Tour de France 2026 Pool

Barcelona → Paris · July 4–26

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Tour Basics

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Classification picks · scored by final position (PCS scale)

Pick a rider for each competition (officially called classifications). If they win their classification, or place well, they earn points — see the Point Scales table in Rules. 500 pts for winning the General Classification; 400 for winning any other; 250 for the team classification. These picks also earn points for finishing in the top 15 of any stage. It's possible, though rare, for a rider to win more than one classification — you can pick the same rider for multiple slots if you wish, but they'll only score for stage placement once. Example: pick a rider for 2 classifications, they win 1 stage → still just 100 stage pts.

GC / yellow jersey · overall winner (lowest total time) · top 25 by DraftKings odds

Points / green jersey · best sprinter · top 25 by estimated odds

KOM / polka-dot jersey · King of the Mountains · top 25 by estimated odds

Best young rider / white jersey · best rider aged 25 or under · top 25 by estimated odds · ordered by DraftKings GC form

Team classification · best combined GC time across team

Bonus picks · winner-only flat bonus — no placement scale

Super Combative Prize · awarded at the finish in Paris to the race's most attacking rider

Souvenir Henri Desgrange · Stage 20: first rider over the Col du Galibier · ordered by climber rank

Bonus picks earn a flat 50-pt award for picking the winner. They are not eligible for stage placement points.

Pool picks · pick up to 5 · earn points for top-15 stage finishes

Pick 5 more riders. Any time one of them finishes in the top 15 for a stage, you bank points — a stage win is worth 100, and the scale goes down from there (see Stage Results Scale in Rules). A rider who places T-15 in multiple stages scores you points each time. Your classification picks earn stage placement points automatically, so you don't need to (and can't) add them here.

0/5 riders selected.

Tiebreaker — winner's total time

Predict the GC winner's total elapsed time across all 21 stages. Closest guess breaks any points tie.

h: m: s

Past winners + how each route stacks up:

Year	Winner	Time	Distance	Climbing	Density
2026	this year	—	2,071 mi	~178,600 ft	86.3 ft/mi
2025	Pogačar	76h 00′ 32″	2,052 mi	~172,200 ft	84.0 ft/mi
2024	Pogačar	83h 38′ 56″	2,174 mi	~171,400 ft	78.8 ft/mi
2023	Vingegaard	82h 05′ 42″	2,116 mi	~188,200 ft	89.0 ft/mi
2022	Vingegaard	79h 33′ 20″	2,068 mi	~159,200 ft	77.0 ft/mi
2021	Pogačar	82h 56′ 36″	2,122 mi	~168,300 ft	79.3 ft/mi

Density = vertical feet climbed per mile; higher means hillier. 2026 is the second-steepest of these six, just behind 2023 — though 2025's record-fast 76h on a similar profile shows a steep route doesn't lock in a slow time.

Picks lock at the Grand Départ on July 4.

Admin passcode

The passcode was set when the pool was deployed. Results are validated server-side — the code never touches the leaderboard.

How it works

Everyone submits picks before the Grand Départ on July 4, drawn from the confirmed 2026 startlist. Results are entered (or pulled automatically) through the three weeks, and the leaderboard scores itself using the PCS (ProCyclingStats) point scale — the same system used for real-world rankings.

Scoring

Classification picks — each pick earns points based on final standings position. GC uses the GC Scale; Points, KOM, and Young Rider use the Classification Scale; Team uses the Team Scale. These picks also earn stage points any time they finish in the T-15 of a stage.

Pool picks — your 5 pool riders earn points for every top-15 stage finish using the Stage Results Scale.

Bonus picks — Souvenir Henri Desgrange (Stage 20, first over Col du Galibier) and Super Combative Prize (race-end award for most aggressive rider): 50 pts flat for picking the winner. No placement scale; not eligible for stage placement points.

Daily bonuses — 25 pts each stage your pick wins the combativity award (any rider pick). 1 pt per km any eligible pick spends in the breakaway.

Ties broken by closest predicted GC winner total time.

Point Scales

The startlist

Built from the confirmed preliminary startlist as of June 26 — 117 of 184 riders across all 23 teams. Final rosters land by July 1.

Basics

July 4–26, 2026 — 21 stages from Barcelona to Paris (Champs-Élysées). The Grand Départ (opening stage) is July 4; your picks lock at that point.

Watch: Every stage streams live on Peacock ($10.99/mo). NBC airs the Grand Départ (Jul 4), the Paris finale (Jul 26), and select mountain stages on broadcast TV. The official Tour de France YouTube channel posts daily highlight recaps after each stage.

Track results: ProCyclingStats has live standings, stage results, and rider profiles — it's the source this pool uses for all scoring.

What is the Tour de France?

