; the climb is long, an average gradient of 7.9% and features 21
hairpin turns. In February 2025, race organisers ASO announced that the
Barcelona in
Spain would host the
Grand Départ. This marks the third time the
Grand Départ has been held in Spain, following
San Sebastián in 1992 and
Bilbao in 2023. Both stage 1 and 2 will finish on the
Montjuïc hill above Barcelona, next to the
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys used for the
1992 Summer Olympics. The
team time trial will return to the Tour for the first time since
2019, and will use new rules first tested at the
2023 Paris–Nice. In this format, each rider is given an individual finish time, rather than all riders who finish together getting the same time. This format allows tactics by general classifications contenders – whether to ride as a team, or ride solo to achieve a better time. Protesters noted that if Israel–Premier Tech are present, protests in Barcelona were "very likely". Rumours regarding the route included a return to
Alpe d'Huez for the first time since the 2022 edition and a final stage on
Montmartre in
Paris – following the large crowds and high television viewership of the final stage in 2025. The full route was announced on 23 October 2025 by
Christian Prudhomme, with Prudhomme describing the route as having a "crescendo" towards the finish. The race will feature 5 summit finishes, including
Plateau de Solaison for the first time and two finishes at Alpe d'Huez. Reacting to the route,
Cyclist noted that the route was "ripe for breakaways" and
Rouleur considered that the route would suit four-time winner
Tadej Pogačar stating "the Slovenian superstar can do everything". Critiquing the route in
Cycling Weekly,
Ned Boulting wrote that "there's no cobblestones, no obvious crosswind stages, and no gravel. [...] They have denuded this year [and that] feels a little bit disappointing". ==References==