Stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes takes place today, Friday 7 August, with the race heading from La Voulte-sur-Rhône to the summit of Mont Ventoux.
The riders are scheduled to roll away at 11:50 BST, with the first racing kilometres beginning shortly afterwards. The official timetable places the finish between approximately 16:17 and 16:52 BST, depending on the speed of the stage.
This is the queen stage of the 2026 race. Marlen Reusser begins the day in yellow, just 12 seconds ahead of Demi Vollering, with Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney third overall at 1:17.
Every kilometre will be available live in the UK through TNT Sports and HBO Max, making this one of the days where watching from the start is worthwhile.
For the wider television picture, including overseas broadcasters, see our Tour de France Femmes 2026 live stream guide by country.
Tour de France Femmes Stage 7 timings
| Stage detail | UK time |
|---|---|
| Neutralised start | 11:50 BST |
| Col de la Grande Limite | 12:39 to 12:43 BST |
| Col du Colombier | 13:19 to 13:27 BST |
| Intermediate sprint at Beaumes-de-Venise | 14:34 to 14:49 BST |
| Col de Suzette | 14:49 to 15:06 BST |
| Malaucène | 15:00 to 15:19 BST |
| Bédoin | 15:18 to 15:39 BST |
| Saint-Estève | 15:28 to 15:50 BST |
| Chalet Reynard | 15:57 to 16:27 BST |
| Expected Mont Ventoux finish | 16:17 to 16:52 BST |
The timings are based on the official schedules for average speeds of 36, 34 and 32km/h.
Stage 7 covers 146.8 kilometres and around 3,500 metres of climbing, so the slower end of that window is entirely realistic if the race becomes tactical before Ventoux.
The full sporting picture is covered in our Tour de France Femmes 2026 Stage 7 preview.
How to watch Stage 7 live in the UK
UK viewers can watch the complete stage on:
- TNT Sports
- HBO Max
HBO Max is now the main direct streaming home for TNT Sports cycling coverage in the UK, replacing the old Discovery+ setup.
For viewers wanting only the decisive mountain action, 15:15 BST is the key time to be watching. That should bring the race onto the approach to Bédoin, shortly before the serious slopes of Mont Ventoux begin.
Waiting until 16:00 could mean missing the first GC attacks inside the forest.
Our full guide to watching the Tour de France Femmes 2026 in the UK explains the current TNT Sports and HBO Max setup in more detail.
International Tour de France Femmes broadcasters
| Country or region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
| United States | NBC Sports / Peacock |
| Canada | FloSports / FloBikes |
| France | France Télévisions |
| Belgium | RTBF / VRT |
| Netherlands | NOS |
| Spain | RTVE |
| Ireland | TG4 |
| Germany | ARD |
| Australia | SBS |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport |
France Télévisions remains the main domestic broadcaster, while Peacock is the principal US streaming option and FloBikes carries the race in Canada.
The first climbs arrive almost immediately
Anyone watching from the start should see the breakaway fight develop quickly.
The Col de la Grande Limite arrives after only 13.6 kilometres and measures 6.6km at 5%. The Col du Colombier follows at kilometre 41.1, with 3.2km at 6.4%.
Those climbs are unlikely to decide the GC, but they give riders targeting the breakaway or the polka-dot jersey immediate opportunities.
Puck Pieterse has been one of the most aggressive riders in the mountains competition and could again look to collect early points before the focus shifts entirely towards yellow.
Movistar’s priority will be ensuring that nobody close enough to Reusser on GC enters a dangerous move. Beyond that, they have little reason to chase a harmless break aggressively before Mont Ventoux.
Beaumes-de-Venise is the main green jersey point
The intermediate sprint is positioned at Beaumes-de-Venise after 96.8 kilometres.
The riders are expected there between approximately 14:34 and 14:49 BST.
Lorena Wiebes remains comfortably ahead in the green jersey competition, so the sprint is more likely to matter to riders lower down the classification or those already in the breakaway.
Once the race leaves Beaumes-de-Venise, the terrain becomes considerably more important for the GC.
Col de Suzette is where the race should begin tightening
The Col de Suzette tops out with 41.5 kilometres remaining.
It measures 3.9km at 6.4% and is expected to be reached between approximately 14:49 and 15:06 BST.
This is unlikely to be where Vollering or Niewiadoma-Phinney launch their decisive attack, but it offers the leading teams an opportunity to increase the pace and begin stripping domestiques from the yellow jersey group.
The roads around Suzette are also affected by the spectator restrictions introduced because of the wildfire risk in Vaucluse. Parts of the Dentelles de Montmirail will be raced without roadside fans, although the route itself remains unchanged.
