From mountain passes to Paris: Scenes from the 2026 Tour de France
Few sporting events push human limits quite like the Tour de France. These images take you inside the 2026 race, capturing the brutal climbs, sweeping landscapes, and quiet moments of sheer exhaustion along the way.
Riders in action next to a sunflower field during Stage 12 of the Tour de France – a 179.1 km route from the Nevers Magny Cours Circuit to Chalon-sur-Saone – on 16 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Yoan Valat)
Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - XRG during the team presentation prior to the 113th Tour de France 2026 / #UCIWT / on July 02, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images) Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Team Visma - Lease a Bike competes during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 1 a 19.6km team time trial stage from Barcelona to Barcelona / #UCIWT / on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, Kasper Asgreen of Denmark, Alex Baudin of France, Ben Healy of Ireland, Sean Quinn of United States, Georg Steinhauser of Germany, Michael Valgren of Denmark, Max Walker of Great Britain and Team EF Education - EasyPost compete with a view of the La Sagrada Familia in the background during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 1 a 19.6km team time trial stage from Barcelona to Barcelona / #UCIWT / on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images) Ex-professional cyclist and two time winner of Tour de France Alberto Contador of Spain signs autographs to the fans during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 1 a 19.6km team time trial stage from Barcelona to Barcelona / #UCIWT / on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images) on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images) Yellow jersey overall leader, Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, of UAE Team Emirates XRG in action during Stage 14 of the Tour de France – a 155.3km route from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering – on 18 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Yoan Valat) Cyclists in action during Stage 19. (Photo: Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes) Climbing Alpe d’Huez during Stage 19. (Photo: Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes) The peloton in action during Stage 19 of the Tour de France over 127.9km from Gap to Alpe d’Huez on 24 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Guillaume Horcajuelo) The peloton during Stage 19 over 127.9km from Gap to Alpe d’Huez on 24 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Guillaume Horcajuelo) Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates XRG in action during Stage 20 – 171km from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez – on 25 July 2026. (Photo: Jasper Jacobs / Belga Mag via AFP) Dancers perform the French Cancan in front of the Moulin Rouge to celebrate cyclists during the final stage of Tour de France on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Pierre Suu/Getty Images) French cyclist Paul Seixas of the Decathlon CMA CGM Team in action in front of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris’s Montmartre district on 26 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Teresa Suarez) Overall leader Tadej Pogačar (left) in action in front of the Luxor Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde in Paris on 26 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Yoan Valat) Riders round the Arc de Triomphe during the 21st and final stage of the Tour de France in Paris on 26 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Guillaume Horcajuelo) A sequence of photographs showing a professional cyclist in an aerodynamic position as the Tour de France passes through Montmartre in Paris, in the Ile-de-France region of France, on 26 July 2026. (Photo: Florian Puech / Hans Lucas via AFP) A police officer does push-ups to cheers from spectators at Butte Montmartre in Paris before the arrival of the Tour de France 2026 cyclists on 26 July 2026. (Photo: Quentin de Groeve / Hans Lucas via AFP) The peloton cycles up Rue Lepic on the ascent of the Butte de Montmartre during the 21st stage of the Tour de France. (Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt / AFP) The peloton moves up Rue Lepic on the ascent of the Butte de Montmartre. (Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt / AFP) Team Picnic PostNL’s Pavel Bittner and Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Per Strand Hagenes crash during Stage 21. (Photo: Reuters / Papon Bernard) UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Tadej Pogačar (yellow jersey) and Isaac Del Toro (white jersey) celebrate with teammates after Stage 21. (Photo: Reuters / Garnier Etienne) (L-R) Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and - Yellow Leader Jersey and Isaac Del Toro of Mexico and UAE Team Emirates - XRG - White best Young Rider Jersey reacts after the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 21 a 89km stage from Paris to Paris on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Sara Cavallini/Getty Images) Race leader's yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - XRG - winner of 5 Tour de France - crosses the finish line during Stage 21 of the 113th Tour de France 2026, final stage of 88,7 km between Paris Champs Elysees and Paris Champs Elysees on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - XRG celebrates at podium as Yellow Leader Jersey winner during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 21 a 89km stage from Paris to Paris on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Sara Cavallini/Getty Images)
