The Tour de France 2026 got underway safely Saturday, kicking off with a team time trial for the first time since 1971 and showcasing the warm hospitality of Spain for the first of three days of action.
Each day in Spain will get progressively more challenging and potentially give different types or riders the opportunity to shine before heading into France for Stage 4.
Stage 2 on Sunday is almost 10 times longer than the TTT, and the hilly journey will see the competitors reach 2,500 meters of elevation.
As always, cycling fans in Canada can watch the race live on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
The opening stage saw two-time TDF winner Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike make a big statement, when so much early chatter has been about two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar and 19-year-old French sensation Paul Seixas.
Vingegaard finished the 19.6-kilometer time trial with a time of 21:47, eight seconds ahead of Italy’s Filippo Ganna. Pogačar was the last one who had an opportunity to beat Vingegaard, but he fell 12 seconds short.
As the top performer, Vingegaard now gets to wear the yellow leader’s jersey, something he hasn’t done since winning the GC title in 2023, despite runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025.
For viewers in Canada, FloBikes coverage of Stage 2 will begin at 7:35 a.m. Eastern and is expected to conclude around 12:10 p.m. EDT.
Here’s what to know about Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2026, a 168.5 kilometer ride from Tarragona back into Barcelona:
Stage 2: Tour de France 2026
The first half of Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2026 is relatively flat, but the second part of the ride features multiple categorized climbs – a Category 2 to start, and a series of Category 3 climbs in the final 25 kilometers.
Some riders might be familiar with the area if they’ve raced in the Tour of Catalonia. Among the athletes who have won here during that race and are known to be able to handle a run of climbs like this are Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar and Primoz Roglic, all of whom should be fresh and ready to continue that success during the TDF.
The day will conclude with two laps around a final circuit that takes the riders around the famed Montjuïc hill. The Côte du Château de Montjuïc reached a gradient of 9.3%.
The expectation for this stage is that some of the top names, also the most versatile entrants and some of the best puncheurs in the sport, will provide some early fireworks and fight for the stage win.
Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 2 Of The Tour de France 2026?
Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2026 is 168.5 kilometers, or approximately 104.7 miles long.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 2 Profile
Here is what the route looks like for Stage 2:
How To Watch The Tour de France 2026 Stage 2
For Canadian viewers, the Tour de France 2026 is streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms.
In the United States, the Tour de France will be on the NBC family of networks and will stream daily on Peacock. Select stages will air on local NBC affiliates, while others, plus stage reruns, will be shown on the USA Network.
In February 2023, NBC Sports, Peacock and ASO announced a six-year deal that will keep NBC Sports as the home of the Tour de France in the United States through 2029.
Who Won Stage 2 Of The Tour de France In 2025?
Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2025 was one that treated fans to a hilltop battle between Mathieu van der Poel and eventual champion Tadej Pogačar that was exciting and memorable but also only delayed the inevitable.
The victory was the second of Van der Poel’s career at the TDF and also earned him the chance to wear the yellow leader’s jersey in Stage 3. His first TDF win came in 2021.
In edging Pogačar, he denied the Slovenian star his 100th career victory and the opportunity to take the GC lead sooner than later.
Pogačar got the first of his four stage wins in Stage 4 and ended up wearing the yellow jersey for more than a dozen of the race’s 21 days, including the final ride into Paris to secure his fourth GC title at the TDF.
Tour de France 2026 Results: Here’s Who Has Won Each Stage So Far
When Does The Tour de France 2026 Start?
The Tour de France 2026 starts July 4 and will conclude July 26.
The schedule includes 21 stages and two rest days (July 13 and July 20).
Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish.
For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.
The three weeks of racing across Barcelona and France will feature eight mountain stages, including five summit finishes, seven flat stages, four hilly days, an individual time trial and a team time trial to kick things off on July 4.
How Long Is The Tour de France 2026?
The course for the Tour de France 2026 is 3,333 kilometers or just over 2,071 miles.
The race is 21 stages.
A map of the entire route can be found here.