That means television viewers should expect unusually empty roads during a normally atmospheric section of the queen stage.
The exact restrictions and what they mean for spectators are covered in our Mont Ventoux wildfire restrictions update.
Bédoin marks the beginning of the real race
The riders are expected to pass through Bédoin between approximately 15:18 and 15:39 BST.
The road begins climbing immediately afterwards, but the officially categorised 15.7km section at 8.8% begins around Saint-Estève, which the leaders should reach between 15:28 and 15:50 BST.
This is the point where the Tour should change completely.
The opening kilometres from Bédoin are relatively manageable. Once the riders turn at Saint-Estève and enter the forest, the gradient settles around 9% for kilometre after kilometre.
FDJ United-Suez are likely to take responsibility here for Vollering. Their best route towards yellow is to make the pace consistently difficult rather than wait until the final kilometre.
Reusser must avoid responding too aggressively to every acceleration. Her strongest option may be to ride her own sustained tempo and trust the power that delivered her Stage 4 time-trial victory.
For a more detailed breakdown of the ascent, see our Tour de France Femmes Mont Ventoux guide.
When is the best time to watch Mont Ventoux?
For the complete final climb, tune in by 15:20 BST.
For the steep forest section, 15:30 BST should be early enough under most race-speed scenarios.
For Chalet Reynard and the exposed final six kilometres, the official schedule places the leaders there between 15:57 and 16:27 BST.
From Chalet Reynard, the stage becomes visually unmistakable. The riders leave the forest and climb across Ventoux’s exposed limestone upper slopes towards the summit.
Those final kilometres could be decisive if Reusser, Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney remain close together through the forest.
Only 12 seconds separate Reusser and Vollering
Reusser begins the stage with an advantage that offers almost no margin for error.
Vollering trails by only 12 seconds and the summit finish carries bonuses of:
- 10 seconds for first
- 6 seconds for second
- 4 seconds for third
That means Vollering does not necessarily need to gain 13 seconds physically on the climb. A smaller road gap combined with the stage bonus could put her into yellow.
Niewiadoma-Phinney is 1:17 behind Reusser and therefore needs a much larger move, but she has repeatedly shown a willingness to attack before the obvious moment.
Elisa Longo Borghini also moved closer to the podium on Stage 6 and begins the day fourth overall after gaining time in the successful late move to Tournon-sur-Rhône.
Can Pauline Ferrand-Prévot attack for the stage?
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot starts Stage 7 five minutes behind Reusser after losing substantial time in both the Dijon time trial and the Beaujolais climbs.
Her GC defence is effectively over, but that changes how Team Visma | Lease a Bike can use her.
Ferrand-Prévot can now afford to attack earlier. Mont Ventoux is also the kind of long climb on which she built her dominant 2025 Tour victory.
The complication is that five minutes may still be too close for Movistar and FDJ United-Suez to ignore completely.
If Ferrand-Prévot moves before the final climb, she may be given some freedom. If she attacks on Ventoux itself and begins taking significant time, the yellow jersey group will still have to respond.
Her Stage 5 collapse and what it means for the rest of her Tour are covered in Ferrand-Prévot drops out of GC contention.
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Photo Credit: Getty -
Photo Credit: Fred Machabert/Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenges
Stage 7 viewing guide: when to tune in
Watch from 11:50 BST if you want the entire queen stage and early breakaway fight.
Watch from 14:45 BST to see the Col de Suzette, the wildfire-restricted roads and the first serious tactical positioning.
Watch from 15:15 BST for the complete build-up to Mont Ventoux.
Watch from 15:30 BST if you primarily want the GC battle on the climb.
Do not leave it until 16:15 BST. Under the fastest official schedule, the stage could already be approaching the finish by then.
Stage 7 live viewing summary
- Date: Friday 7 August 2026
- Route: La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux
- Distance: 146.8km
- Elevation: Approximately 3,500 metres
- Neutralised start: 11:50 BST
- Best time to tune in: By 15:15 BST
- Bédoin: 15:18 to 15:39 BST
- Saint-Estève: 15:28 to 15:50 BST
- Chalet Reynard: 15:57 to 16:27 BST
- Expected finish: 16:17 to 16:52 BST
- UK television: TNT Sports
- UK streaming: HBO Max
- United States: Peacock
- Canada: FloBikes
- Yellow jersey: Marlen Reusser
- Gap to Demi Vollering: 12 seconds
- Final climb: Mont Ventoux, 15.7km at 8.8%
