July 4 – July 26, 2026 · Grand Départ to Champs-Élysées, Paris
The Tour de France 2026 Grand Départ is Saturday, July 4, 2026. The race runs 21 stages over 23 days, finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at approximately 5:00 PM CEST (3:00 PM UTC · 11:00 AM EDT · 8:00 AM PDT · 8:30 PM IST).
The iconic Champs-Élysées finish on July 26, 2026 at ~5:00 PM CEST (15:00 UTC) converts as:
Use the CEST to EDT converter or the full time zone converter for any other city.
Almost all stages are broadcast and timed in CEST — Central European Summer Time (UTC+2). France observes CEST from late March to late October, so the entire July race falls within CEST. A few stages in overseas starts (rare) may use local time but official results are always published in CEST.
The Tour de France is the world's most prestigious cycling stage race, held annually since 1903 (with wartime breaks). The 2026 edition is the 113th running. The race comprises approximately 21 stages spread over 23 days, with two rest days typically falling after stages 3 and 11. Riders accumulate time across all stages; the lowest overall time wins the yellow jersey (maillot jaune). The 2026 course details — including mountain passes in the Pyrenees and Alps — are typically announced in October of the previous year.
Stages typically roll out (neutral zone) between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM CEST, with the official race start (départ réel) 5–20 minutes later. Sprint stages finish around 5:00–5:30 PM CEST; mountain stages often finish between 4:30 and 5:30 PM CEST.
23 days total: 21 racing stages plus 2 rest days, July 4–26, 2026.
The final stage traditionally finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, a sprint stage that has concluded every Tour since 1975.