Stage 15 of the 2026 Tour de France takes the peloton from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison on Sunday 19 July, with the second week ending on one of the steepest summit finishes of the race.
The 183.9km mountain stage contains approximately 3,950 metres of climbing. Its decisive final section features the Col de la Croisette, Côte du Mont and the 11.3km ascent to Plateau de Solaison at an average gradient of 9%.
The neutralised start is scheduled for 12:10pm UK time, with the finish expected between approximately 4:41pm and 5:11pm BST.
Live coverage in the UK begins on TNT Sports and HBO Max at 11:45am.
For the full route analysis, contenders and prediction, see our Tour de France 2026 Stage 15 preview.
Tour de France Stage 15 key times
- Date: Sunday 19 July 2026
- Stage: Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison
- Distance: 183.9km
- Stage type: Mountain
- Total climbing: Approximately 3,950 metres
- Neutralised start: 12:10pm BST
- Expected finish: Between 4:41pm and 5:11pm BST
- UK live coverage: From 11:45am on TNT Sports and HBO Max
- UK highlights: Channel 5 later on Sunday evening
The official timetable is based on projected average speeds of 38km/h, 40km/h and 42km/h.
At the fastest schedule, the riders will reach Plateau de Solaison at approximately 4:41pm BST. A slower race would move the finish towards 5:11pm.
The broader day-by-day schedule is available in our Tour de France 2026 TV schedule and daily start times.
What time does Tour de France Stage 15 start?
The neutralised start in Champagnole is scheduled for 1:10pm local time in France, which is 12:10pm in the UK.
The riders will pass through the centre of Champagnole shortly afterwards before beginning the 183.9km route towards Haute-Savoie.
TNT Sports begins its broadcast at 11:45am BST, providing coverage before the stage starts. The full stage will also be available to stream through HBO Max.
The opening kilometres may not be as mountainous as the finale, but the early battle for the breakaway should still be worth watching.
The Côte des Rousses arrives after 36.8km and could help a group of climbers establish itself at the front. With the final 48km heavily weighted towards the general classification riders, stage hunters will need to build a substantial advantage before reaching the Col de la Croisette.
Photo Credit: GettyWhat time will Stage 15 finish?
The official Tour timetable gives three possible finish times in France:
- 5:41pm local time at an average speed of 42km/h
- 5:55pm local time at an average speed of 40km/h
- 6:11pm local time at an average speed of 38km/h
That converts to a UK finish window of:
- 4:41pm BST
- 4:55pm BST
- 5:11pm BST
The stage is therefore likely to finish shortly before or after 5:00pm in the UK.
The final time will depend on how quickly the breakaway forms, the pace across the long middle section and how aggressively the GC teams race the Col de la Croisette.
Anyone interested primarily in the final climb should be watching by 4:15pm BST. Viewers wanting to see the entire decisive mountain sequence should tune in by approximately 3:30pm.
When should viewers tune in for the major climbs?
Stage 15 contains four categorised climbs:
- Côte des Rousses: 6.6km at 5.1%
- Le Salève via the Col de la Croisette: 4.7km at 11.2%
- Côte du Mont: 2.1km at 8.3%
- Plateau de Solaison: 11.3km at 9%
The Côte des Rousses comes early and should influence the composition of the breakaway.
The main general classification action is more likely to begin on the Col de la Croisette. Although only 4.7km long, its average gradient of 11.2% makes it one of the steepest climbs of the 2026 Tour.
Stage 15 ranks among the hardest mountain stages of the 2026 Tour de France because so much of its difficulty is concentrated inside the final 48km.
Approximate UK viewing times are:
- 12:10pm: Neutralised start in Champagnole
- Around 1:00pm: Côte des Rousses
- Around 3:30pm to 3:50pm: Col de la Croisette
- Around 3:45pm to 4:05pm: Côte du Mont
- Around 4:25pm to 4:55pm: Plateau de Solaison begins
- Between 4:41pm and 5:11pm: Stage finish
These are estimates based on the official speed schedules. An especially fast or slow stage could shift the timings.
Photo Credit: GettyHow to watch Stage 15 live in the UK
Stage 15 will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage beginning at 11:45am BST.
The race can also be streamed through HBO Max, which carries every stage of the 2026 Tour de France live in the UK.
TNT Sports is available through selected television packages from Sky, EE and Virgin Media.
There is no full live English-language free-to-air broadcast of Stage 15 in the UK. Channel 5 will show free highlights later on Sunday evening and make the programme available through its streaming platform.
S4C is not scheduled to show Stage 15 live. Its free Welsh-language coverage is limited to selected stages during the race.
The complete domestic broadcast picture is explained in our guide on how to watch the Tour de France 2026 in the UK.
How to watch Stage 15 in the United States
Every stage of the 2026 Tour de France is available live in the United States through Peacock, with NBC Sports also providing Tour coverage.
