th category) marks the highest point of the day. Up to that point, the route climbs steadily but with only gentle gradients, meaning that only one further 4th-category mountain classification is awarded.

After that, there were almost 80 kilometres of descent, which was steeper at first and then levelled off slightly. What lay ahead were two further Category 4 climbs. Just before Nice, the Côte de Colomars awaits, 1,400 metres long with a gradient of 5.4 per cent. Ten kilometres later, once the finish line has been reached, comes the Côte de la Ginestière. It is 2,500 metres long and has a gradient of 4.4 per cent.

A short plateau, a brief, steep descent with a few tricky bends, and finally the last three kilometres right along the Côte d’Azur on the Promenade des Anglais make up the finale of the stage, which climbs to an altitude of 1,400 metres and is classified as a flat stage.

A sporting analysis of Stage 8 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes

The fact that there’s a sprint, even though the stage isn’t actually all that difficult, seems – given the final few kilometres – to be an unlikely scenario, at least not in the form of a classic bunch sprint. The tour has shown often enough that short climbs are enough to completely tear the peloton apart. There’s no catching up to be done on the technical descent; the final 3,000 metres won’t be enough to restore order.

But the question is: is there anyone else who’s willing to take that risk again? Presumably so. And at the very top, no less. Demi Vollering, with her the famous final kilometre on Mont Ventoux has ensured that the battle for the yellow jersey is once again down to seconds. Time bonuses at the finish could be the key to victory in the Tour. And as she is clearly the better sprinter than Kasia Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM), who is currently in the yellow jersey, the Dutch rider might at least give it a go.

If, on the other hand, things stay quiet on the final climb, one of her compatriots is likely to be ready to make a breakaway from a larger group. For Lorena Wiebes (SD WOx – Protime), this is her last chance of a victory on this tour. She proved she can handle a hill or two right from the start with her opening victory in the uphill sprint. However, her legs were still fresh back then. And so, in the end, it may well be Kim Le Court (AG Insurance – Soudal Team) once again who, in her role as a hybrid of sprinter and climber, is lying in wait for her second stage win.