2026 Tour de France: How to watch, schedule, stages for cycling's top race

[ASFN Admin]

Perhaps the most physically grueling three weeks in sports will take place this weekend as the 2026 Tour de France gets underway Saturday, July 4.

This year's race will cover 3,333 kilometers, or about 2,071 miles, through 21 stages of cycling. The race will start with an individual time trial in Barcelona, with 184 riders on 23 teams, and end with an 82-mile sprint to the Paris Champs-Élysées.

It's the third time that the race has started in Spain, with the riders crossing into France during Stage 3.

There is no doubt that all the riders will be chasing Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar, who has won this race four times and finished second twice. He is the defending champion and, at age 27, is aiming to tie the record with his fifth victory. Jonas Vingegaard, who won this race in 2022 and 2023, and Isaac del Toro are expected to put up a fierce challenge, while there are six Americans in the field.

How to watch the 2026 Tour de France​

All 21 stages of the Tour de France will air on Peacock, NBC's streaming service. NBC will have live coverage of stages 8, 14, 15, 20 and 21.

2026 Tour de France stage schedule, distance, characteristics​

1. July 4: Barcelona to Barcelona, 12.2 miles (individual time trial)
   • Coverage begins at 10 a.m. Peacock/SN
2. July 5: Tarragona to Barcelona, 104.7 miles (hilly stage)
   • Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
3. July 6: Granollers to Les Angles, 121.7 miles (mountain stage)
   • Coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
4. July 7: Carcassonne to Foix, 113 miles (hilly stage)
   • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
5. July 8: Lannemezan to Pau, 98.4 miles (flat stage)
   • Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
6. July 9: Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre, 115.7 miles (mountain stage)
   • Coverage begins at 6 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
7. July 10: Hagetmau to Bordeaux, 108.8 miles (flat stage)
   • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
8. July 11: Périgueux to Bergerac, 112.1 miles (flat stage)
   • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN; 8 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock
9. July 12: Malemort to Ussel, 115.3 miles (hilly stage)
   • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
10. July 14: Aurillac to Le Lioran, 103.5 miles (mountain stage)
    • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
11. July 15: Vichy to Nevers, 100.2 miles (flat stage)
    • Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
12. July 16: Circuit Nevers/Magny Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône, 111.3 miles (flat stage)
    • Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
13. July 17: Dole to Belfort, 127.9 miles (hilly stage)
    • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
14. July 18: Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering, 96.5 miles (mountain stage)
    • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN; 3 p.m. ET (encore, NBC)
15. July 19: Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison, 114.3 miles (mountain stage)
    • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN; 2 p.m. ET (encore, NBC)
16. July 21: Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, 16.2 miles (individual time trial)
    • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
17. July 22: Chambéry to Voiron, 108.6 miles (flat stage)
    • Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
18. July 23: Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, 115.1 miles (mountain stage)
    • Coverage begins at 6 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
19. July 24: Gap to l’Alpe d’Huez, 79.5 miles (mountain stage)
    • Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET, Peacock/SN
20. July 25: Le Bourg d’Oisans to l’Alpe d’Huez, 106.2 miles (mountain stage)
    • Coverage begins at 5 a.m. ET, Peacock, NBCSN; 8 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock
21. July 26: Thoiry to Paris Champs-Élysées, 82.6 miles (flat stage)
    • Coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. ET, Peacock, NBCSN; 2 p.m. ET (encore, NBC)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Tour de France: How to watch, schedule, stages for cycling's top race

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