The stage begins at:
- 7:10am Eastern Time
- 6:10am Central Time
- 5:10am Mountain Time
- 4:10am Pacific Time
The expected finish window is:
- 11:41am to 12:11pm Eastern Time
- 10:41am to 11:11am Central Time
- 9:41am to 10:11am Mountain Time
- 8:41am to 9:11am Pacific Time
Viewers interested mainly in Plateau de Solaison should aim to be watching by approximately 11:20am Eastern Time or 8:20am Pacific Time.
How to watch Stage 15 in Canada
Canadian viewers can watch Stage 15 live through FloBikes and the FloSports platform.
The stage begins at approximately 7:10am Eastern Time, with the finish expected between 11:41am and 12:11pm Eastern Time.
The Col de la Croisette should be reached during the final 90 minutes of the stage, while the ascent to Plateau de Solaison is likely to occupy most of the final half-hour.
How to watch Stage 15 in Australia
The Tour de France is available free in Australia through SBS and SBS On Demand.
The stage begins on Sunday evening at:
- 7:10pm AWST in Perth
- 8:40pm ACST in Adelaide
- 9:10pm AEST in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne
The expected finish falls late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning:
- 11:41pm Sunday to 12:11am Monday AWST
- 1:11am to 1:41am Monday ACST
- 1:41am to 2:11am Monday AEST
Australian viewers joining for the decisive final climbs should aim to tune in by approximately 12:30am AEST on Monday morning.
Viewers outside the UK can use our Tour de France 2026 live stream guide by country for the main legal broadcasters and streaming services.
Why Stage 15 is important for the yellow jersey
Tadej Pogačar enters Stage 15 with a lead of 4:30 over Jonas Vingegaard after attacking on the Col du Haag and winning at Le Markstein.
Plateau de Solaison offers a different type of climbing test.
The Col du Haag was irregular and followed by a short run towards the finish. Plateau de Solaison averages 9% for more than 11km and ends directly at the summit. It should produce a more sustained test of climbing strength.
The finish is one of the five official summit finishes at the 2026 Tour de France and may be the hardest final climb in isolation.
Vingegaard won on Plateau de Solaison during the 2022 Critérium du Dauphiné and needs to alter the direction of the Tour before the second rest day.
Visma-Lease a Bike could begin applying pressure on the Col de la Croisette before attempting to isolate Pogačar on the final climb.
The difficulty for Vingegaard is that a harder stage may also create the conditions in which Pogačar can extend his advantage again.
The podium battle could be the closer contest
The yellow jersey may be firmly controlled, but the battle for third remains extremely close.
Remco Evenepoel starts Stage 15 in third place, only 15 seconds ahead of Paul Seixas. Juan Ayuso, Florian Lipowitz and Isaac del Toro are also within striking distance.
The final climb provides few opportunities to hide.
Evenepoel can expect to gain time during the individual time trial after Monday’s rest day, but he must first limit his losses on Plateau de Solaison. Seixas, Ayuso and Lipowitz will see the summit finish as an opportunity to move ahead of him before the race against the clock.
Tom Pidcock begins the stage ninth overall after losing time at Le Markstein. Plateau de Solaison is unlikely to suit him as well as more irregular stages with technical descents, but remaining inside the top 10 would preserve his GC ambitions heading into the final week.
Stage 15 completes the difficult eastern sequence covered in our Tour de France 2026 Vosges and Jura guide.
Could the breakaway win?
The stage offers an opportunity for a strong breakaway, particularly because the opening terrain may allow climbers to build an advantage.
However, the escape will need a significant margin before the Col de la Croisette.
The final 48km include three categorised climbs, while Plateau de Solaison is steep enough for the favourites to recover several minutes from tired riders ahead.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG also showed on Stage 14 that it is willing to control a mountain stage despite Pogačar’s comfortable advantage.
A breakaway may need at least four or five minutes at the beginning of the Col de la Croisette to retain a realistic chance of reaching the summit first.
The stage still appears among the best breakaway opportunities of the 2026 Tour, but the severe summit finish gives the GC teams a clear route back into contention.
Tour de France Stage 15 live viewing summary
Stage 15 begins at 12:10pm BST, with live UK coverage starting on TNT Sports and HBO Max at 11:45am.
The finish at Plateau de Solaison is expected between 4:41pm and 5:11pm BST.
Viewers interested in the complete decisive section should be watching from approximately 3:30pm, when the race approaches the Col de la Croisette. Anyone joining specifically for the final summit finish should tune in no later than 4:15pm.
The steep Croisette may expose tired riders before Plateau de Solaison provides the final judgement.
Stage 15 is the last racing day before the second rest day of the 2026 Tour de France. For Pogačar, it is another opportunity to strengthen his control. For Vingegaard and the tightly grouped podium contenders, it may be one of the final chances to change the Tour before the Alps.
