The route for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has been unveiled, and will see Nice host the final stages of the race.
The next edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place from 1st to 9th August, 2026, with the grand départ taking place in Lausanne in Switzerland. There are nine stages in total including three flat stages, three hilly stages, two mountain stages and one individual time trial.
The race will pass through the mountain ranges of the Jura, the Massif Central and the Alps. Stage 7 finishes on Mont Ventoux, a gruelling 1,910m climb, famed and feared in equal measure in the world of cycling.
The first women’s Tour de France was held in 1984, with American cyclist Marianne Martin claiming the inaugural yellow jersey. However, the event ended in 1989 due to financial and logistical challenges. A later attempt, La Course by Le Tour de France, ran from 2014 to 2021 but was limited to just one or two days. The modern Tour de France Femmes began in 2022 and has grown steadily in stature and success ever since.
2026 Parcours
The route for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is 1,175 kilometres in length, run over nine stages, as follows:
STAGE 1 – Saturday, 1st August | Lausanne > Lausanne | 137 km
STAGE 2 – Sunday, 2nd August | Aigle > Geneva | 149 km
STAGE 3 – Monday, 3rd August | Geneva > Poligny | 157 km
STAGE 4 – Tuesday, 4th August | Gerry-Chambertin > Dijon | 21 km (Individual Time Trial)
STAGE 5 – Wednesday, 5th August | Mâcon > Belleville-en-Beaujolais | 140 km
STAGE 6 – Thursday, 6th August | Montbrison > Tournon-sur-Rhône | 153 km
STAGE 7 – Friday, 7th August | La Voulte-sur-Rhône > Mont Ventoux | 144 km
STAGE 8 – Saturday, 8th August | Sisteron > Nice | 175 km
STAGE 9 – Sunday, 9th August | Nice > Nice | 99 km
Riders to Watch
Following her victory this year in her first appearance in the race, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) is definitely a favourite for the 2026 edition, especially among home fans.
Dutch rider Demi Vollering of FDJ-Suez also cannot be written off. She featured twice on the podium in 2024 and this year, and will definitely be a contender for the 2026 tour.
Vollering’s fellow countrywoman Lorena Wiebes, who took the green jersey this year, is also a name to be considered. A strong sprinter, three days in the mountains may not suit her but her recent form with 27 victories speaks for itself.
Other names not to be discounted inlcude Kim Le Court (AG Insurance–Soudal), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) and also winner of the 2024 edition, Marlen Reusser (SD Worx-Protime), Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime)
The Race In Numbers
Some statistics for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to tantalise you:
- 2 – the number of countries the race takes place in
- 12 – the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will cross twelve departments within three regions in France
- 154 – The number of riders on the start line, made up of 22 teams of 7
- 3,565 – The vertical gain in metres during the 7th stage, which will feature the toughest climbs of this tour
- 18,795 – The total vertical gain in metres during the race, a record.
Prize money for the 2026 edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be €250,000, with €50,000 going to the winner of the overall classification.
General Information
The 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift takes place form 1st to 9th August, starting in Lausanne in Switzerland and finishing up in Nice.
If you fancy being part of the tour, why not sign up for this second edition of the l’Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift which takes place on 6th August in Vaucluse, from Vaison-la-Romaine to the Giant of Provence. Sign up now!
Lead image 03/08/2025 – Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025 – Étape 9 – Praz-sur-Arly > Châtel Les Portes du Soleil (124,1km) – © A.S.O./Thomas Maheux; all other images © and courtesy ASO and Tour de France
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