Four days of racing through southern France in mid-June
La Route d’Occitanie
A mid-June stage race through southern France that serves as final preparation before the Tour de France.
- Location
- 🇫🇷 France
- When
- Mid June
- Course
- Stage Race
- Most recent winner
- 🇮🇹 Davide Piganzoli (2026)
- Category
- Men’s Continental
About La Route d’Occitanie
La Route d'Occitanie is a four-day men's cycling stage race held each June in southern France. The route typically moves through the Occitanie region, finishing with a summit stage in the Pyrenees that settles the general classification.
This is the last chance to race into form before the Tour de France. The calendar slot makes it a proving ground for riders finalizing their condition and teams testing their mountain support. The Pyrenean finale usually delivers a genuine climbing test, and the June heat adds another variable that separates those who are ready from those who are not.
La Route d’Occitanie winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 🇮🇹Davide Piganzoli |
| 2025 | 🇮🇪Eddie Dunbar |
| 2024 | 🇺🇸Brandon McNulty |
| 2023 | 🇦🇺Ben O Connor |
| 2022 | 🇫🇷Romain Bardet |
| 2021 | 🇫🇷Elie Gesbert |
| 2019 | 🇨🇴Egan Bernal |
2026 results
This edition is complete.
La Route d’Occitanie route
The race builds across four days, with the opening stages typically favoring sprinters or breakaway specialists before the route turns upward. The decisive stage is almost always a Pyrenean mountain finish, often featuring multiple categorized climbs and a summit arrival that can create gaps of several minutes. Time bonuses and positioning in the earlier stages matter, but the general classification is nearly always settled on the final climb. Teams use the race to rehearse Tour de France mountain trains, so expect to see domestiques setting tempo on the lower slopes before leaders attack in the final kilometers. The mid-June timing means heat can be a factor, particularly on exposed valley roads leading into the climbs.
What shapes the race
Race type
Four-day stage race through southwestern France, typically building toward a Pyrenean summit finish.
Pyrenean finale
The decisive stage almost always features a Pyrenean mountain finish that settles the GC.
Tour rehearsal
The mid-June timing makes it a final form test for riders targeting the Tour de France.
Signature landmarks
Southwestern France, from rolling foothills to the Pyrenees.
- Climb
Pyrenean summit finish
The race typically includes at least one Pyrenean mountain stage that decides the overall classification.
- Terrain
Occitanie countryside
Rolling stages through southwestern France before the mountains arrive.
History
Memorable editions
- 2019
Bernal dominates before Tour glory
Egan Bernal won convincingly and went on to win the Tour de France weeks later.
- 2022
Bardet wins on home roads
Romain Bardet used the Pyrenean terrain to take the overall on French home soil.
Iconic victories
Egan Bernal
Won in 2019 before his breakthrough Tour de France victory.
Romain Bardet
Won in 2022, a French climber on southwestern French roads.
Brandon McNulty
Won in 2024 with time-trial and climbing strength.
Eras and records
Formerly the Route du Sud, a Pyrenean stage race with deep French roots.
Heritage
Formerly known as the Route du Sud, the race has deep roots in southwestern French cycling.
Tour connection
Multiple recent winners have gone on to perform strongly at the Tour de France.