THE TIMEZONE TAX · TOUR DE FRANCE 2026
Which cycling fan bases lose the most sleep to the 2026 Tour?
21 stages. 15 major fan-base countries. Every stage finish scored by local hour.
0-25 Ideal 26-50 Fair 51-75 Poor 76-100 Worst
Scoring is based on stage finish hour in the fan's local timezone. Lower = better viewing schedule. Higher = more sleep lost.
All 15 Fan Bases Ranked
Rank Country Score Sleep-zone finishes
#1 🇦🇺 Australia 92/100 21 of 21
#2 🇯🇵 Japan 82/100 21 of 21
#3 🇺🇸 United States 13/100 0 of 21
#4 🇨🇦 Canada 13/100 0 of 21
#5 🇨🇴 Colombia 13/100 0 of 21
#6 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 7/100 0 of 21
#7 🇫🇷 France 0/100 0 of 21
#8 🇪🇸 Spain 0/100 0 of 21
#9 🇧🇪 Belgium 0/100 0 of 21
#10 🇳🇱 Netherlands 0/100 0 of 21
#11 🇮🇹 Italy 0/100 0 of 21
#12 🇩🇪 Germany 0/100 0 of 21
#13 🇩🇰 Denmark 0/100 0 of 21
#14 🇸🇮 Slovenia 0/100 0 of 21
#15 🇳🇴 Norway 0/100 0 of 21
Stage-by-Stage Pain Heatmap
Columns = fan bases, rows = stages. Cell color shows local pain; number is local finish hour.
| Stage | 🇦🇺 AUS | 🇯🇵 JAP | 🇺🇸 UNI | 🇨🇦 CAN | 🇨🇴 COL | 🇬🇧 UNI | 🇫🇷 FRA | 🇪🇸 SPA | 🇧🇪 BEL | 🇳🇱 NET | 🇮🇹 ITA | 🇩🇪 GER | 🇩🇰 DEN | 🇸🇮 SLO | 🇳🇴 NOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 Barcelona | 03:00 | 02:00 | 13:00 | 13:00 | 12:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 |
| S2 Barcelona | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S3 Les Angles | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S4 Foix | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S5 Pau | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S6 Gavarnie-Gedre | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S7 Bordeaux | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S8 Bergerac | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S9 Ussel | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S10 Le Lioran | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S11 Nevers | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S12 Chalon-sur-Saone | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S13 Belfort | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S14 Le Markstein Fellering | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S15 Plateau de Solaison | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S16 Thonon-les-Bains | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S17 Voiron | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S18 Orcieres-Merlette | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S19 Alpe d'Huez | 01:00 | 00:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| S20 Alpe d'Huez | 02:00 | 01:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
| S21 Paris (Champs-Elysees) | 04:00 | 03:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 13:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 |
FAQ
- What is the Timezone Tax for the Tour de France?
- The Timezone Tax measures how painful it is for cycling fans to watch stage finishes live. Each of the 21 stages is scored from 0 (stage finishes in prime time or normal daytime) to 8 (finishes in the 02:00-03:59 dead zone). A country's final score is the average pain across all 21 stage finishes, normalized to 0-100.
- Which country has the worst schedule for watching the 2026 Tour de France?
- Australia has the highest Timezone Tax score at 92/100. Most TdF stages finish in the late European afternoon, which lands in the sleep zone for fans on the other side of the world.
- Which country has the best Tour de France viewing schedule?
- Norway fans face the lowest Timezone Tax at 0/100 — most stages finish right in prime time, perfect for dinner-and-TV viewing.
- Why does this use stage finish times, not start times?
- Cycling fans tune in for the decisive final 30-60 minutes — the sprint, the climb, the breakaway. Start times land in early afternoon across Europe and matter less for viewing planning. Finish times are when the drama happens.
- Is this data official?
- Scoring is derived from the ASO-published 2026 route. Start times are provisional (ASO confirms them ~2 months before the race); stage durations are estimated based on distance and profile. Updated automatically when ASO releases final times.
- Why is 02:00 scored 8 but 04:00 only 5?
- A 04:00 finish is an early alarm you can prepare for — set the clock, brew coffee, watch the climb. A 02:00 finish is the worst: too late to stay up, too early to wake, no viewing strategy works. The scoring reflects how fans actually experience these times.