2026 Haute Route Alps route has been announced

The 2026 Haute Route Alps Route

The 2026 route was announced on 10 December. Sportive Breaks are Official Premium Tour Operator for the Haute Route Alps. With Sportive Breaks enjoy support from our experienced local team. We offer hotels in the best locations for start and finish access. We also collect your luggage every day and deliver your bags to the next hotel. Mechanical support and airport transfers are also available. 

BOOK NOW HERE – Haute Route Alps 2026 – Sportive Breaks

2026 Haute Route Route Details

Event Dates: Sunday 23 to Saturday 29 August 2026

Tour Dates: Saturday 22 to Sunday 30 August
Distance: 808 km Elevation Gain: ~19255m
Stages: 6 stages | 1 individual time trial
Start Location: Nice, Cote d’Azur
Finish Location: Thonon near Geneva

Stage by Stage

Sunday 23 May 2026 – STAGE 1 : NICE → CUNEO

182 km – 4020 M+
La Colmiane – 1513 m
Col de la Lombarde – 2340 m

The awakening is brutal, magnificent. With 4000 meters of elevation gain for your baptism into the Haute Route 2026. La Colmiane welcomes you gently, before La Lombarde tips you into the unknown. This is the boldest stage of the route: no warm-up, no compromise. Just you and the Alps, face to face from the very first pedal stroke. Welcome to Italy. Welcome to the deep end.

Monday 24 August 2026 – STAGE 2 : CUNEO → COL D’IZOARD (Briançon)

141 km – 3610 M+
Col d’Agnel – 2744 m
Col d’Izoard – 2360 m

Agnel first, in its Italian version: rougher, longer, wilder. Then Izoard rises before you. You are no longer simply a cyclist: you become part of an epic. A stage where every turn resonates as a tribute to the giants who came before you.

Tuesday 25 August 2026 – STAGE 3 : BRIANÇON → L’ALPE D’HUEZ

79 km – 2375 M+
Col du Lautaret – 2060 m
Col de Sarenne – 1993 m

A compact but sensational stage. Lautaret sets the rhythm for the day, then Sarenne reveals its most beautiful and difficult face, a raw gem. The final arrival at Alpe d’Huez, on the iconic Tour de France finish line: the moment your adventure becomes legendary.

Wednesday 26 August – STAGE 4 : TIME TRIAL – BOURG D’OISANS → ALPE D’HUEZ

16 km – 1125 M+
21 hairpins / 1838 m

Alone facing the mountain. Alone facing yourself. 16 kilometers to give everything. 21 bends to surpass yourself. No peloton, no escape. Just the sound of your breath, the fire in your legs, and eternity unfolding at every hairpin. A pure time trial. Mythical. Unforgettable.

Thursday 27 August – STAGE 5 : L’ALPE D’HUEZ → MEGÈVE

169 km – 3525 M+
Col du Glandon – 1924 m
Signal de Bisanne – 1730 m and Col des Saisies – 1650 m

The marathon stage. Col du Glandon welcomes you with its majestic lake, overlooked by a monumental dam. Then Bisanne emerges, confidential and formidable, climbed only once in Haute Route history. Finally, Les Saisies to close this extraordinary day. A long, varied, demanding route. A crossing of Maurienne that will remind you why you came seeking adventure.

Friday 28 August 2026 – STAGE 6 : MEGÈVE → MEGÈVE ALTIPORT / CÔTE 2000

100 km– 2560 M+
Col des Aravis – 1483 m
Col de la Colombière – 1609 m
Côte 2000 – 1500 m

The Aravis at their finest. La Colombière unveils an XXL panorama of Mont Blanc, majestic and relentless. Then the arrival at Côte 2000, an exceptional setting in the heart of Megève. An elegant and surprising stage.

Saturday 29 August 2026 – STAGE 7 : MEGÈVE → THONON

119 km – 2040 M+
Col de Joux-Plane – 1712 m

The final stage. More accessible on paper, but make no mistake: Joux-Plane awaits you, formidable, climbed only once by the Haute Route Alps. Then comes the glide toward Lake Geneva, the mountains gently fading, and the finish line that seals your crossing. You have tamed the Alps. You have written your own legend. You are a Finisher.