A big name in the peloton could skip the 2026 Tour de France because of an unfavorable route.
The runners now have their roadmap. This Thursday, the route of the Tour de France 2026 was officially revealed. The 113th edition will take place from Saturday July 4 to Sunday July 26, with a departure from Barcelona and a classic arrival on the Champs-Élysées, including a passage through Montmartre.
Christian Prudhomme, the boss of the Tour, designed this course to maximize suspense, avoiding demanding summit finishes, Pogacar’s favorite terrain, and thus creating more competition for the Slovenian. But will all his rivals be at the start?
The participation of Remco Evenepoel remains uncertain. In his new team Red Bull – BORA-hansgrohe, no decision has yet been made. “We study the Tour route based on the general classification, even if many stages correspond to our racing style and highlight the strengths of our riders”explains Zak Dempster, sports director, to the Flemish media The latest news.
The journey worries
Dempster prefers to wait before deciding, depending on the Giro and Vuelta routes. “We will first wait for the presentation of the other Grand Tours before finalizing our plans for our leaders”he adds. Evenepoel, who joined his new team this week for a first training session, could therefore skip the 2026 Tour and instead aim for the Tour of Italy or the Tour of Spain.
Always according to The latest newsthe absence of a long time trial and the presence of several new XXL passes, poorly suited to his characteristics, create serious doubt about his participation. The final decision should fall after the presentation of the other Grand Tours: the Giro will be revealed in November, the Vuelta in December.
