Tour de France third stage to cross Catalonia from Granollers to Les Angles

The third stage of the 2026 Tour de France will cross Catalonia, starting in Granollers and finishing at Les Angles station in Northern Catalonia, now part of France.

The stage will cover 196 kilometres and feature a total elevation gain of 3,950 metres.

One of the highlights will be the climb to the iconic Collada de Toses, a mountain pass rising to 1,800 metres in the Cadí-Moixeró mountain range.

These details were revealed on Thursday by the organizers of the iconic cycling race, who also unveiled the full program for next year's Tour.

During the presentation, Tour director Christian Prudhomme confirmed the details of the first two stages, which will also take place in Catalonia.

The Grand Départ will take place in Barcelona for the first time, on 4 July.

It will be a 19.7-kilometre team time trial, departing from Parc del Fòrum, running along the seafront avenue, passing Sagrada Família, and finishing at Montjuïc.

Although it is a team time trial, Prudhomme explained that times will be recorded individually for the general classification.

The second stage, on 5 July, will also take place in Catalonia, starting in Tarragona and finishing in Barcelona.

The 178-kilometre race will follow the Catalan coastline, passing through Begues, where the race is expected to be challenging.

The stage will conclude at the top of Montjuïc Castle. Riders will climb the 600-metre peak three times, facing a 13% incline, before finishing at the Olympic Stadium.

'The culmination of a long love story'

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni, present at the race presentation, described the Grand Départ in the city as the "culmination of a long love story" between Barcelona and the Tour de France.

"It will be a big celebration for the people of Barcelona. We want everyone to experience it from the streets and squares," he said, adding that it will be "spectacular."

Sports minister Berni Álvarez noted that many Catalan towns would benefit from the Tour passing through and highlighted Catalonia's leadership in sports organisation.

"We are ready. We want the Tour, and we want the best Tour possible," he said.

No team will participate 'under Israeli flag'

Speaking to the media after presenting the race program, Collboni assured that no team carrying the Israeli flag or competing under the name of Israel would participate in the competition.

"According to the official list recently published, there is no team representing that country," he said.

Collvoni welcomed the fact that Israel's name "does not appear on the official list" and said this is "clear enough"  to say that no one will participate "under the flag or name of the country."

"We are in a position at the international level to put pressure on the current Israeli government, which has committed genocide in Gaza," Collboni added.