The world's most prestigious cycling race: 21 stages across three weeks in July, starting in Barcelona on July 4 and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 26. Each stage is one day's racing — some flat, some through the Alps and Pyrenees, some individual races against the clock (time trials).

About 180 riders from 23 teams start together. The overall winner is whoever finishes all 21 stages with the lowest total elapsed time.

The four jerseys

Alongside the overall race, three other competitions run the whole three weeks. Each leader wears a different jersey.

Yellow

GC — General Classification

The big one. Worn by whoever has the lowest cumulative time after each stage. The rider in yellow in Paris wins the Tour.

Green

Points — The Sprinters' Jersey

Points are awarded for finishing positions on each stage (more for flat stages) and at intermediate sprints during the day. The best sprinter, not the fastest overall, wins this.

Polka-dot

KOM — King of the Mountains

Points awarded to the first riders over each designated mountain climb. The best climber over the whole race. Hardest to predict — pure climbers can dominate without threatening GC.

White

Young Rider

Same standings as GC, but only among riders 25 or younger. The Tour's best young talent. Often won by a future GC contender.

Bonus prizes

Souvenir Henri Desgrange

A one-off bonus prize — awarded to the first rider over the race's highest point, the Col du Galibier, on Stage 20. Named for Henri Desgrange, who founded the Tour in 1903. Usually a pure climber in the day's breakaway.

Super

Super Combative Prize

Awarded at the finish in Paris to the most attacking and aggressive rider of the entire Tour — someone who spent lots of time in breakaways and animated the race. Usually a climber or breakaway specialist, not a GC contender.

The 21 stages

#	Date	Start → Finish	km	Type
1	Sat 4 Jul	Barcelona → Barcelona	19.7	TTT
2	Sun 5 Jul	Tarragona → Barcelona	168.5	Hilly
3	Mon 6 Jul	Granollers → Les Angles	196	Mountain
4	Tue 7 Jul	Carcassonne → Foix	182	Hilly
5	Wed 8 Jul	Lannemezan → Pau	158	Flat
6	Thu 9 Jul	Pau → Gavarnie-Gèdre	186	Mountain
7	Fri 10 Jul	Hagetmau → Bordeaux	175	Flat
8	Sat 11 Jul	Périgueux → Bergerac	182	Flat
9	Sun 12 Jul	Malemort → Ussel	185	Hilly
Rest Day · Mon 13 Jul
10	Tue 14 Jul	Aurillac → Le Lioran	167	Mountain
11	Wed 15 Jul	Vichy → Nevers	161	Flat
12	Thu 16 Jul	Magny-Cours → Chalon-sur-Saône	181	Flat
13	Fri 17 Jul	Dole → Belfort	205	Hilly
14	Sat 18 Jul	Mulhouse → Le Markstein	155	Mountain
15	Sun 19 Jul	Champagnole → Solaison	184	Mountain
Rest Day · Mon 20 Jul
16	Tue 21 Jul	Évian-les-Bains → Thonon-les-Bains	26	ITT
17	Wed 22 Jul	Chambéry → Voiron	175	Flat
18	Thu 23 Jul	Voiron → Orcières-Merlette	185	Mountain
19	Fri 24 Jul	Gap → Alpe d'Huez	128	Mountain
20	Sat 25 Jul	Le Bourg-d'Oisans → Alpe d'Huez ★	171	Mountain
21	Sun 26 Jul	Thoiry → Paris (Champs-Élysées)	130	Flat

★ Queen stage — Stage 20 crosses the Col du Galibier (2,642 m), the race's highest point. The first rider over wins the Souvenir Henri Desgrange.

How a stage works

Each stage starts with all 180-ish riders at a start town and ends at a finish line. Before stage type matters, the same arc plays out every day.

The breakaway — early in the stage, 3–10 riders attack off the front and build a lead, sometimes reaching 20+ minutes. The peloton lets them go if none of them are overall threats, then controls the gap. On flat stages the breakaway is almost always caught; on mountain stages they can survive to the finish. Picks in a breakaway earn 1 pt / km in front.

The peloton — the main pack of 150+ riders drafting together. Riding in a group cuts wind resistance dramatically, which is why a well-organized peloton can chase down a breakaway that left 30 minutes ago and catch them with 3 km to go.

The finish — the last 3 km decide the stage. On flat stages, sprint trains form and the fastest sprinter wins. On mountain stages, GC leaders attack each other on the final climb. Your pool picks in the top 15 at the line earn Stage Scale pts (100 for a win → 1 for 15th). Classification picks earn stage placement points automatically.

Stage types

Flat

Mostly flat from start to finish, ending in a mass bunch sprint of 100+ riders hitting 70+ km/h in the final 200 meters. The fastest pure sprinter wins. Intermediate sprint points are contested midway through the stage — crucial for green jersey (Points) contenders.

