Dustin's Tour de France 2026 prediction pool.

[ Grand Départ · Barcelona ] 113ᵉ Édition · 2026
The Pool · 113th Edition
Dustin's
Tour de France
Pick 'Em 2026
Barcelona → Paris · 21 stages · July 4–26
Edit · open until the Grand Départ
Your details

Set a password so you can edit your picks from any device. Your email is required for admin and pool updates — it's never shown publicly or shared. Daily recaps are optional; toggle them above.

Scored by final position · PCS scale
Classification picks

One rider per competition. Win the General Classification for 500 pts, any other jersey for 400, the team prize for 250 — and these picks also bank stage points for every top-15 finish. You can pick the same rider for more than one slot, but stage points only count once.

Winner-only flat bonus · 50 pts
Bonus picks

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

Pick up to 5 · points for every T-15 stage finish
Stage pool

Five more riders. Each time one finishes top 15 you bank points — 100 for a win, down to 1 for 15th — and they score every time it happens. Your classification picks earn stage 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
YearWinnerTimeDistanceDensity
2026this year2,071 mi86.3
2025Pogačar76h 00′ 32″2,052 mi84.0
2024Pogačar83h 38′ 56″2,174 mi78.8
2023Vingegaard82h 05′ 42″2,116 mi89.0
2022Vingegaard79h 33′ 20″2,068 mi77.0
2021Pogačar82h 56′ 36″2,122 mi79.3

Density = vertical feet climbed per mile; higher means hillier. 2026 is the second-steepest of these six — 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 only
Admin passcode

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

The pool
How it works

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

Picks stay hidden until the Grand Départ. Everyone's selections and tiebreaker guess are kept private right up to the lock on July 4 — once the race starts, all picks are revealed at once and the leaderboard goes live. No one can see your strategy beforehand, so you can lock in whenever you like.

The maths
Scoring

Classification picks earn points by final standings position. GC uses the GC scale; Points, KOM and Young Rider use the Classification scale; Team uses the Team scale. They also earn stage points for any T-15 finish.

Pool picks — your 5 riders earn points for every top-15 stage finish on the Stage scale.

Bonus picks — Souvenir Henri Desgrange and the Super Combative Prize pay a flat 50 pts for the winner. No placement scale.

Daily bonuses — 25 pts each stage a pick wins the combativity award; 1 pt per km any pick spends in the breakaway.

Ties are broken by the closest predicted GC winner total time.

Reference
Point scales
General Classification — 500 for the win, tapering to 25 for 36th–75th.
Source
The startlist

Built from the confirmed startlist as of June 29 — 150 of 184 riders across all 23 teams. Final rosters land by July 1.

Three weeks · one survivor
The hardest race in sport

Every July, the best cyclists on Earth line up for the most brutal test in sport — 21 days of racing from the Spanish coast, over the Pyrenees and the Alps, to the cobbles of Paris. They hold an average of 26 miles an hour for three straight weeks. Most will never pull on a jersey or win a stage. They go anyway — just finishing the Tour is the achievement of a career.

The 2026 route covers 2,071 miles — the distance from New York to Salt Lake City — and packs 178,000 feet of climbing along the way. That is Mount Everest, from sea level, summited six times over.

They do it in roughly 80 hours of racing: descents at 60 mph, mountain passes in the cold, tar gone soft in the heat. There are only two rest days in the entire three weeks — and even those aren't truly rest, since most riders still spin out an easy hour or two to keep their legs from seizing up. The yellow jersey goes to whoever endures every mile of it in the lowest total time. Your job is simple — pick who survives.

By the numbers
Just how hard is it?
120,000 calories
Roughly what a rider burns over the three weeks — more than 200 Big Macs. A single Alpine stage can hit 8,000 to 9,000, and many riders still finish the Tour lighter than they started.
442 watts for 40 minutes
Tadej Pogačar's estimated power on a long climb — close to 7 watts for every kilo he weighs. A fit amateur might hold 250 watts for an hour. It's a different species.
42 km/h average
The modern peloton's pace across an entire stage — about 26 mph, sustained for four to six hours. 2025 was the fastest season in the sport's recorded history.
2 litres of sweat an hour
What riders can shed in the heat, draining a bottle an hour just to keep up — and still crossing the line dehydrated.
Orientation
The basics

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

Watch: every stage streams live on Peacock. NBC airs the Grand Départ, the Paris finale, and select mountain stages. The official Tour YouTube channel posts daily highlight recaps.

Track results: ProCyclingStats has live standings and rider profiles — the source this pool scores from.

The race
What is the Tour?

