The 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will begin with a Grand Départ in Lausanne, marking the second foreign start in the race’s short but expanding history. Set to run from 1st to 9th August, the fifth edition of the revived race will feature nine stages and open with two days on Swiss soil before crossing into France on stage 3.
ASO confirmed on Thursday that the opening stage will be a loop beginning and ending in Lausanne, designed with a sting in the tail to suit punchy riders. Stage 2 will offer a fast, flat route from Aigle to Geneva – a rare chance for the pure sprinters to shine in the early going. Stage 3 will depart from Geneva and cross the border into France, with the finish location and terrain still to be revealed.
With a Swiss start, the race brings new terrain and potential for immediate elevation changes. The choice of Lausanne hints at a dynamic first stage; the Olympic city has hosted the men’s Tour six times, most recently in 2022 when Wout van Aert powered to victory on a 4.9km climb averaging 4.5%. A similar punchy finish is expected next August.
2026 Tour de France Femmes early stages announcement
By heading south from Geneva on stage 3, organisers open the door for early mountains. The proximity to the Alps suggests a summit finish could arrive as soon as day three, but with the final six stages still unconfirmed, there’s also a chance the Tour will return to the Pyrenees, as it did in 2023, or tackle the rugged roads of the Massif Central. With the men’s Tour set to finish a week before the women’s event in 2026, the dates allow for a standalone slot on the calendar, rather than the overlapping format used in 2025.
Aigle, hosting the stage 2 start, is home to the UCI headquarters and the World Cycling Centre, adding symbolic weight to the route’s opening weekend. Geneva, meanwhile, has been part of the Tour de France 10 times before, dating back to 1913. Lausanne last hosted in 2022 and had been lobbying for a women’s Grand Départ ever since.
Switzerland’s top riders are expected to feature prominently in the early stages. The puncheur-friendly terrain of stage 1 suits both Marlen Reusser and Elise Chabbey, while Noémie Rüegg, the current Swiss national champion, may also look to seize the moment on home roads.
Tour de France Femmes race director Marion Rousse and UCI president David Lappartient were both present at the announcement in Aigle. Rousse noted the excitement around another international start, adding to the Tour’s growing stature. This Swiss Grand Départ will be followed in 2027 by another foreign start in the UK, coinciding with the men’s Grand Départ in Edinburgh.
The full route for the 2026 edition will be presented in October, continuing ASO’s tradition of revealing both the men’s and women’s courses at a joint event. With Switzerland confirmed for the opening three days, and mountainous possibilities looming early, the 2026 edition promises a fresh and potentially explosive start to the race.
Main photo credit: ASO