Hilly / punchy

Rolling terrain with short, sharp climbs near or at the finish. Too steep for pure sprinters, too fast for the big mountain men. Versatile puncheur riders thrive here. Breakaways have a better chance of surviving than on flat stages.

Mountain

Multiple major climbs through the Alps or Pyrenees. GC time gaps are created here — a bad day can end a title bid overnight. Pure climbers can escape on the ascent and win solo. The first rider over each designated summit earns polka-dot (KOM) jersey points, even if they never threaten GC.

Individual time trial (ITT)

Each rider races solo against the clock, starting at intervals — no drafting, no teammates. A pure power test. GC standings can shift dramatically; time trial specialists and all-rounders shine here while pure climbers often lose time.

Team time trial (TTT)

The whole team races in single-file formation, taking turns at the front. Riders who can't hold the pace get dropped; the team's time is taken on a designated finisher. Usually just one TTT per Tour.

What this means for your picks

Any of your 5 pool picks finishing top 15 earns Stage Scale points. Your classification picks (GC, Points, KOM, Young Rider, Team) also earn stage placement points automatically — no action needed. The rider the jury judges most combative each stage earns their picker 25 pts combativity. And any pick spending time in the day's breakaway earns 1 pt / km in front.

Glossary

Attack

A sudden sharp acceleration to break away from the group. Every breakaway starts with an attack; mountain stages are decided by them.

Breakaway / Échappée

A small group of riders (typically 3–10) racing off the front ahead of the peloton. Usually caught on flat stages; can survive on mountains. Picks in the breakaway earn 1 pt / km in front.

Combativity award

Voted on by a jury each stage and given to the most aggressive, attacking rider of the day — usually a breakaway specialist. A pick winning this earns 25 pts.

Domestique

A teammate who sacrifices personal results to support the team leader — fetching water bottles, pacing the leader back after a crash, shielding them from crosswinds. The invisible force behind every GC win.

Drafting / slipstreaming

Riding closely behind another rider cuts wind resistance by ~30%. The rider in front does most of the work. This is why the peloton is so efficient — and why breakaways almost always get caught on flat roads.

Flamme rouge

The red flame-shaped banner hung above the road with 1 km to go. Sprint trains launch here; climbers count their final effort from it.

General Classification / GC

The overall race standings, ranked by cumulative elapsed time across all 21 stages. Small gaps add up: 30 seconds on a mountain stage here, a minute there. Your GC pick's final position determines their score on the GC Scale.

Grand Départ

French for "the big start" — the official opening stage of the Tour. This year: Barcelona, July 4. Your picks lock at this point.

HC (Hors Catégorie)

"Beyond category" — the hardest mountain climbs, awarded the most KOM points. The Col du Galibier on Stage 20 is HC and is where the Souvenir Henri Desgrange prize goes to the first rider over.

Intermediate sprint

A marked sprint point partway through a stage (not the finish line). Green jersey (Points) points and a few bonus seconds are up for grabs. Often contested by breakaway riders or sprint specialists in the peloton.

KOM / categorized climb

Summits are graded 4 (easiest) → 1 → HC (hardest) based on length and gradient. The first riders over each summit earn polka-dot jersey points. A climber can win the KOM competition without ever threatening GC. Your KOM pick's final standings determine their score on the Classification Scale.

Lanterne rouge

The rider in last place overall — the "red lantern" at the back of the train. No scoring relevance, but always has their fans.

Leadout train

A line of teammates who pace a sprint specialist to the front at full speed with 2–3 km to go, peeling off one by one. The sprinter launches from the final wheel in the last 200 meters. When it works, it's nearly unbeatable.

Peloton

The main pack of 150+ riders. Drafting in formation cuts wind resistance dramatically — this is why the peloton can chase down a breakaway 10 minutes up the road and catch them just before the finish.

Puncheur

A rider type built for short, steep climbs and punchy finishes — not quick enough for flat bunch sprints, not suited to 5-hour mountain grinds. Hirschi, Van Gils, and De Lie fit this profile. Often wins hilly stages and classic-style finishes.

Stage win

First rider across the finish line on that day's stage. A classification pick who wins a stage earns a flat 100 pt bonus. A pool pick who wins earns 100 Stage Scale pts.

Time bonus

Bonus seconds (10s / 6s / 4s) subtracted from a rider's elapsed time at select sprint and summit finishes. Can flip yellow jersey leadership even on a stage where no one attacks on GC.

Time gap

The difference in elapsed time between riders on GC. Created by finishing ahead on mountain stages, time trials, or from time bonuses. On flat stages, the whole peloton gets the same time — no gaps created.

TTT (Team Time Trial)

The whole team races the clock together in single-file formation. Riders too weak to hold the pace get dropped. Usually one TTT per Tour.

Tour de France 2026 prediction pool.