2026 Tour de France: Complete guide to confirmed absentees and riders facing doubt

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) – Ruled out due to a viral infection contracted during the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The 36-year-old Spaniard is retiring at the end of the 2026 season and had hoped to ride his final Tour, but Bahrain Victorious confirmed he was not sufficiently recovered.

Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) – Ruled out by a team selection decision. Despite the Tour being one of his key targets and his name appearing on the team's provisional six-rider core as recently as June 11, the team later omitted him from the final eight-rider lineup. The exact reasoning was not specified, but it was a performance/selection call.

Other riders reported as out – Christophe Laporte was ruled out weeks before the Grand Départ after an injury-disrupted 2026 campaign. Alessandro Covi (Jayco AlUla) and Iván Romeo (Movistar) are also reported to have lost their Tour chances due to illness contracted at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Riders facing resolved uncertainty

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) – Faced a real threat of missing the Tour due to a regulatory issue, not an injury. Belgian federation rules require all licensed professionals to start the National Championships road race, with a penalty of a 9-day suspension and a fine for skipping. Evenepoel's team planned a training-only build-up without racing, which would have triggered the ban and prevented him from starting in Barcelona. Resolution: Evenepoel obtained a medical certificate declaring himself unfit for the National Championships, which allowed him to bypass the mandatory start without triggering the suspension. As of June 26, he is confirmed to start the Tour.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon–CMA CGM) – Was briefly uncertain due to the team delaying its Tour squad announcement amid "uncertainties concerning certain riders." Seixas had a recent crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes but had already confirmed in May that he would make his Tour debut. Resolution: The team later confirmed he had recovered and would definitely ride the Tour.

Team-level concern

Movistar squad (influenza A outbreak) – Movistar team manager Eusebio Unzue revealed an influenza A outbreak hit the squad just weeks before the Grand Départ, with several riders abandoning the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes due to illness. The team was forced into a "difficult reset." Riders affected included Diego Pescador, while Iván Romeo and Jefferson Cepeda were later also absent from that race. Whether any will ultimately be ruled out of the Tour lineup remains fluid as of late June.

Summary table