L'Etape du Tour 2026

Name: L'Etape du Tour 2026
Start: 19 Jul 2026 7:00am
End: 19 Jul 2026 7:00am
Location: Le Bourg d'Oisans

19 Jul 2026 - Bourg d'Oisans

The 34th edition of the Étape du Tour will take place on Sunday 19 July 2026.

The course follows the route of Stage 20 of the 2026 Tour de France, starting in Bourg d'Oisans and finishing with an ascent of Alpe d'Huez.

The 170km route takes in 5400 metres of elevation gain, making for one of the toughest editions yet. There are four major climbs on the route, with Col de la Croix de Fer (2067m) serving as a warm-up for the legendary Col du Telegraphe (1566m) and Col du Galibier (2642m) duo.

Then it's on to the Alpe - but not via the iconic 21 bends; instead, riders will take the less used approach up Col de Sarenne (1999m).

Entries open on Monday 3 November at 2pm French time (1pm UK). Entries start at €TBC for the basic package rising to €TBC if you want an event jersey and medal.

The standard entry includes an atmospheric day's riding on the Etape's closed roads, with rider timing and mechanical support, and feed stations including a pasta party at the finish.

L'Etape du Tour - cycling's greatest sportive?

The Etape du Tour is probably the most famous sportive in the world, and is the only chance each year to ride the same route as the pro riders in the Tour de France on closed roads.

Each year around 16,000 lucky riders get the chance to ride a stage of the Tour de France just a few days before the professional riders cover the same route. Always run on one of the rest days of the Tour, the Etape du Tour has the same support cars and police outriders as the actual Tour.

The Etape du Tour is run by ASO, who also run the Tour de France, and the organisers tend to try and choose one of the shorter but mountaineous routes as their route.

Registration for the 2023 Etape du Tour opens on 2 November 2022. Usually there is a huge rush of registrations on the first day - it's not unusual for L'Etape entries to sell out within hours of opening.

One of the hardest choices is to decide whether to go to the Etape as part of an organised group or whether to make your own arrangements. A good travel company may cost a bit more but it can make life an awful lot easier as they pick you up from the airport, organise getting to the start and being picked up from the finish and often have their own feed stations along the Etape route. Read our guide to Etape du Tour travel operators to see who we recommend.

However if you plan well in advance and are part of a group of riders you will save a lot of money making your own plans. Remember that it is very unlikely that you will want to cycle home an extra 30km after finishing the Etape so making sure you are able to get home easily is important.

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