113th Tour de France: churches, castles and mountains

The 113th edition of the Tour de France was held from July 4 to July 26, 2026. The battle for the number one spot was not very exciting. The winner was announced quickly. He won five stages and was stronger than the other competitors. We did, however, enjoy the backdrop of the French landscape as the ultimate Tour de France experience. You can certainly see what France has to offer as a holiday destination. It is clear that, despite the high temperatures (not healthy for a sporting performance), the organizers do not intend to shift the start dates, for example into the autumn period (with a lot of rain). You wouldn't want to see that on the big TV screens. Also, July 14 (the national holiday) must be part of the Grand Tour. A number of beautiful locations as starting or finishing points are now being considered.

Key figures of the 113^e edition

• Total 184 participants
• 23 teams with 8 riders
• 17 Dutch cyclists
• 30 Belgian cyclists
• Total: 3320,7 kilometers
• 21 stages (2 rest days)
• 1 team time trial
• 1 individual time trial

Barcelona

In 2026, Barcelona commemorates the fact that it has been exactly 100 years since the death of world-famous architect Antoni Gaudí on June 10, 1926. The city and the Sagrada Família are organizing special exhibitions, concerts, and commemorations throughout the year, including the recent commemoration on the anniversary of his death in June. Naturally, the start of the Tour de France cannot be missing from this city.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a fortified city located in the Occitanie region, 90 km southeast of Toulouse, roughly between the Pyrenees and the Montagne Noire. The city lies on both sides of the Aude River, and the Canal du Midi also runs through it. Due to its central location, the city serves an important regional market function. After Paris, Versailles, and Mont Saint-Michel, it is the largest tourist attraction in France. The most famous landmark is the fully restored fortified old town, La Cité de Carcassonne. This historic fortified town of Carcassonne has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. It is an exceptional example of a medieval city in Europe that has been preserved almost entirely, and the largest preserved medieval fortress.

Pau (FR)

The Tour de France has hosted the city of Pau as a stage location (start or finish location) 77 times. This places Pau in third place among the cities visited most frequently in the Tour de France, after Paris and Bordeaux. The French city lies at the foot of the Pyrenees and has served almost continuously as a regular stop, start, or finish location for tough mountain stages since 1930. A Dutch cyclist has won in Pau seven times. A major advantage is the logistics in Pau. There are many hotel accommodations.

Bordeaux

During the 2026 Tour de France, Bordeaux was the finish point of Stage 7 on July 10, 2026 (a flat 175,1-kilometer stage from Hagetmau), which was won in a mass sprint by Tim Merlier. Bordeaux is a city in southwestern France. It is the capital of the Gironde department, of the former region of Aquitaine, and of the new, larger region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is the historical capital of the Gascony region. The agglomeration is organized into an association of municipalities, Bordeaux Métropole. The municipality had 267.991 inhabitants on January 1, 2023. The agglomeration had nearly 900.000 inhabitants. The city is known worldwide for the wines from the surrounding area. Since June 2007, a part of the city, the Port de la Lune, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

<strong> More info: </strong>

113^e Tour de France 2026 edition: https://www.letour.fr/fr/

Previous Tour de France blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/tour-de-france/