As dominant as Tadej and Jonas have been, there has never been a year when all three Grand Tours were won by just the two of them. 2026 won’t be the year, but will 2027 be it?

The cycling community has been left in shock today after a hastily called press conference in Paris, where ASO Tour Director Nicolas Prodhomme revealed the route for the 2027 Tour de France. The 2027 route breaks with tradition by eliminating flat stages; in fact, every single stage will have a summit finish. “We were inspired when we saw this year’s Vuelta route,” Prodhomme said. “I saw that they had put a category 2 climb on a so-called flat stage, and I was like, wait, you can do that? And then we looked at the data and saw that nobody watches flat stages until the last 10 km anyway, so we decided to make every day a GC day. We expect ratings to go through the roof! As long as there are still riders left by week 3, anyway.”

Contrary to previous reports of a British Grand Départ beginning in Edinburgh, Prodhomme announced that next year’s Tour will begin in northern Spain, citing the availability of more difficult climbs there.

“But this year’s Tour started in northern Spain too,” a reporter from El País argued. “Why not give other countries a chance to host?”

“The 2026 Tour didn’t start in northern Spain, it started in Catalunya,” Prodhomme replied, which was greeted by raucous cheers from a group of Catalan nationalists in the crowd.

A reporter from The Guardian spoke up next. “How would you answer to the British cycling fans who are shocked and disappointed at this change of route?”

“I would tell them to find some harder climbs. The Tour is a mountain race now. You call Box Hill a mountain? It’s a 7-minute climb with two descents! Starting in Spain lets us use the Angliru, Lagos de Covadonga, Los Machucos and Jaizkibel, and that’s all in the span of 4 stages! The British Grand Départ didn’t suit our goal of making the race as mountainous as possible.”

Prodhomme then went on to reveal the route, stage by stage, which is summarized below:

Stage 1 starts in the city of Gijón and moves inland from there. After a few smaller climbs including the Mozqueta and Cordal, the main event of the day is the hardest climb in Spain, the Angliru. Measuring 12.4 km at 9.7% (including the brief descent to the finish line), with the last 6 km of the climb averaging 13% and ramps of up to 23%, this climb presents a potentially decisive challenge right away for the GC riders. “It was very intentional to put the Angliru on stage 1,” Prodhomme said. “We wanted to kick the race off with a bang, so why not open with one of the queen stages?”

Stage 2 begins in Oviedo and climbs to the Lagos de Covadonga in the foothills of the Picos de Europa, another classic finish of the Vuelta. It follows a similar route to stage 16 of the 2024 Vuelta, with a loop of the Collada Llomena before the ascent to Covadonga. The final climb is 12.5 km long and averages 6.9%, but it is irregular and often steep, with two short descents and ramps reaching 16%. 

Stage 3 starts in the coastal town of Llanes. After a mostly flat first 90 km along the coast, the route turns inland and passes over the Puerto de Alisas before finishing on the infamous Alto de Los Machucos, last used in the Vuelta in 2019. Los Machucos officially measures 6.8 km at 9.2%, but that number is very misleading as, much like the Angliru, the parking lot where the stage finishes lies 800 m of rolling but net-downhill terrain after the actual climb ends. The 5.7 km stretch from the Río Bustablado crossing to the final hairpin averages nearly 11% but is, once again, highly irregular, with flat or downhill sections alternating with rampas inhumanas that reach as high as 28%.

Stage 4 goes through the Basque Country, and it is a long one at over 200 km. It starts in Basauri, just outside Bilbao, and heads east, passing over the Krabelin (an even steeper alternate version of the Izua climb, averaging 9.6% for 5 km) and Jaizkibel before crossing over the border into France. The final climb is a summit finish on the Artzamendi, a new climb not previously used in the Tour. Averaging 9.5% over 10.6 km, with ramps of up to 18%, the Artzamendi is one of the hardest climbs in France. Thomas Lemaitre, who holds the third-fastest time on the ascent, compared it to the Col de la Loze in difficulty.

The race moves into the Pyrenees on stage 5, starting in Mauléon and passing over the Soudet, Ichère and Marie-Blanque cols before the long, gradual climb to the Col du Pourtalet on the Spanish border. The French side of the Pourtalet, previously used in the Tour in 1991 as a descent during the 7-hour queen stage to Val Louron, measures 27.9 km long and averages 4.7%, although there are some steeper sections of 7-8%.

