- In the men's race, victory went to Luca Cavallo, a 26-year-old Italian rider (Team Julbo), in 5:20:20. He finished 4'11" ahead of Frenchman Thibaut Clément and 12'05" ahead of Antoine Berger.
- In the women's race, Victoria Stansfield, a British rider based in Chamonix, claimed victory in 6:19:12. She finished ahead of two Italians: Martina Cavallo (+3'19") and Annalisa Prato (+8'49").
- 15,200 riders from 79 different countries set off on the 170 km route between Bourg d'Oisans and Alpe d'Huez.
- Three legendary Tour de France climbs (the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier) preceded the final ascent via the Col de Sarenne. The route featured 65 km of climbing and 5,400 metres of elevation gain.
- Riders crossed the finish line in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.
- Ideal weather conditions: bright sunshine without extreme heat, and no excessive wind on the mountain passes.
- An undeniable popular success, with thousands of smiling faces at the finish line.
- Several well-known personalities thoroughly enjoyed the experience, including Arnaud Tsamère, Ophélie David and Mathis Desloges.
In the opinion of most of the participants, even before they set off, this was undoubtedly the most demanding route ever offered by L'Étape du Tour de France since the event was created. Luca Cavallo's victory in this 34th edition, which brought together 15,200 riders from 79 countries, therefore carries a special significance and was a remarkable achievement. The 26-year-old Italian completed the 170 km Alpine loop, starting and finishing in the Isère department while passing through Savoie and the Hautes-Alpes, in 5:20:20. He joins a prestigious list of former winners including Christophe Rinero (1993), Igor Pavlov (1994, 2000, 2001), Thierry Bourguignon (1995), Nicolas Fritsch (2007) and Stefan Kirchmair (2022). He finished 4'11" ahead of Frenchman Thibaut Clément and 12'05" ahead of Antoine Berger.
In the women's race, victory went to Victoria Stansfield, who is based in Chamonix. Already the winner of L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift last year and of the Marmotte Granfondo Alpes a few weeks ago, the British rider completed the course in 6:19:12. She finished ahead of two Italians, Martina Cavallo (+3'19") and Annalisa Prato (+8'49").
From Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez, participants enjoyed ideal conditions: brilliant sunshine, no heatwave, temperatures ranging from 15°C to 25°C throughout the route, with no sudden changes in the weather and no excessive winds on the mountain passes. In this stunning setting, where simply taking in the scenery is worthwhile even without a sporting objective, the weather was kind, and no one complained given the challenges already awaiting them on the route. The Col de la Croix de Fer (Hors Catégorie, 24 km at an average gradient of 5.2%, climbed for the 22nd time in Tour de France history this year), the Col du Télégraphe (Category 1, 11.9 km at 7.1%), the Col du Galibier (Hors Catégorie, 17.7 km at 6.9%, reaching 2,642 m, the highest point of the 2026 Tour de France), and the final ascent via the Col de Sarenne (Hors Catégorie, 12.8 km at 7.3%) made for an exceptionally demanding menu for the riders (65 km of climbing and 5,400 metres of elevation gain).
Luca Cavallo mastered this extremely demanding course, ridden on closed roads and under conditions similar to those the Yellow Jersey contenders will face on Saturday 25 July, during Stage 20 of the Tour de France. While an initial lead group of around 50 riders formed on the Col de la Croix de Fer, only 13 remained at the front by the bottom of the descent. Luca Cavallo set a relentless pace on the Col du Télégraphe to force the selection, with only Thibaut Clément, Nicolas Dricot, Baptiste Lombardi (winner of the 2026 Marmotte Granfondo) and Antoine Berger able to follow. That select group eventually broke apart on the Col du Galibier, where the Italian rider pulled away early on his way to victory. Holding a lead of 2'20" over Thibaut Clément after the Galibier descent, he was never threatened again.
Leading the way for the Tour de France peloton is both a joy and a source of pride for the Team Julbo rider from Cuneo, Italy: "Today, I achieved the greatest victory of my career. I climbed the Télégraphe at my own pace with the other riders on my wheel, then attacked on the Galibier, just as I did when I won the Marmotte last year, where I had already finished ahead of Thibaut Clément (editor's note: that race also finished in Alpe d'Huez, via the legendary 21 bends). The weather was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold. The scenery was magnificent, but it was still extremely hard, especially the final climb of the Col de Sarenne. I stayed flat out all the way to the finish."
The same sense of legitimate emotion was shared by Victoria Stansfield, a former trail runner who recently took up cycling after suffering a fractured pelvis: "I've never had such a good day on a bike, it was incredible.
The best ever! It was really hard, the final climb to the Col de Sarenne was tough! It was the first time in a race that I completely cracked and felt like I couldn't turn the pedals anymore. My team supported me, the spectators did too, and I'm very happy. I especially loved the Col du Télégraphe – the support there was incredible." Several well-known figures from the world of sport and beyond took part in the event. Among them was Mathis Desloges (Team Julbo), triple silver medallist in cross-country skiing at the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games last February (10 km individual, skiathlon and 4 × 7.5 km relay). Originally from Saint-Martin-d'Hères and now living in the Vercors region, he felt very much at home on Sunday's course. Above all, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience, completing the route in 6:53:03: "As you could see, cycling isn't really my speciality (laughs). More seriously, I really enjoyed it, without riding flat out either. But anyone who says they finish without being tired is lying! In cross-country skiing, my races last around 40 minutes. Nearly seven hours on a bike is a completely different story. It was a fantastic event. I managed to enjoy some of the scenery, probably a little more than Luca Cavallo did. I'll have some wonderful memories of this day."
Many other familiar faces who took part in the event are likely to share that feeling. Comedian Arnaud Tsamère, in outstanding shape, present in the event village from Friday onwards, a fan of this type of extreme challenge and someone who grew up idolising Laurent Fignon, lined up at the start of L'Étape du Tour de France. Ophélie David (49), the 2007 ski cross world champion, three-time winner of the discipline's World Cup (2006, 2008 and 2009) and four-time X Games champion (2007 to 2010), also took on the challenge in the colours of Team Julbo. Just two examples among many… Alongside the winners and well-known personalities were thousands of passionate riders, who were treated to breathtaking scenery all the way to the final climb through the protected area of the Écrins National Park. Hours of suffering on the climbs, but also the pleasure of taking part, enjoying the spectacular landscapes and riding on legendary roads in unique conditions.
A native of the Loiret region, a cross-country skiing specialist (national level, French Cup), a registered cyclist in Super-Besse (Puy-de-Dôme) for many years, and a student training to become an occupational therapist, Camille Bacquenois (22) finished the race as exhausted as she was proud and happy: “This is the fifth time I’ve done L'Étape du Tour de France. This year, it was just as tough as in 2022 between Briançon and Alpe d’Huez. Back then, I was 17, and it wasn’t exactly a great idea (laughs). This time, I thought I’d take 10 hours, but I finished in much less time (8h37’15’’). The Galibier seemed very long to me, and so did the last 4 kilometers to Sarenne. I love this challenge. Every time, I want to prove to myself that I can pull off this kind of thing. I’m proud. I knew I was going to finish!"
