A true array of excellence will illuminate the 2026 edition of the Tour de France Femmes, 147 athletes and 21 teams will battle it out over the grueling 9 days of racing from August 1st to 9th. In a varied and challenging route like this year's, there will certainly be fiercely contested stages with uncertain outcomes until the very end. Alongside the 14 World Tour teams, we find the Professional teams Cofidis, Laboral Kutxa, Lotto Intermarchè Ladies, Ma Petite Entreprise, Mayenne Monbana My Pie, St. Michel – Preference Home Auber93.

France awaits the defending champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot to defend her title in a battle fit for queens. It won't be a simple race; the French superstar will have to face off first and foremost against the winners of previous editions who finished on the podium last year. Demi Vollering, queen in 2023, has already put together an incredible season with 10 victories, all of high caliber, including the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro di Lombardia, and especially the Giro d'Italia Women, which allowed her to complete the triple crown. Kasia Niewiadoma, the 2024 winner, comes from a difficult season, also hampered by a crash at Milan-San Remo, with no victories but many strong placings that make her a truly uncomfortable opponent. It will be an exciting showdown that will certainly go down in history because if one of them wins, she would become the first athlete to achieve a double in the Grand Boucle.

However, there won't be just three contenders for the final victory, but many athletes ready to upset their plans. This is the case with Anna Van der Breggen, who came close to winning the Giro Women last June; at her side will be Valentina Cavallar and Ninke Vinke, the winner of the white jersey in the previous edition, both formidable climbers. When the road gets tough, Kim Le Court Pienaar will throw down the gauntlet, who, returning to the Tour de Suisse after a long period away, has already shown she's made a great recovery, the unpredictable Puck Pieterse, and especially Marlen Reusser, who could be galvanized by the start in her native Switzerland. The most interesting battle, however, looks to be for the white jersey with many young athletes who can aspire to a final podium finish. Paula Blasi, winner of the Vuelta España, is called upon to deliver a top-level performance, but on her path she will first encounter Isabella Holmgren, best young rider at the Giro Women, and Nienke Vinke and Marion Bunuel.

For the moving stages with possible small group finishes, we have an embarrassment of riches because the field is of the highest level. The pairing of Team SD Worx Protime Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes promises fireworks and a great battle for the green jersey. Challenging the two superstars will be Marianne Vos, who has only raced 10 days this year, but also Liane Lippert, Mia Griffin, and the unknown quantity Charlotte Kool. In a varied route like this year's, it will be essential to keep a close eye on the attackers like Maeva Squiban, who surprisingly won two stages last year, Franziska Koch, Celia Gery, and the EF Education Oatly team, which fields Kristen Faulkner, Cedrine Kerbaol, Noemi Ruegg, and world champion Magdeleine Vallieres.

There will be 19 Italian athletes at the start, some in support of the team leaders, others as free agents, and they could deliver some pleasant surprises. Leading the Italian contingent is the Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini, who has unfinished business with the French stage race; the stated objective is to reach Nice and finally complete the Tour de France, but given that appetite comes with eating, we're sure the Ossolana rider could aim much higher with solid support from her trusted teammate Silvia Persico. For the mountain finishes, Italy can count on Monica Trinca Colonel, Barbara Malcotti, and Eleonora Ciabocco, who reconfirmed herself as Italian Under 23 champion after a serious crash at the Vuelta. For the sprint finishes, Chiara Consonni, Letizia Paternoster, and Elisa Balsamo, winner of the points jersey at the Giro Women, will have their chances.