2026 Tour de France stage 1 team time trial favourites | Cycling's very own World Cup kicks off in Barcelona
CyclingWednesday, 01 July 2026 at 16:59
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Follow us on GoogleGrand Départ! Or should we say Gran Salida? Anyway, it doesn’t really matter: the 2026 Tour de France is about to begin, and it’s kicking off with a discipline we haven’t seen in the race since 2019 —a team time trial. IDL Pro Cycling is on the ground in Barcelona, gearing up for another Tour de France start. We couldn't be happier to bring you the first stage preview:
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Team time trial route, stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France
A team time trial through the streets of Barcelona. With this spectacular event on Saturday, July 4, we’ll kick off the 2026 Tour de France, two days after the riders have already showcased themselves to the Catalan—and international—public on Thursday evening in front of the iconic Sagrada Familia.
The last time we saw the TTT discipline in La Grande Boucle was in 2019. That year, Jumbo-Visma—with Mike Teunissen in the yellow jersey—won in Brussels. Over the years, however, it has appeared several times in races such as the Critérium du Dauphiné, Paris-Nice, and the Vuelta a España, which even began with a team time trial in Barcelona in 2023.
In practical terms, this means that each rider’s time counts individually—but on behalf of the team—whereas previously the fourth or fifth-fastest time counted, and the team therefore had to finish with that number of riders. So in 2026, a team could set up a lead-out to the foot of Montjuic and let their team leader go there, yet still be part of the winning team.
Zo komen de renners zaterdag vermoedelijk over de streep.
Do you still get it? Maybe on Saturday night, after two hours of cycling through Barcelona. The teams will start one by one at the Forum in Barcelona, and from there they’ll follow a stretch of the boulevard all the way to the harbor. Once there, the riders turn right and tackle a technical section, followed by the first intermediate point at Carrer de Lllull.
Next, it’s time to get your hands on the handlebars, because on the way to checkpoint two—near the Sagrada Familia—there are only three turns over the course of five kilometers. These flat stretches continue until about five kilometers from the finish line, when we reach Montjuïc via a more technical section. This hill—known for the Olympic Stadium—must be conquered twice.
The first climb is 1.1 km long with a 5.1% gradient, after which the riders will mostly stay on a plateau before tackling the final steep section of approximately 800 meters with a 7.1% gradient. It’s the perfect opportunity to give it everything one last time and make a bid for the first yellow jersey of this Tour de France and the first victory in the new style TTT at the Tour de France.
Map of the team time trial for the 2026 Tour de France.
Times
Start: 5:05 p.m CET (first team)
Finish: 7:16 p.m CET (last team)
Start: 5:05 p.m CET (first team)
Finish: 7:16 p.m CET (last team)
Weather report: 2026 Tour de France stage 1 team time trial
Three years ago, the Vuelta’s opening team time trial in Barcelona was rained out due to the rain and the dark skies that accompanied it in the early Spanish evening, so this time they’re playing it safe and we’ll finish around 7:15 p.m. At that time, it will still be 28 to 29 degrees in Barcelona, though the wind from the sea may pick up from time to time.
2026 Tour de France stage 1 team time trial favourites
A team time trial generally involves more than just putting a group of good riders together. Sprinters, for example, are often surprisingly good at it because they dare to ride close to the rider in front of them and have the acceleration needed after turns and lead-out stints. On the other hand, in addition to being a physical challenge, it’s also important not to let your teammates suffer too much.
For this stage: If there’s one team that stands out based on its time trial lineup, it’s Netcompany INEOS. With Filippo Ganna, Joshua Tarling, and Tobias Foss, they have international time trial champions at the start, complemented by the quality and experience of riders like Dorian Godon, Kévin Vauquelin, Thymen Arensman, Michal Kwiatkowski, and Egan Bernal. It'll be interesting to see who from this group crosses the finish line first.
The British team won this year’s team time trial at Paris-Nice, while the Critérium du Dauphiné TTT went to Visma | Lease a Bike. And that just happens to be the team that has won Paris-Nice the most often in recent seasons and also claimed victory in the last Tour team time trial in 2019. They are certainly among the contenders this year as well, though the loss of Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte will certainly be felt.
Read more below the photo!
