The 2026 Tour de France is set to begin with a Grand Départ in Barcelona, marking a historic return of the race to the Catalan capital. The opening stage will feature a team time trial, followed by a hilly second stage from Tarragona back to Barcelona, offering an early test for the general classification contenders.

This will be the second Spanish Grand Départ in just three years, following Bilbao in 2023, and only the fourth time in history that the Tour has started in Spain. Barcelona itself last hosted the Tour in 2009, when Thor Hushovd won a sprint stage on the city’s streets.

The 2026 edition also looks set to revisit some of the race’s most iconic climbs, with La Planche des Belles Filles and Alpe d’Huez rumoured to return to the route. These legendary summits have been the scenes of unforgettable battles — from Chris Froome’s breakthrough victory in 2012 at La Planche to the dramatic duels on the slopes of Alpe d’Huez that have defined entire generations of the Tour.

The full route will be unveiled on Thursday, October 23, promising new surprises and the continuation of cycling’s greatest summer drama.