Event guide · Jul 2–Jul 25, 2027
A flat 162 km down from the Alps to the Rhône valley gives the sprinters a chance in Valence on July 15.
Stage 12 of the 2027 Tour de France runs 162 km from Chambéry to Valence on Thursday, July 15, a flat day built for the sprinters after the Alps. ASO counts about 1,600 meters of climbing, none of it categorized.
The route leaves Chambéry through Saint-Laurent-du-Pont and Voiron, crosses the Isère by way of Tullins-Fures and Vinay, passes Roybon, at 541 meters its highest point, and Hauterives, and drops through Romans-sur-Isère into the Rhône valley. ProCyclingUK flags crosswind in the last 25 km as the risk.
Valence hosted sprint finishes in 2021, when Mark Cavendish won stage 10 from Albertville, and in 2025, when Jonathan Milan won stage 17 from Bollène.
Stage 13 is another flat day, and the Tour reaches Montpellier the next day.
| Kilometer | Place | Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Chambéry | 436 m |
| 19.5 | Saint-Laurent-du-Pont | 400 m |
| 35.5 | Voiron | 347 m |
| 56.0 | Tullins-Fures | 236 m |
| 70.5 | Vinay | 267 m |
| 90.0 | Roybon | 541 m |
| 107.5 | Hauterives | 312 m |
| 133.0 | Romans-sur-Isère | 169 m |
| Finish, km 162.0 | Valence | 150 m |
Chambéry, the prefecture of Savoie, was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. Its château of the dukes dates from the 11th century, and the Fontaine des Éléphants of 1838 honors Benoît de Boigne. The 2026 Tour started stage 17 here, and the 2025 Tour de France Femmes finished a stage in Chambéry and started the next one from it.
Valence, the prefecture of the Drôme, stands on the left bank of the Rhône and has the Maison des Têtes, built from 1528 to 1532. It is a sprinters' town: Mark Cavendish won here in 2021 and Jonathan Milan in 2025.
Course figures: Organizer's profile, as reproduced by TourdeFranceParcours.fr, read 2026-10-22. Distances and altitudes may change when the route is homologated.
