- Stage 13: Dole - Belfort
- Date: July 17, 2026
- Distance: 205.8km
- Start time: 13:00 CET
- Finish time: 17:59 CET
At 205.8km, stage 13 is the longest stage of the Tour, and the only one over 200 kilometres. The profile, across challenging terrain, favours breakaways but it could take some time for that group to escape on the opening flat roads.
Heading east from Dole, the first 137 kilometres passes through the Jura, Doubs, and Haute-Saône, skirting Besançon before reaching in Mélisey, the hometown of Thibaut Pinot. There the road tilts upward for the first time, over the Col des Croix as the race crosses into the Vosges.
A brief descent follows, then comes the day's decisive challenge, the Ballon d'Alsace, 8.9 km at an average of 6.9%. The ascent, 121 years after it appeared on the Tour’s first mountain stage, will offer someone the chance to get a gap and dive down the 30 kilometres into Belfort to claim victory
Mountains
- Col des Croix (cat. 3, 5.1km at 4.8%), km. 157.4
- Ballon d'Alsace (cat. 1, 8.9km at 6.9%), km. 175.9
Sprints
- Mélisey, km. 137.8
