Christian Prudhomme declared Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) the outright favourite for the 113th Tour de France on 2 July, ahead of his 20th edition as race director, while revealing the 2026 route was designed to stop the Slovenian killing the race from the opening week.
"He is obviously the No. 1 favourite for this edition, without the slightest doubt," Prudhomme said in an interview with L'Équipe. "He is incontestably dominant."
Prudhomme went on to say that Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) is the main challenger to the world champion after he took wins at Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro d'Italia showing he is back to full fitness after his heavy crash at the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country. He said Vingegaard was the rider he was most curious to see matched against Pogačar in the mountains.
The race director described Pogačar as possessing "a kind of almost permanent detachment in competition" and placed him alongside Eddy Merckx for his presence across the full season. But he said he hoped that dominance would not extinguish suspense too early.
"I hope Tadej Pogačar leaves some time for suspense, that he does not kill the race from the start," Prudhomme said. "The Tour was built as a crescendo for that reason too."
The 2026 route, which begins with a 19.6km team time trial in Barcelona on 4 July, includes eight mountain stages, five summit finishes and a 26km individual time trial between Évian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains on stage 16. Prudhomme said the stage design gives riders more chances to launch attacks from 20, 30 or 40 kilometres out rather than only in the final five.
The route also features two consecutive summit finishes at Alpe d'Huez on stages 19 and 20, the first time the climb has been used on back-to-back days since 1979. Stage 19 takes the classic 21 hairpins from Gap via the Col du Noyer, while stage 20 covers 170.9km over the Col du Galibier and Col de Sarenne before a second arrival at 1,850m.
Seixas and the Hinault comparison
Prudhomme saved some of his strongest praise for French teenage star Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA-CGM), as the 19-year-old is set to make his Grand Tour debut at his home race under huge pressure and expectation.
"I have not seen such potential since Bernard Hinault," Prudhomme said.
He added that he is also very impressed with Seixas' maturity when speaking with journalists before and after races. Prudhomme specifically pointed out what Seixas said after crashing in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in June, when Seixas took responsibility for his own error and expressed willingness to continue despite pain.
"It was a champion with incredible maturity who was speaking," Prudhomme said.
Seixas won the Faun-Ardèche Classic on 28 February after attacking with more than 40km remaining and soloing to the finish at 19 years old. He had already taken a stage at the Volta ao Algarve earlier in the season where he finished 2nd in GC behind a strong Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek). Prudhomme said he first texted Seixas after the rider became junior world time trial champion in September 2024, and noted Seixas replied only four days later because he did not have a phone plan in Switzerland.
"That was not even two years ago," Prudhomme said. "When you see the guy producing these performances today, it's incredible."
Seixas’ presence at the Tour will enliven French fans across the country, with huge expectations resting on the teenager after his dramatic breakthrough in France this season. So much so that, amid speculation over interest from rival teams, President Macron reportedly offered to personally intervene contract talks.
Prudhomme added that if Pogačar attacks on stages such as the Suc au May, riders like Seixas, Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) could be in his wheel. The 113th Tour starts Saturday with 184 riders from 23 teams on the line in Barcelona.
Cover image credit: Morgan Bove