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

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

The competitions
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 for finishing positions on each stage (more on flat days) and at intermediate sprints. The best sprinter, not the fastest overall, wins this.
Polka
KOM — King of the Mountains
Points to the first riders over each designated climb. The best climber over the whole race — 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 a future GC contender.
Two more for the pool
Bonus prizes
HD
Souvenir Henri Desgrange
A one-off prize for the first rider over the race's highest point, the Col du Galibier, on Stage 20. Named for the Tour's 1903 founder. Usually a pure climber in the break.
Super
Super Combative Prize
Awarded in Paris to the most attacking rider of the whole Tour — someone who spent time in breakaways and animated the race. Rarely a GC contender.
Barcelona → Paris
The 21 stages
1Sat 4 JulBarcelona → Barcelona19.7 kmTTT
2Sun 5 JulTarragona → Barcelona168.5 kmHilly
3Mon 6 JulGranollers → Les Angles196 kmMtn
4Tue 7 JulCarcassonne → Foix182 kmHilly
5Wed 8 JulLannemezan → Pau158 kmFlat
6Thu 9 JulPau → Gavarnie-Gèdre186 kmMtn
7Fri 10 JulHagetmau → Bordeaux175 kmFlat
8Sat 11 JulPérigueux → Bergerac182 kmFlat
9Sun 12 JulMalemort → Ussel185 kmHilly
Rest Day · Mon 13 Jul
10Tue 14 JulAurillac → Le Lioran167 kmMtn
11Wed 15 JulVichy → Nevers161 kmFlat
12Thu 16 JulMagny-Cours → Chalon181 kmFlat
13Fri 17 JulDole → Belfort205 kmHilly
14Sat 18 JulMulhouse → Le Markstein155 kmMtn
15Sun 19 JulChampagnole → Solaison184 kmMtn
Rest Day · Mon 20 Jul
16Tue 21 JulÉvian → Thonon26 kmITT
17Wed 22 JulChambéry → Voiron175 kmFlat
18Thu 23 JulVoiron → Orcières185 kmMtn
19Fri 24 JulGap → Alpe d'Huez128 kmMtn
20Sat 25 JulBourg-d'Oisans → Alpe d'Huez ★171 kmMtn
21Sun 26 JulThoiry → Paris130 kmFlat

★ 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.

Every day, the same arc
How a stage works

The breakaway — early on, 3–10 riders attack off the front and build a lead. The peloton lets them go if none threaten the overall, then controls the gap. On flat days they're almost always caught; in the mountains they can survive. 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 how a well-organised peloton chases down a breakaway that left 30 minutes up the road.

The finish — the last 3 km decide it. On flat stages, sprint trains form and the fastest sprinter wins; in the mountains, GC leaders attack on the final climb. Pool picks in the top 15 earn Stage scale pts — 100 for a win, 1 for 15th.

Flat
Mostly flat, ending in a mass bunch sprint of 100+ riders at 70+ km/h. The fastest pure sprinter wins. Intermediate sprints midway are crucial for green-jersey contenders.
Hilly / punchy
Rolling terrain with short, sharp climbs near the finish. Too steep for pure sprinters, too fast for the climbers. Versatile puncheurs thrive; breakaways have a better chance.
Mountain
Multiple major climbs through the Alps or Pyrenees. GC time gaps are made here — a bad day can end a title bid. Pure climbers can escape and win solo; first over each summit takes KOM points.
Individual time trial (ITT)
Each rider races solo against the clock — no drafting, no teammates. A pure power test. GC can shift dramatically; specialists and all-rounders shine, pure climbers often lose time.
Team time trial (TTT)
The whole team races in single-file formation, taking turns at the front. The team's time is taken on a designated finisher. Usually just one per Tour.
The language
Glossary
Attack
A sudden sharp acceleration to break clear of the group. Every breakaway starts with one; mountain stages are decided by them.
Breakaway / Échappée
A small group (3–10) racing off the front ahead of the peloton. Usually caught on flat stages, can survive in the mountains. Picks in the break earn 1 pt per km in front.
Combativity award
Voted by a jury each stage for the most aggressive rider of the day — usually a breakaway specialist. A pick winning it earns you 25 pts.
Domestique
A teammate who sacrifices personal results to support the leader — fetching bottles, pacing them back after a crash, shielding them from the wind. The invisible force behind every GC win.
Drafting / slipstreaming
Riding close behind another rider cuts wind resistance by ~30%. Why the peloton is so efficient — and why flat-stage breakaways almost always get caught.
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 standings, ranked by cumulative time across all 21 stages. Small gaps add up. Your GC pick's final position sets their score on the GC scale.
Grand Départ
French for "the big start" — the opening stage. This year, Barcelona, July 4. Your picks lock at this point.
HC (Hors Catégorie)
"Beyond category" — the hardest climbs, worth the most KOM points. The Col du Galibier on Stage 20 is HC, and where the Souvenir Henri Desgrange is decided.
Intermediate sprint
A marked sprint point partway through a stage. Green-jersey points and a few bonus seconds are up for grabs, often contested by the break or sprint teams.
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 pacing a sprinter to the front at full speed in the final 2–3 km, peeling off one by one. When it works, it's nearly unbeatable.
Peloton
The main pack of 150+ riders. Drafting in formation cuts wind resistance dramatically — how the bunch reels in a breakaway minutes up the road.
Puncheur
A rider built for short, steep climbs and punchy finishes — not quick enough for bunch sprints, not suited to long mountain grinds. Often wins hilly stages.
Time gap
The difference in elapsed time between riders on GC, made on mountains, time trials, or via time bonuses. On flat stages the whole bunch gets the same time.
TTT (Team Time Trial)
The whole team races the clock together in single file. Riders too weak to hold the pace get dropped. Usually one per Tour.
Something not working?