The 2026 L'Étape du Tour de France and L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will climb some of the Tour's most iconic mountains, it was announced this week.
On the same day as the routes for the 2026 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes were published, the race's organisers, ASO, also revealed the routes of its two iconic closed-road sportives.
L'Étape du Tour de France will copy the route of stage 20 of the men's race on Sunday 19 July 2026, finishing atop Alpe d'Huez, while L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will happen on Thursday 6 August 2026, heading up Mont Ventoux, aping stage seven of the women's race.
Both are open to men and women to ride, with L'Étape du Tour de France dating from 1993, while the Tour de France Femmes version started this year. The format is similar for both, with the Queen stage of the professional race being used for amateurs; anyone can sign up, but there are caps on numbers. You can already buy your place on the L'Étape du TDFF, while the Tour's version opens on 3 November for registration.
L'Étape du Tour is 170km with 5,400m of elevation gain, so not for the faint of heart. It takes in the Col de la Croix de Fer (24km at 5.2%), the Col du Télégraphe (11.9km at 7.1%) , and the Col du Galibier (17.7km at 6.9%) before climbing to Alpe d'Huez via the Col de Sarenne (12.8km at 7.3%). It is similar to the route of La Marmotte, another popular French sportive. According to the organisers: "It is a demanding challenge that requires intense training to cross the finish line within the allotted time."
Meanwhile, L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is 120km from Vaison-la-Romaine to Mont Ventoux with 3,000m of elevation gain; only the final 70km is the same as the pro women, but that is enough, with it taking in Ventoux from Bédoin itself (15.7km at 8.8%). The official website says the route will "take in the roads of the Baronnies, the vineyards of the Rhône Valley and the Dentelles de Montmirail".