Stage 6 is similar to the previous day, starting in the town of Arudy. The day’s first two climbs, the Aubisque and Spandelles, were used in the Tour in 2022, but the summit finish at the Col de Tentes is another new one… kind of. The first 17 km of the climb follows the false-flat valley road to Gavarnie-Gèdre, where Tadej Pogačar made his decisive solo attack on stage 6 this year. Rather than end in the village of Gavarnie, though, the route turns right and ramps up to nearly 8% for the final stretch to Col de Tentes. The full climb measures 25.4 km at an average of 4.7%.

Stage 7, short but climbing-heavy, starts in Argelès-Gazost and passes over the iconic Col du Tourmalet, followed by the Col d’Aspin. The switchbacks of the Col du Portet, previously a summit finish in 2018 and 2021, return as the final climb of this stage. The steep 16 km ascent, averaging 8.7%, rounds out a day spent mostly at high elevation.

The long stage 8 takes the peloton over the border into Andorra. Starting in Saint-Gaudens, the first 120 km are mostly flat before the first climb of the day, the long, gradual Port d’Envalira. The riders cross into Andorra at Pas de la Casa, shortly before the top of the climb. After descending to Encamp, the route passes over the steep Collada de Beixalís before the final climb, 9.6 km at 6.3% to the ski area above Pal, an ascent used in the Tour in 1993 and more recently in the Vuelta in 2025.

Stage 9 starts in the capital city of Andorra la Vella and crosses back over the Port d’Envalira. After skirting the Spanish border for a while and passing through the Spanish exclave of Llívia, the route turns north and crosses over the Col de Pailhères, last used in the Tour in 2013. The stage finishes on the Plateau de Beille, measuring 15.8 km at 7.9%, where Pogačar won on Bastille Day in 2024.

After a long rest-day transfer, the race resumes in the Massif Central. Stage 10 starts in Lezoux and first heads east through Thiers, then turns back towards the west and passes over the Col du Béal. The stage finishes on the iconic Puy de Dôme, last used in the Tour in 2023. The 13.3 km climb averages 7.7%, but the last 4 km ramps up to a consistent 12%.

Stage 11 is a medium mountain stage starting in Clermont-Ferrand. Of the 7 categorized climbs on the stage, the last 2 are the hardest, as the route finishes with the back-to-back steep climbs of the Col de Néronne (3.8 km, 9.1%) and Pas de Peyrol (5.4 km, 8.1%). This approach to the Pas de Peyrol was last used in 2024 on the way to Le Lioran, on a stage won by Jonas Vingegaard. The last 2 km of the ascent average over 11%, with ramps reaching 15%.

Stage 12, a long one at just over 200 km, begins in Mende. After a rolling first 60 km, the route largely flattens out until just past Bédoin, where the peloton will take on the famous steep slopes of Mont Ventoux. The 15.7 km climb averages 8.8% and follows the same ascent where Kasia Nieuwiadoma won in this year’s Tour de France Femmes.

Stage 13 starts in Sisteron and parallels stage 8 of this year’s women’s Tour for the first 130 km. Rather than turn southward towards Nice from there, it continues to the east, rolling over two smaller climbs before a summit finish on the Col de Turini. The western approach to the climb measures 14.9 km at 7.4%, but the gradient is unsteady all the way up, with the steepest kilometer at 10.8%.

Stage 14, one of the hardest of this Tour with nearly 6,000 m of climbing, takes the peloton into the heart of the Alps. Setting out from Roquebillière, the stage begins at 600 m of elevation and drops as low as 450 m after the descent of the Col de la Colmiane, before starting the long climb to the highest point in this Tour, the Cime de la Bonette at 2802 m. Two more big climbs remain after the Bonette descent: the Col de Vars followed by a summit finish on the Col d’Izoard. The final climb is 14.1 km at 7.3%, with most of the last 7 km rising at over 9%, interrupted only by a brief descent 2 km from the top.

Stage 15 is the only time trial of this tour, and naturally it’s a mountain ITT. The 12.1 km route starts in Saint-Chaffrey and begins with a flat 800m lead-in before the steep climb of the Col du Granon. The 11.3 km climb, where Vingegaard famously won in 2022, rises at an average of 9.2%. The ascent is unforgiving, rarely dropping below an 8% grade, so steady pacing will be vital to gain time.

