- Stage 1: Lausanne - Lausanne
- Date: August 1, 2026
- Distance: 138km
- Elevation gain: 1700 metres
- Start time: 14:14 CET
- Finish time: 17:44 CET
For the second time in its five year history, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift heads abroad to Switzerland, for the Grand Départ. Stage 1, a 138km loop around Lausanne should suit sprinters that can climb with the finish line atop a 2.6km ascent averaging 4.6%.
Starting on the shores of Lake Geneva, the riders head 30 kilometres toward Lake Neuchâtel, then tracing its shoreline before tackling Côte de Châbles, 47.5km in, before turning east and south to begin the return leg. Two successive cat. 3 climbs, Côte de Villars-le-Comte and Côte de Vulliens, the second cresting at 40.9km to go, should thin out the peloton.
The route returns to Lausanne and runs along Lake Geneva for 18 kilometres, skirting the foot of UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards, before the final climb of Côte Saint-François and a 400-metre finishing straight
Climbs
- Côte de Châbles (cat. 3, 1.6 km at 7.7%), km. 49.1
- Côte de Villars-le-Comte (cat. 3, 4km at 5.8%), km. 83.5
- Côte de Vulliens (cat. 3, 3km at 5.3%), km. 97.1
- Côte Saint-François (cat. 4, 2.6 km à 4.6%), km. 138 - finish
Sprint
- Villeneuve (Surpierre), km. 73.1 - points only to first 15 riders
