ROUTE REVEALED: 2026 TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES AVEC ZWIFT

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift route was unveiled at the Palais de Congrès in Paris, with 2024 champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney present for the occasion. It was also announced that Zwift, a valued team partner and passionate supporter of women’s cycling, has extended its naming-rights sponsorship of the race for another four years.

Kasia left the event feeling inspired and engaged by the freshly revealed 2026 details:

“I definitely like the course. There’s a lot to be looking forward to. I think that even starting in Switzerland is very special because, of course, riding around Lausanne is very hard and challenging, so I think the Tour has it all.”

“Again, we’re going to have very challenging and hard stages, but also the time trial. And of course, the last two stages are all about going all in. What stood out to me the most was probably the time trial, just because I know it’s something I’ll probably spend the most amount of time working on.”

All that was known heading into the presentation was that the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift would again include nine stages and have two days in Switzerland – the second international host country of the race. The opening stage, looping around Lausanne on Saturday, August 1, would be followed by a stage from Aigle to Geneva. Beyond Monday, the world’s biggest women’s cycling race remained a complete mystery – until now.

A varied and captivating 1175 kilometre route has been revealed, almost identical in distance to this year’s edition, meandering from Switzerland into France and down to Nice on the stunning Côte d’Azur. Riders will face a record 18,800 metres of vertical gain – nearly 1000m more than this year. The route features a mix of undulating stages that could end in bunch sprints, along with three hilly days that will be critical for the general classification. Opportunists and breakaway specialists will certainly look to have their say, however. The two most eye-catching inclusions are a hilly individual time trial after a 2025 TT absence, and the mammoth ascent of Mont Ventoux. This mythical French giant comes at the end of an already demanding Queen stage and will undoubtedly be the focal point of the entire tour. The longest and penultimate day in the saddle is 175km from Sisteron to Nice, yet features the least climbing at 1420m. To ensure the overall result remains up in the air until the final kilometres of the tour, a four-lap, 99km circuit in Nice provides the platform for an action-packed, thrilling stage 9 finale.

When asked which stage she’s most excited about, Kasia didn’t hesitate.

“It’s definitely the mountains, but I would say that last stage in Nice, going up Col d’Eze. It’s gonna be super exciting with a lot of fans, and finishing in a beautiful place. I also raced up Col d’Eze before, so I kind of have the knowledge of it.”

The last women’s race to be held around Nice was La Course by Le Tour de France, the one-day predecessor to the grand tour that we have today. Back then, Kasia placed fourth after a small bunch sprint in downtown Nice. Reflecting on that memory, she continues:

“Nice is a great city, and maybe that’s gonna be the beginning of a Paris-Nice for women one day. I think that once we bring races to those iconic cities, maybe they will awaken something else. It’s also great to finish close to one of our sponsors, zondacrypto – I think they’re gonna have a great team on the side of the road supporting us.

Kasia offers a somewhat coy smile when asked about the inclusion of Mont Ventoux – a climb she partially raced, albeit on a different side, during the 2018 Tour de l’Ardèche where she achieved her general classification victory on French soil.

“I’m definitely stoked about it. I think that Tay [Taylor Phinney] and I will be camping at the bottom of Mont Ventoux so we can do the climb multiple times and get to know what the hardest part of it is.”

In the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Kasia climbed onto the final stage podium and secured a place in the overall general classification after a dramatic ninth stage to Châtel – a day where she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The result marked her fourth consecutive GC podium, matching the number of editions held, and added to a string of previous TDFFAZ highlights for CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto. These include Ricarda Bauernfeind’s stage victory, winning the 2022 teams classification, and securing the polka dot jersey in 2023. Yet unquestionably, the pinnacle came in 2024, when Kasia and the team captured cycling’s most iconic prize, the maillot jaune, in gripping and unprecedented fashion. It is this accumulation of milestones and memories that continues to strengthen the team’s bond with a race that delivers even more excitement year after year.

The presentation of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is an important way-marker on the road to the grand départ in Switzerland, where the team will aim to snare more success. 

2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 

Stage 1 (Flat) | Saturday, August 1 | Lausanne – Lausanne | 137km | 1700m elevation

Stage 2 (Flat) | Sunday, August 2 | Aigle – Geneva | 149km | 1750m elevation 

Stage 3 (Hilly) | Monday, August 3 | Geneva – Poligny | 157km | 2430m elevation 

Stage 4 (Individual time trial) | Tuesday, August 4 | Gevrey-Chambertin – Dijon | 21km | 255m elevation 

Stage 5 (Hilly) | Wednesday, August 5 | Mâcon – Belleville-en-Beaujolais | 140km | 2850m elevation 

Stage 6 (Hilly) | Thursday, August 6 | Montbrison – Tournon-sur-Rhône | 153km | 2650m elevation 

Stage 7 (Mountain) | Friday, August 7 | La Voulte sur Rhône – Mont Ventoux | 144km | 3565m elevation 

Stage 8 (Flat) | Saturday, August 8 | Sisteron – Nice | 175km | 1420m elevation 

Stage 9 (Mountain) | Sunday, August 9 | Nice – Nice | 2175m | 99km elevation