What Is The Schedule For The Tour de France 2026?
- Stage 1 (TTT) – July 4: Barcelone – Barcelone (19.6km)
- Stage 2 – July 5: Tarragone – Barcelone (168.5km)
- Stage 3 – July 6: Granollers – Les Angles (195.9km)
- Stage 4 – July 7: Carcassonne – Foix (181.9km)
- Stage 5 – July 8: Lannemezan – Pau (158.3km)
- Stage 6 – July 9: Pau – Gavarnie-Gèdre (186.2km)
- Stage 7 – July 10: Hagetmau – Bordeaux (175.1km)
- Stage 8 – July 11: Périgueux – Bergerac (180.4km)
- Stage 9 – July 12: Malemort – Ussel (185.5km)
- Rest Day – July 13: Cantal
- Stage 10 – July 14: Aurillac – Le Lioran (166.6km)
- Stage 11 – July 15: Vichy – Nevers (161.3km)
- Stage 12 – July 16: Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours – Chalon-sur-Saône (179.1km)
- Stage 13 – July 17: Dole – Belfort (205.8km)
- Stage 14 – July 18: Mulhouse – Le Markstein Fellering (155.3km)
- Stage 15 – July 19: Champagnole – Plateau de Solaison (183.9km)
- Rest Day – July 20: Haute-Savoie
- Stage 16 (ITT) – July 21: Évian-les-Bains – Thonon-les-Bains (26.1km)
- Stage 17 – July 22: Chambery – Voiron (174.7km)
- Stage 18 – July 23: Voiron – Orcières-Merlette (185.2km)
- Stage 19 – July 24: Gap – Alpe d’Huez (127.9km)
- Stage 20 – July 25: Le Bourg d’Oisans – Alpe d’Huez (170.9km)
- Stage 21 – July 26: Thoiry – Paris Champs-Élysées (133km)
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Tour de France?
Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams and up to 184 competitors in the Tour de France. This year, there will be 23 teams.
Here’s the list for 2026:
- Alpecin – Premier Tech
- Bahrain – Victorious
- Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
- Cofidis
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team
- EF Education – EasyPost
- Groupama – FDJ United
- Netcompany INEOS
- Lidl – Trek
- Lotto Intermarché
- Movistar Team
- NSN Cycling Team
- Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco AlUla
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- TotalEnergies
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- UAE Team Emirates – XRG
- Uno-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
Who Won The Tour de France In 2025?
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar added to his growing legacy by winning the Tour de France in 2025.
It was his second consecutive victory at the event, and fourth overall (2020, 2021), making him the sixth rider in history to win four times.
Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain all have won five times, while Chris Froome joins Pogačar with four.
On his way to securing the yellow jersey in 2025, Pogačar was the pre-race favorite.
His title defense featured four stage wins (4, 7, 12, 13), and he finished more than four minutes ahead of runner-up Jonas Vingegaard. Florian Lipowitz was third, 11 minutes behind Pogačar, who also won the King of the Mountains jersey.
Pogačar owns five Grand Tour victories overall, including the Giro d’Italia in 2024, which was part of a historic Giro-TDF double, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1998.
In 2026, Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, will be looking to match the effort after claiming the GC title at the Giro d’Italia in May and becoming the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours at least one time.
Merckx has the most GC wins in Grand Tours with 11, followed by Hinault, who has 10.
Pogačar has maintained his elite form in 2026 and started the year with four wins in his first five events. He then added four stages wins on the way to the GC crown at the five-stage Tour de Romandie.
Jonas Vingegaard Sends An Early Message In Tour de France 2026 Stage 1
Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma-Lease a Bike couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2026 Tour de France, edging Team Ineos by just seconds in the opening 19.6-kilometer team time trial in Barcelona.
More importantly, Vingegaard gained the first advantage over his biggest rival, Tadej Pogačar, in the battle for the yellow jersey.
Hear from Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso, Mathieu van der Poel and several other riders as the Tour de France begins with one of the most dramatic team time trials in recent history.
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