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Preview: 2026 Tour de France, stage 2

Preview: 2026 Tour de France, stage 2

A punchy finale could favor the Tour's defending champ.

Stage 2: Tarragona to Barcelona - 168.5 km

Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026

Streaming: 🇺🇸 Peacock, 🇬🇧 TNT Sports, 🇨🇦 FloBikes, 🇦🇺 SBS On Demand

Estimated finish time: 🇺🇸🇨🇦 11:35 am EDT/🇬🇧 4:35 pm BST/🇪🇺 5:35 pm CEST/🇦🇺 1:35 am AEST

Stage type: Hilly

Total elevation gain: 2,500 m

Route summary: The Tour's second stage will give the puncheurs a shot at yellow. Once again, the Montjüic will play a key role in the stage. This time, riders will climb up to the castle atop the hill, a 1.6 km ascent at 9.3%, and they'll do it three times as part of a circuit. That circuit will give the stage the feel of a hilly classic.

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