Continental at Tour de France 2026: Performance Across the Entire Race Setup

Hanover, Germany, June 23, 2026. As the Tour de France returns for its 113th edition, Continental once again supports the race with tire technology across the entire event ecosystem, underscoring its role as a key mobility partner in elite cycling. The 2026 Tour takes place from July 4 to July 26, covering 3,333 kilometers across 21 stages, from Barcelona to Paris. 

From start to finish, Continental will provide more than 1,000 bicycle tires, over 400 tires for support vehicles, and 120 motorcycle tires, supporting a fleet of more than 70 vehicles and around 30 motorbikes. As one of the main official partners of the Tour de France, Continental ensures maximum performance under highly demanding conditions. The long standing partnership, now in its 9th standing year, demonstrates how Continental technology helps keep the race moving reliably from one stage to the next. 

Race-proven technology powering the world’s top teams

Continental is equipping six teams in this year’s Tour de France with road bike tires, this is more than a quarter of the peloton. At the world’s most prestigious cycling race, the teams Groupama-FDJ United, UAE Team Emirates – XRG, Movistar Team, Bahrain Victorious, Decathlon CMA CGM AG2R La Mondiale, and Uno-X Mobility rely on Continental tires. 

“The trust placed in us by the six teams is both an honor and an incentive. The Tour is decided by the smallest details: on every stage, in every kind of weather and on every surface. That is why we put so much time and effort into developing our tires in close collaboration with the professional racing teams. And ultimately, recreational riders benefit as well,” said Hannah Ferle, Continental product expert for bicycle tires. Depending on the stage profile, teams rely on four different Continental models. The main tire is the Grand Prix 5000 S TR, which weighs between 250 and 365 grams depending on size and features a puncture protection layer. In changing weather conditions, teams use the all-season Grand Prix 5000 AS TR, which offers enhanced grip on wet asphalt. For time trial stages, riders roll on the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR, designed for particularly low rolling resistance, with a construction optimized to minimize energy loss. On stages with strong crosswinds, teams turn to the Aero 111, whose front-wheel profile is engineered to guide airflow and reduce turbulence. 

Since the first Tour de France in 1903, the average speed has increased from around 25 to over 40 kilometers per hour –despite a more demanding route profile at the same time. This continuous rise in race intensity is not limited to the riders alone but also places greater demands on the entire race convoy. Team cars must operate at similarly high speeds while maintaining precise positioning, responsiveness and control in often unpredictable race conditions. As a result, tire performance on these vehicles plays a critical role in ensuring safety, handling and reliability throughout the race.

Continental’s vehicle fitment at this year’s Tour includes the UltraContact NXT alongside the EcoContact 6 and PremiumContact 7. The tire fitment on team cars highlights the importance of consistent performance in supporting teams throughout three weeks of racing across various conditions and terrains.

For the second consecutive year, Tour de France organizer A.S.O. is putting its trust in Continental as the tire supplier for the race’s official escort motorcycles. Once again, 30 Kawasaki Versys 1100 motorcycles will accompany the Tour, their riders supplying athletes with water and relaying important information from race management. And like last year, the crossover bikes are equipped with the ContiRoadAttack 4 tires.

The ContiRoadAttack 4 is designed precisely for the demands the Tour places on its equipment: rapid warm-up performance and consistent grip under vastly different conditions. The spectrum ranges from single-digit temperatures on rain-soaked Alpine or Pyrenean passes to the scorching heat of the stages in southern France. Whether riding in close proximity to the peloton on narrow mountain roads or the fast-paced stretches through the open French countryside, the hyper touring tire delivers an equally high level of safety, feedback and intuitive control. The proven performance during last season’s race laid the foundation for the continuation of this partnership – and Continental is proud that A.S.O. and Kawasaki continue to place their trust in its technology in 2026.