The Vogeens: seven categorized climbs in one Tour stage, 3,800 meters of elevation gain over 155 km, and almost no flat terrain. If the pros on July 18 from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering Driving there, they show you exactly why this mountain range is a playground for cyclists, about 7 hours’ drive from Utrecht. The question for us: where are you going to camp for your next cycling adventure? Finding a base camp is always difficult, but we’ve put the options side by side: Remiremont is the perfect ‘all-round’ base, Mulhouse is great if you join the Tourstart, and Gérardmer is a well-known alternative
Remiremont – the best all-round cycling base
If you come to drive, and not just to watch, Remiremont is the logical choice. The Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges It starts here: 53 km of trails for various activities in the middle of the mountains. Tourisme Vosges also calls the region around Remiremont the place where two-time Olympic champion Julien Absalon developed his talent.
From Remiremont, you head straight into the mountains. The village is located on the western flank of the massif, so you won’t be bothered by the road closures that closed the Alsace side on July 18th. There are plenty of route options: the bike.vosges app offers 11 signposted routes through the Vosges massif and the surrounding plains. You can fill an entire training week here without having to tackle the same road twice.
You have peace and quiet, beautiful routes and you have direct access to the cols.
Mulhouse
Mulhouse is a lovely city. Especially if you want to join the Tour in your own car. Do you want to experience the atmosphere of the advertising caravan, the team buses and the peloton that rides out of town under escort? Then Mulhouse is the place for you. The neutralised start of stage 14 is at 13:10, the official start follows around 13:30. Mulhouse welcomes the Tour before the start of stage 15. Eighteenth time.
The trade-off: on race day the city is in event mode. The Haut-Rhin prefecture warns of heavy traffic and parking restrictions along the course, and public transport operator Soléa is drastically adjusting tram and bus lines. Plan your trips well in advance.
From Mulhouse, after the race day, you can head into the mountains towards Grand Ballon or Ballon d’Alsace. As a weekend base for Tour plus and a few rides, it works perfectly.
Épinal and Gérardmer: for a different type of trip
Épinal Attracts mountain bikers: La Téméraire des Vosges is an MTB weekend around Lake Bouzey with routes of 20 to 85 km, plus a cross-country eliminator through the streets of the city. Great if you want to combine gravel routes and off-road with road kilometers.
Gérardmer It reads more like a multisport base. The Iron Man takes place here every year in September, with 90 km of cycling as part of the event. It’s a true all-rounder, rather than a pure cycling base.
Stage 14 – the profile in brief
- Date: Saturday 18 July 2026
- Distance: 155.3 km
- Altitude meters: about 3,800
- Climbs: Grand Ballon (21.5 km, 4–4.8%), Ballon d’Alsace (8.9 km, 6.9%), Col du Schirm (3.7 km, 5.3%), Col du Hundsruck (3.6 km, 5.2%), Col du Haag (11.2 km, 7.2–7.3%)
- Character: It's really a challenging mountain stage, without you reaching above 1400m altitude.
Almost all day on and off, without any set routines: terrain where an amateur can fill a full week.
The choice summarized
Are you coming to cycle? Remodeling. Are you coming for the Tour start? Mulhouse. Do you come for the finish rush on the mountain? Le Markstein. Want to add MTB? Épinal.
Do you know of any other great basecamps in the Vosges, or do you have a favorite col that we should try? We would love to hear from you!
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.