Tour de France 2026: Profile, Schedule, Favorites, and the Moment of Truth for the Nineteenth Stage

The Tour de France enters a decisive phase with its nineteenth stage, a challenging 128km route from Gap to the iconic Alpe d'Huez. This mountainous stage is expected to be a true test for the climbers, featuring over 3,500 meters of positive elevation gain.

The race begins immediately with the 4.7km ascent to the Col Bayard, a Category 1 climb with gradients of 7.2%. Following a descent, riders will face the formidable Col du Noyer, also a Category 1 climb, averaging 7.2% over 7.2km. After a brief respite and an intermediate sprint at kilometer 89, the peloton will tackle the Col d'Omon, a Category 2 climb (5.4km at 6.4%). The stage culminates with the brutal, hors catégorie ascent of Alpe d'Huez, a grueling 13.8km climb at an average gradient of 8.1%.

Thierry Gouvenou, a former French cyclist and current Tour de France race director, highlighted the stage's significance. "All the great climbers dream of winning at Alpe d'Huez," he stated. "The conditions are ripe for only the climbers to be at the front very early with the ascent of the Col Bayard at kilometer zero. Behind, it's the Col du Noyer from its most difficult side. And we will arrive very quickly at Alpe d'Huez because the stage is short, 128 km, with the appeal of the twenty-one hairpin bends which I no longer need to introduce."

In terms of favorites, Tadej Pogacar is heavily tipped to win, despite potential early challenges from Richard Carapaz and Valentin Paret-Peintre vying for King of the Mountains points. Pogacar is expected to leverage his strength on this demanding terrain. His main rivals include his closest general classification pursuers: Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, his Mexican teammate Isaac Del Toro, and France's Paul Seixas.

The stage is scheduled to start with a 14:00 CET (Central European Time) fictitious start, followed by the real start 15 minutes later. The finish is anticipated around 17:24 CET, with an average speed of 41 km/h. Spectators can follow the action live on France 2 starting at 13:45 CET, and on Eurosport.