The 2026 Tour de France has commenced with a 19.6-kilometer team time trial through the streets of Barcelona, Spain. This marks the return of the team time trial to the Tour since 2019, introducing a strategic twist: the team’s time is recorded when the first rider crosses the finish line, while individual times are noted for each rider in the general classification. (cyclingnews.com)
Reigning champion Tadej Pogačar, representing UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is the final rider to start, with his team scheduled to depart at 18:55 Central European Summer Time (CEST). The course begins along Barcelona’s seafront, passing landmarks such as the Sagrada Família, and concludes with a challenging double ascent of Montjuïc, featuring the Côte de Montjuïc and the Côte du Stade Olympique. (sports.yahoo.com)
The start times for the team time trial are as follows:
- 17:05 CEST: Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
- 17:10 CEST: Picnic PostNL
- 17:15 CEST: TotalEnergies
- 17:20 CEST: Tudor Pro Cycling
- 17:25 CEST: Groupama-FDJ United
- 17:30 CEST: Pinarello Q36.5 (Tom Pidcock)
- 17:35 CEST: Cofidis
- 17:40 CEST: Lotto Intermarché
- 17:45 CEST: Movistar
- 17:50 CEST: NSN Cycling
- 17:55 CEST: Uno-X Mobility
- 18:00 CEST: Jayco AlUla
- 18:05 CEST: Alpecin-Premier Tech (Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen)
- 18:10 CEST: Soudal Quick-Step
- 18:15 CEST: Netcompany-Ineos (Josh Tarling, Filippo Ganna, Thymen Arensman)
- 18:20 CEST: Bahrain Victorious
- 18:25 CEST: XDS Astana
- 18:30 CEST: Decathlon CMA CGM (Paul Seixas)
- 18:35 CEST: EF Education-EasyPost
- 18:40 CEST: Lidl-Trek (Juan Ayuso, Mads Pedersen)
- 18:45 CEST: Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe (Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz)
- 18:50 CEST: Visma-Lease a Bike (Jonas Vingegaard)
- 18:55 CEST: UAE Team Emirates-XRG (Tadej Pogačar)
The stage is expected to conclude around 19:15 CEST. (sports.yahoo.com)
As the race unfolds, all eyes are on Pogačar, who is aiming to secure his fifth overall victory and match the record held by cycling legends. The team time trial’s unique format and the challenging Barcelona course are set to provide an exciting start to this year’s Tour de France.
Highlights:
- Tour de France 2026 stage 1 preview – Pogačar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel battle it out for first yellow jersey in team time trial, but can Ineos spoil the GC party?, Published on Friday, July 03
- Pinarello Q36.5 and Netcompany-Ineos the final teams out: Tour de France 2026 start list, Published on Wednesday, July 01
- Tour de France 2026, Published on Thursday, July 02