Tour de France queen stage: five climbs and a podium fight on the road to Alpe d'Huez
The 113th Tour de France sets up a final mountain showdown from Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez on Saturday, with Paul Seixas chasing a podium place and Tadej Pogacar aiming to cement his fifth title.
A final day in the high mountains
The 113th Tour de France enters its penultimate day on Saturday 25 July 2026 with the queen stage from Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez. After three weeks of racing, the 20th stage is the last opportunity for climbers to upend the general classification before the procession to the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday. The route measures roughly 171 kilometres (170 km according to 20minutes, 170.9 km in one Ouest France report and 171 km on Franceinfo) and will demand 5,450 metres of total climbing, though one outlet puts the figure at 5,600 metres.
The five cols
The stage stacks five named ascents one after another: Col de la Croix de Fer (hors catégorie, 24 km at 5.2%), Col du Télégraphe (first category, 11.9 km at 7.1%), Col du Galibier (hors catégorie, 17.7 km at 6.9%), Col de Sarenne (hors catégorie, 12.8 km at 7.3%) and the final rise to Alpe d'Huez itself (3.7 km at 6.2%). This time the peloton approaches Alpe d'Huez from the Sarenne side, bypassing the famous 21 hairpin bends. The summit of the Sarenne is just 14 kilometres from the finish line, meaning the descent and short final climb will decide the stage.
- 24 km at 5.2%
- 11.9 km at 7.1%
- 17.7 km at 6.9%
- 12.8 km at 7.3%
- 3.7 km at 6.2%
The average gradients of the five climbs are shown below.
- Croix de Fer
- 5.2 %
- Télégraphe
- 7.1 %
- Galibier
- 6.9 %
- Sarenne
- 7.3 %
- Alpe d'Huez
- 6.2 %
Battle for the podium
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) arrives as the overwhelming favourite. On Friday he won stage 19 at Alpe d'Huez, reeling in an escape group that included Richard Carapaz, Lenny Martinez and Sepp Kuss and setting a record time up the climb. That victory was his fifth of this Tour and extended his overall lead to a virtually unassailable margin. While Pogacar can all but lock up his fifth Tour de France title on Saturday, the fight behind him is fierce.
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) holds second place, but French teenager Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM), riding his debut Tour at age 19, is only 2 minutes and 55 seconds in arrears. Seixas is also targeting the white jersey currently worn by Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates). Del Toro sits third overall, a thin 24 seconds ahead of Seixas. If Seixas can drop Del Toro on the queen stage, he could leap onto the podium and take the youth classification. All three contenders are expected to mark each other closely on the early climbs before the decisive move on the Sarenne.
Wildcards and conditions
Richard Carapaz (EF Education), who won Thursday's stage and came close to repeating on Friday, is tipped as the most dangerous breakaway rider. The Ecuadorian has shown strong form and could target the stage win from a long-range move. Weather could add another layer of difficulty: Franceinfo reports that the forecast is unfavourable, hinting at rain or wind that would make the descents treacherous and further drain riders already fatigued by three weeks of racing.
How to watch
The stage departs Bourg d'Oisans at 11:30 CEST, with an arrival projected around 16:30. Television coverage in France starts at 10:55 on France 2 or France 3 (france.tv) and at 13:00 on Eurosport 1. Live text updates will run throughout the day on ouest-france.fr.