After the second rest day, which thankfully does not feature any travel this time, the third week of racing begins in Briançon with the first of two consecutive queen stages. Stage 16 features the Galibier and Croix de Fer climbs before finishing on the infamous hairpins of Alpe d’Huez, which also hosted two stage finishes this year. The 13.8 km final climb averages 8.1%, although the grade eases off in the last 3 km.

Starting in Bourg-d’Oisans, stage 17 features three HC climbs, just like the day before. After crossing over the Glandon and Madeleine cols, the final climb of the day is the brutal Col de la Loze. Following the steepest route from Brides-les-Bains through Méribel, used in the Tour in 2020, the 21.5 km climb averages 7.8%. The hardest section is the last 5 km, which average 10% with ramps of up to 24%.

Stage 18 moves from the Alps to the Jura. The stage starts in Sallanches and the first 60 km are fairly flat. The climbing kicks off with the 11% slopes of the Col de la Croisette. After another 60 km of flat terrain, the main climb of the day is the Grand Colombier, following the most famous route from Culoz. It averages 7.1% over 17.4 km but is fairly irregular in slope, with two brief flat sections.

Stage 19, the longest of this Tour at around 230 km, begins in Morbier near the Swiss border and follows a rolling route through the Jura and north towards the Vosges. After the warm-up climb of the Col des Chevrères, the day’s final climb goes to the Super Planche des Belles Filles, last used in 2022 when Pogačar won the stage. The 7 km climb averages 8.7%, featuring two steep ramps near the top, the second of which reaches 24%.

Stage 20 starts in Belfort and loops around the Vosges, crossing the Ballon d’Alsace, Col du Platzerwasel and Petit Ballon before finishing on the Grand Ballon. The final climb follows the new route up the Col du Haag, first used in this year’s Tour. Upon reaching the Col du Haag, the riders will turn right and continue uphill for another 1.5 km to the finish at the Col du Grand Ballon. The final climb measures 12.8 km at 7.4%.

As is tradition, stage 21 takes place in Paris. “The final stage was the hardest one for us to plan,” Prodhomme revealed, “because there are no mountains in Paris. We thought about moving the finish elsewhere, but my friends who live in Paris would have been pissed, so eventually we decided to just make it a criterium and do the Montmartre as many times as possible.” After a few warm-up laps of the Champs-Elysées, the remainder of the stage follows a 9.4 km loop between Montmartre and the Arc de Triomphe. The Montmartre will be climbed 10 times, with the finish line placed at the Parc Jean-Baptiste Clément where the steep section ends. The cobbled final climb measures 800 m at 6.1%, with another 300 m of false flat afterwards on all but the last lap.

Top sprinters had mixed reactions to the decision to eliminate flat stages. Jasper Philipsen bashed it as “a terrible decision” and announced that he would skip next year’s Tour and race the Tour of Denmark instead. Biniam Girmay agreed and lamented the loss of opportunities for sprinters. Meanwhile, Mads Pedersen confirmed that he would defend his green jersey, now to be decided purely by intermediate sprint points. “I already found out this year that I can climb well and go in breakaways,” Pedersen pointed out. “If anything, getting rid of bunch sprints improves my chances of winning green.”

At the end of the presentation, Prodhomme revealed the rationale behind the shocking route change. “We’ve realized in the last couple years that the only way to keep Pogačar from winning, other than leaving rocks on the road, would be to make the route so hard that even he might not finish it. So that’s what we’ve tried to do.” When a reporter countered that the route would be at least as hard for Vingegaard, Paul Seixas, or literally anyone else to finish, Prodhomme suddenly turned red and abruptly left the stage. Witnesses report that while leaving, he mumbled, ‘dammit, Paul, I told you nobody thinks this will work!’

(btw this was all handwritten by me after multiple days of researching climbs! no AI used in writing this. and I also created the map myself using google tools. it's geographically accurate to the routes described, with a few small deviations for usability where consecutive stages used the same road)

Hot take :

Lidl Trek is going to rip the peloton in half to try to drop big pogi in the Cipressa

Enric Mas is finally winning a grand tour!

Credit to Roy Roesthuis @RoyRoesthuis on X.

Hope both recover well !

Shame that's how Pogi's run at Vuelta ends. I need to prepare popcorn for Mas vs Rogla vs GC Kuss battle.

Not like this :(