Visma | Lease a Bike recently won the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
However, Jonas Vingegaard still has Matteo Jorgenson, Victor Campenaerts, Bruno Armirail, and Edoardo Affini—who took a hard fall in Italy—at his disposal. It’s a team that will stay ahead of their eternal rival Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Emirates-XRG team, but that won’t be a walk in the park. After all, they have Isaac del Toro, Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt, Felix Grossschartner, and Brandon McNulty as proven sprinters.
What a lineup—and we’re not even done yet: we haven’t even mentioned time trial specialist Remco Evenepoel and his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team, and he’s racing in a time trial. The Belgian will have Nico Denz, Mattia Cattaneo, Tim van Dijke, and, of course, Florian Lipowitz by his side this Saturday.
Lidl-Trek and Decathlon CMA CGM are also among the teams with large budgets, and in that case, you’re usually in the running for the top spots. Juan Ayuso, Derek Gee-West, Mathias Vacek, Mattias Skjelmose, and Mads Pedersen are the pacemakers for the German team, while that role will be entrusted to Paul Seixas and Daan Hoole on the French team.
Read more below the photo.
Daan Hoole recently told Paul Seixas that things could have been a little calmer during the TTT in Auvergne.
EF Education-EasyPost (Ben Healy, Kasper Asgreen, and Richard Carapaz) and Jayco AlUla (Michael Matthews, Luke Plapp, and Ben O'Connor) are among the Anglo-Saxon teams that have traditionally performed well in this discipline, while Bahrain Victorious and Movistar are also capable of pulling off a major upset from time to time.
Last but not least: Mathieu van der Poel’s Alpecin-Premier Tech team. It probably won’t be enough for the win, but with an eye toward the days ahead, the Belgian team has put a lot of work into this discipline. After a strong team time trial, Van der Poel could make a move for the yellow jersey even sooner.
IDL Pro Cycling top picks, stage 1 team time trial of the 2026 Tour de France
Top Favorites: Netcompany INEOS and UAE Emirates-XRG
Outsiders: Visma | Lease a Bike, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and Lidl-Trek
Long shots: Decathlon CMA CGM, EF Education-EasyPost, Jayco AlUla, Alpecin-Premier Tech, Movistar, and Bahrain Victorious
Outsiders: Visma | Lease a Bike, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and Lidl-Trek
Long shots: Decathlon CMA CGM, EF Education-EasyPost, Jayco AlUla, Alpecin-Premier Tech, Movistar, and Bahrain Victorious
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Bellissimo colpo, ma niente overhype per favore. Delivery > press release.andrewf01-07-2026
- - Can someone explain how RCS Sport differs from the UCI? Who decides rules vs who runs the events? I’m a bit confused on the roles.cadencekingm01-07-2026
- - Not convinced this changes much. RCS has promised “leaps forward” before—let’s see genuine advances in rider safety and less convoluted transfer days first.julien01-07-2026
- - Love this. If he can reduce those last-minute route changes and improve TV timing windows, fans will notice a massive difference. Also hoping for better women’s race integration with prime slots.lindae01-07-2026
- - Ottima notizia per il ciclismo italiano! Con Guercilena alla guida, la qualità delle gare RCS può solo crescere.sprocketspiny01-07-2026
- - Quick question: what exactly does “overall responsibility” entail—route planning decisions too, or is that still mainly the race directors like Vegni?robert6501-07-2026
- - Fantastic move by RCS. He knows the politics and the peloton. If anyone can streamline team communication around transfers, start lists, and road books, it’s LG. Bring on a smoother Giro!davidm01-07-2026
- - Does this mean we could see stronger coordination between Giro/Tirreno–Adriatico/Milano–Sanremo on safety measures? Curious how he’ll work with CPA and the teams on barrier standards and extreme weather protocols.breakawaybikerd01-07-2026
- - Small correction: isn’t Grischa Niermann at Visma–Lease a Bike? The piece says he’s replacing Guercilena at Lidl–Trek, which doesn’t sound right. Might want to verify that.samanthak01-07-2026
- - Great hire by RCS. Guercilena’s track record at Trek—navigating the team through the Nibali era, nurturing talents, and steady results at Monuments—suggests he’ll tighten up race logistics and maybe freshen up the Giro’s route design. Excited to see if he pushes more gravel or altitude-heavy stages.cyclechamp4501-07-2026
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