Tour de l'Ain Cycliste - Étape 1 : Parc des Oiseaux Villars-lès-Dombes / Bourg-en-Bresse (160,9 km)

It's a day that could go in the favour of the sprinters... but it's also a day when the long-distance runners will have something to play for!

Between the hilly roads of the Dombes region and the long, fast stretches of the Bresse region, the peloton will have to remain vigilant all day long.

Difficulty of the day :

- Côte de Coligny
1.4 km at 3.3%, just over 50 km from the finish.

Even if the profile looks relatively rolling, this first stage could already provoke breaks depending on the wind and the pace set by the sprinters' teams.

A nervous and fast start to this 2026 edition of the Tour de l'Ain!

Here are the stages for the 2026 Tour de l'Ain cycliste:

Stage 1 (160.9 km)
Start: Parc des Oiseaux (Villars-les-Dombes -Communauté de Communes de la Dombes)
Finish: Ville de Bourg-en-Bresse
A nervous opening in the Dombes
The start will be given from the Parc des Oiseaux in Villars-les-Dombes, which has become a key venue for major French races. The first stage should be suitable for fast riders and puncheurs, with a typical Dombes road profile. Nothing insurmountable on paper, but enough traps to provoke tackles, long-distance offensives and first breaks.
The sprinters' teams will undoubtedly find it hard to control a race that traditionally refuses to accept pre-written scenarios. On these narrow, hilly roads, vigilance will already be essential.

Stage 2 (161.9 km)
Start: Ville de Saint-Vulbas
Finish: Ville de Lagnieu Communauté de Communes de la Plaine de l'Ain
Bugey as intermediate justice of the peace
The second day takes the peloton into another dimension. The relief of the Bugey region, a historic terrain for cycling in the Rhône-Alpes region, will bring progressive wear and tear, with a series of climbs capable of eliminating pure sprinters. The Tour de l'Ain loves these hybrid stages, where attacks come from afar and the leaders have to discover themselves.
This will probably be the moment chosen by ambitious teams to tighten up the race. The overall classification may not yet be won, but it could already be lost.

Stage 3 (131.50 km)
Start: Ville d'Oyonnax - Haut-Bugey Agglomération
Finish: Commune de Lélex - Pays de Gex agglo
Between Dombes, Bresse, Plaine de l'Ain and Monts Jura, the Tour de l'Ain 2026 once again promises an exceptional spectacle on the roads of Ain.
The Ain remains a land of mythical mountain passes
Between the Grand Colombier, the Biche and the steep roads of the Haut-Bugey, the terrain offers an ideal stage for great explanations. And even when the climbs are less famous, they often produce spectacular gaps thanks to their irregularity and the summer heat.

In this context, explosive profiles capable of coping with changes of pace could be at an advantage. In particular, young French climbers will have a great opportunity to prove themselves against the WorldTour teams expected at the start.

We look forward to seeing you from July 28 to 30, 2026, when the international peloton will be in full swing!

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