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2284399948_848312.jpg "Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - XRG during the team presentation prior to the 113th Tour de France 2026 / #UCIWT / on July 02, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2285848101_318234.jpg "Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Team Visma - Lease a Bike competes during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 1 a 19.6km team time trial stage from Barcelona to Barcelona / #UCIWT / on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2284667220_274861.jpg "Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, Kasper Asgreen of Denmark, Alex Baudin of France, Ben Healy of Ireland, Sean Quinn of United States, Georg Steinhauser of Germany, Michael Valgren of Denmark, Max Walker of Great Britain and Team EF Education - EasyPost compete with a view of the La Sagrada Familia in the background during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 1 a 19.6km team time trial stage from Barcelona to Barcelona / #UCIWT / on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2284668076_966388.jpg "Ex-professional cyclist and two time winner of Tour de France Alberto Contador of Spain signs autographs to the fans during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 1 a 19.6km team time trial stage from Barcelona to Barcelona / #UCIWT / on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images) on July 04, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14159293_721802.jpg "Yellow jersey overall leader, Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, of UAE Team Emirates XRG in action during Stage 14 of the Tour de France – a 155.3km route from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering – on 18 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Yoan Valat)")
/file/attachments/orphans/UP1EM7O10MHYM_794446.jpg "Cyclists in action during Stage 19. (Photo: Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes)")
/file/attachments/orphans/UP1EM7O10SNYU_547172.jpg "Climbing Alpe d’Huez during Stage 19. (Photo: Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14171585_313149.jpg "The peloton in action during Stage 19 of the Tour de France over 127.9km from Gap to Alpe d’Huez on 24 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Guillaume Horcajuelo)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14171597_213046.jpg "The peloton during Stage 19 over 127.9km from Gap to Alpe d’Huez on 24 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Guillaume Horcajuelo)")
/file/attachments/orphans/AFP_20260725_182045125_v1_HighRes_CyclingTourDeFrance2026Stage20_993910.jpg "Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates XRG in action during Stage 20 – 171km from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez – on 25 July 2026. (Photo: Jasper Jacobs / Belga Mag via AFP)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2287746552_457442.jpg "Dancers perform the French Cancan in front of the Moulin Rouge to celebrate cyclists during the final stage of Tour de France on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Pierre Suu/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14176656_581116.jpg "French cyclist Paul Seixas of the Decathlon CMA CGM Team in action in front of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris’s Montmartre district on 26 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Teresa Suarez)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14176509_455162.jpg "Overall leader Tadej Pogačar (left) in action in front of the Luxor Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde in Paris on 26 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Yoan Valat)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14176426_422878.jpg "Riders round the Arc de Triomphe during the 21st and final stage of the Tour de France in Paris on 26 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Guillaume Horcajuelo)")
/file/attachments/orphans/AFP_20260727_HL_FPUECH_3243819_v1_HighRes_FranceParisMontmartreTourDeFranceRaci_647426.jpg "A sequence of photographs showing a professional cyclist in an aerodynamic position as the Tour de France passes through Montmartre in Paris, in the Ile-de-France region of France, on 26 July 2026. (Photo: Florian Puech / Hans Lucas via AFP)")
/file/attachments/orphans/AFP_20260726_HL_QUENTINDEGROEVE_3243027_v1_HighRes_FranceSportCyclingTdf2026_975421.jpg "A police officer does push-ups to cheers from spectators at Butte Montmartre in Paris before the arrival of the Tour de France 2026 cyclists on 26 July 2026. (Photo: Quentin de Groeve / Hans Lucas via AFP)")
/file/attachments/orphans/AFP_20260726_C3949LT_v1_HighRes_CyclingTdf2026Stage21_700862.jpg "The peloton cycles up Rue Lepic on the ascent of the Butte de Montmartre during the 21st stage of the Tour de France. (Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt / AFP)")
/file/attachments/orphans/AFP_20260726_C3942FY_v5_HighRes_TopshotCyclingTdf2026Stage21_816077.jpg "The peloton moves up Rue Lepic on the ascent of the Butte de Montmartre. (Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt / AFP)")
/file/attachments/orphans/UP1EM7Q1GIFRK_616107.jpg "Team Picnic PostNL’s Pavel Bittner and Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Per Strand Hagenes crash during Stage 21. (Photo: Reuters / Papon Bernard)")
/file/attachments/orphans/UP1EM7Q1FFLPM_716134.jpg "UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Tadej Pogačar (yellow jersey) and Isaac Del Toro (white jersey) celebrate with teammates after Stage 21. (Photo: Reuters / Garnier Etienne)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2287754784_438914.jpg "(L-R) Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and - Yellow Leader Jersey and Isaac Del Toro of Mexico and UAE Team Emirates - XRG - White best Young Rider Jersey reacts after the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 21 a 89km stage from Paris to Paris on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Sara Cavallini/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2287793182_950666.jpg "Race leader's yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - XRG - winner of 5 Tour de France - crosses the finish line during Stage 21 of the 113th Tour de France 2026, final stage of 88,7 km between Paris Champs Elysees and Paris Champs Elysees on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2287756655_321925.jpg "Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - XRG celebrates at podium as Yellow Leader Jersey winner during the 113th Tour de France 2026, Stage 21 a 89km stage from Paris to Paris on July 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo: Sara Cavallini/Getty Images)")
Riders in action next to a sunflower field during Stage 12 of the Tour de France – a 179.1 km route from the Nevers Magny Cours Circuit to Chalon-sur-Saone – on 16 July 2026. (Photo: EPA / Yoan Valat)