After Bryan Coquard's victory this weekend at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille La Marseillaise (click to see the top 10 finishers and the final kilometers on video), the French cycling season continues this Wednesday with L'Etoile de Bessèges 2026 (officially L'Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard since 2021).

This 5-day stage race usually takes place in the Gard department, and this year's program perfectly follows its borders!

Find all the information about the race below, including timetables, detailed maps that can be zoomed in on at will on OpenStreetMap (and also downloadable in Google Earth), stage profiles and the list of starters.

The route for the 2026 Etoile de Bessèges was already available in the velowire app!

As has been the case since the Tour de France 2025, the map for the 2026 Etoile de Bessèges was first available in the velowire app on mobile or tablet. This will now be the case for all cycling race maps: you will find them first in the velowire app!

What's more, in the velowire app, you can view the map in full screen, find your location on the map, and even track your movements on the map in relation to the route by activating GPS tracking if you wish.

Download the velowire app from the app stores:
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The route of the Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard 2026

Below you will find details of the five stages of the Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard 2026 on OpenStreetMap maps. The Etoile de Bessèges has a few classic stages, with Bellegarde > Bellegarde on Wednesday, Bessèges > Bessèges on Friday and Alès > Alès in an individual time trial on Sunday, but the routes for these stages always vary slightly from year to year, and this is once again the case this time, with some of these stages having changed quite a bit compared to last year.

Let's not wait any longer and now find out all the details!

1/ Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - Bellegarde > Bellegarde - 150.08 km

The first stage will start and finish in Bellegarde. After a first mini loop on the south side of the town, the riders will continue to follow the black arrows on the map, heading north to Manduel and Redessan, before turning right and continuing east to Jonquières-Saint-Vincent and up to Montfrin and Aramon, before following the Rhône to return to Beaucaire.

Still following the black arrows, they continue a little further before turning right again and following the Rhône south. Back on the Bellegarde side, they head in the opposite direction —following the red arrows— towards the Côte de la Méditerranée (3rd category) before crossing the finish line for the first time.

They then head straight for Beaucaire, where they turn right again to follow the Rhône. Back in Bellegarde, another climb up the Côte de la Méditerranée is on the program, and they then complete this loop one last time... before heading for the finish line in Bellegarde for the final time.

Below you will find the timetable, profile, and OpenStreetMap map of this stage's route. Click on the images to enlarge them.

2/ Thursday, February 5, 2026 - Saint-Gilles > Domessargues - 101.5 miles

The second stage of the 2026 Etoile de Bessèges will start in Saint-Gilles, just southwest of Bellegarde.

This stage heads northwest through Caissargues, Milhaud, Bernis, Langlade, Cavairac, and Clarensac before climbing the Côte de Clarensac (2) and continuing north through Parignargues and Saint-Mamert-du-Gard before arriving in Gajan and joining the final circuit. The riders will ride this circuit in an anti-clockwise direction, turning right at La Calmette to head towards Saint-Chaptes and continuing on via Bourdic and Moussac, before turning towards Sauzet and finally heading towards Domessargues, where the riders will cross the finish line for the first time.

Continuing on, they climb through Mauressargues and Montagnac, then ascend the Côte de Montagnac (3rd category) before descending back to the starting point of the circuit. They then repeat the same circuit before opting for a shorter version of the final loop, which climbs from La Calmette directly north to Nozières, before heading back to Domessargues where the victory of this second stage will be decided.

Below you will find the timetable, profile, and OpenStreetMap map of this stage's route. Click on the images to enlarge them.

3/ Friday, February 6, 2026 - Bessèges > Bessèges - 162.34 km

As usual in the Etoile de Bessèges 2026, this third stage will take place around Bessèges.

First, there will be a large circuit that will take riders to the northernmost parts of the Gard department, near Gagnières, Saint-Brès, Saint-Victor-de-Malcap, Barjac, and Montclus, before arriving at the Côte de Méjannes-le-Clap climb (2nd category). In Lussan, they will then begin the return journey to Bessèges, passing through Allègre-les-Fumade and Les Mages, before turning right towards the Col des Brousses climb (2nd category) and heading back towards Bessèges, where they will cross the finish line for the first time.

A smaller loop then awaits the riders, with the Col de Trélis (1st category) and Col des Brousses (2nd category) climbs before returning to Bessèges. After completing this loop once more, the next return to Bessèges will be decisive as the stage victory will be decided here!

Below you will find the timetable, profile, and OpenStreetMap map of this stage's route. Click on the images to enlarge them.

4/ Saturday, February 7, 2026 - Saint-Christol-les-Alès > Vauvert - 96.74 miles

The fourth and penultimate stage of the 2026 Etoile de Bessèges will start in Saint-Christol-les-Alès on Saturday. It will begin with a triangular circuit, followed by a straight section, and will end with a mini-circuit near the finish line.

First, there is the triangular circuit: via Massanes, Anduze, and the Côte d'Anduze (3rd category), the riders return not far from the start of the stage. A second loop is completed in the same way, while on the third lap, the riders turn left at La Madeleine to begin the straight section of this stage.

They pass through Saint-Jean-de-Crieulon, Quissac, Gailhan, Sommières, and Vergèze before heading towards Vauvert. As they cross the finish line, another small circuit awaits them, which the riders complete twice before the winner of this stage is announced.

Below you will find the schedule, profile, and OpenStreetMap map of this stage's route. Click on the images to enlarge them.

5/ Sunday, February 8, 2026 - Alès > Alès - individual time trial - 10.25 km

The Etoile de Bessèges 2026 without the individual time trial in Alès would not be the Etoile de Bessèges 2026.

The route is again slightly different from last year's. First, from the city center, each rider will descend to the quays and then head east on the north side of the Gardon d'Alès. Just before reaching the second roundabout, they will turn around and head back to the previous roundabout, where they will turn left to cross the river. They will turn left again, this time to follow the river on the other side. There, just before the Pont du 18 Juin 1940 bridge, they will turn around to return to the bridge and continue on their way before turning left onto the Route de Saint Jean du Pin and beginning the final climb of the Côte de l'Ermitage, where they will take turns in the "hot seat" until the winner of this time trial is known... and the overall classification!

Below you will find the timetable, profile, and OpenStreetMap map of this stage's route. Click on the images to enlarge them.

Download the route of the Etoile de Bessèges 2026 in Google Earth

Would you prefer to see the route of all the stages of the Etoile de Bessèges 2026 at a glance? Or would you like to take a virtual flight over one or more of its stages? You can do so by downloading the KML file below:

>> Download the route of the Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard 2026 in Google Earth

The list of starters for the 2026 Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard

111 riders will start the Etoile de Bessèges 2026, representing 16 teams.

>> Download the list of starters, with bib numbers, for the Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard 2026

door Thomas Vergouwen
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this publication is published in: Etoile de Bessèges | OpenStreetMap/Google Maps/Google Earth

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