This year, the Tour de France starts with a 19.6km team time trial. Its the first team time trial, or TTT, in the race since Stage 2 of the 2019 Tour. And its the first opening stage team time trial since 1971, when the stage was won by the Molteni team of Eddy Merckx, who took the yellow jersey on the stage and won the race for the third time overall three weeks later in Paris. Team time trials test the teams ability to work together as a unit, with riders rotating through and keeping as close as possible to the wheel of the rider ahead to keep the pace as high as possible. A rule change The stage win is granted to the team, although individual rider times are taken for the overall general classification. Dario Belingheri/Getty Images This year, the rules for the team time trial stage at the Tour de France have changed. Typically in the past, the teams time has been taken from the fourth rider to cross the line, with all riders given the same time, both for the stage and the general classification (GC). This means the GC shows a cluster of riders from the same team all on the same time after a Stage 1 TTT. The team leader usually leads the team across the line, so that he is awarded the stage win and gets to wear the yellow jersey. In this years team time trial, though, individual rider times are taken at the line and these count for the GC, although the stage win is granted to the whole team, not the fastest individual rider. If multiple riders from the team finish in a group, they are all awarded the same time. A possible change in tactics Teams will rotate through in tight formation to maximise their speed ahead of the finale. Dario Belingheri/Getty Images In the past, in TTTs, teams would typically rotate regularly, with several riders often dropped as the team approached the line. There have been disasters where multiple riders have crashed, particularly if the road is wet, and the whole team has had to wait for enough riders to pick themselves up for a fourth rider to cross the line in the group. The new format may result in different tactics being chosen by different teams. The punchy finish may encourage teams to protect their GC rider for the final effort to the line, for example, so he may not take turns at the front. Other teams may want to maximise their chances of getting close to the finish as a unit as fast as possible by having all eight riders rotate through.Some may allow weaker time trial riders to drop early, while a particularly powerful time trial rider may put in a huge effort then drop off the paceline. As with road stages, theres a time cut, so riders need to finish within a specified margin of the overall stage winner to avoid elimination from the Tour. ASO's testing of the new formula The Stage 3 TTT at the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes was won by Matteo Jorgensen, who was unleashed by his team at the foot of the final climb. Dario Belingheri/Getty Images ASO, which organises the Tour de France and a number of other races, has been experimenting with the new TTT formula at Paris-Nice since 2023 and, most recently in the 28.4km Stage 3 at the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes at the beginning of June. At that race, the stage was won by Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike, despite losing two riders earlier in the stage, one of whom was Wout van Aert. Although Netcompany-Ineos was up to six seconds ahead of Visma earlier in the stage, Oscar Onley had mechanical problems and the team had to slow down for a short period to enable him to rejoin. The team came second because Kvin Vauquelin's ride time was second fastest. "It's a pleasure to be part of a team like this, where we have people who look after all the details and make such a clear plan for us," Jorgenson commented after the finish, hinting at the degree of preparation that goes into a successful TTT. Mathieu van der Poel looks to be targeting victory in the Stage 1 TTT in Barcelona, and along with it the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France. He was beaten by Tadej Pogaar in the Stage 4 individual time trial at the Tour de Suisse by only 0.04 of a second and the punchy uphill finish in Barcelona will suit his riding style. More on the 2026 Tour de France We weighed Tadej Pogaars 2026 Tour de France bike and its heavier than you might think Jonas Vingegaards Cervlo S5 for the 2026 Tour de France is bang on the UCIs 6.8kg weight limit Spotted! Remco Evenepoel will ride this prototype Specialized Shiv time trial bike at the Tour de France Can the Tour de France ever be Pogaar-proof? The race organisers face a near-impossible task From a rare team time trial to a brutal Alpe dHuez finale: 8 questions answered about the 2026 Tour de France route Live Tour de France coverage to be broadcast on S4C and BBC iPlayer

Cian Uijtdebroeks bid for a top-10 finish at the 2026 Tour de France has already taken damage, after the Movistar Team's leader and general classification hopeful endured a miserable opening team time trial on stage 1 in Barcelona. The Belgian had started Stage 1 with Movistar clearly riding to pro...

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Jonas Vingegaard will wear the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France after a superlative team time trial performance by his Visma-Lease a Bike squad in Barcelona. Filippo Ganna led Netcompany-Ineos to the line as the British team finished second on the day ahead of Tadej Pogaar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Vingegaard goes into the maillot jaune, leading Ganna by eight seconds, with Pogaar a further four seconds down as the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France winner lands the first blow in the 2026 race.Netcompany-Ineos came into the stage as the main favourite, thanks to the team's phalanx of time-trialling stars. The British squad put in the time to beat, covering the course in 21:55 ahead of the start of the main General Classification teams. However, Visma-Lease a Bike roared through the middle section of the course to take the lead heading into the climbs. Davide Piganzoli and Matteo Jorgensen led Vingegaard into the final section before the Dane put his Dutch team into first placeMore to come...

The 2026 Tour de France classifications will shift across three weeks of racing, from the Grand Dpart in Barcelona on 4 July to the final stage in Paris on 26 July. Across time trials, sprint stages, breakaway opportunities and the high mountains, each day can alter the shape of the race for yellow...

Netcompany INEOS left Barcelona with Filippo Ganna second overall at the 2026 Tour de France, but without the yellow jersey they had chased through the opening team time trial. Ganna crossed the line 7.33 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike after Kevin Vauquelins puncture...

Jonas Vingegaard roared into the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France after leading his Visma-Lease a Bike team home in the opening team time trial around Barcelona.He takes an early advantage into a lumpy second stage from Tarragona to Barcelona, leading Filippo Ganna (Netcompany-Ineos) by eight seconds, with reigning Tour champion Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 12 seconds down in third.Points were not awarded in the green jersey competition in the opening stage. Instead, the green jersey was handed to the first rider over the line for the fastest team in the first intermediate time check. That meant that Egan Bernal of Netcompany-Ineos will wear green on stage 2 after the British team's fast start.Similarly, there were no mountains points handed out on the opening day. Race organisers instead awarded the polka dot jersey to the fastest rider over the last 3.7km section, which was Pogaar. Thanks to his fourth place on the stage, Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) went in to the white jersey on stage one. Netcompany-Ineos are in the lead of the teams competition, with two riders sitting in the top-10. Tour de France stage one reportEverything you need to know about the 2026 Tour de FranceTour de France 2026 route analysisTour de France 2026 start listTour de France 2026 team guideTour de France 2026, Stage 1: Barcelona > Barcelona, 19.6km1. Visma-Lease a Bike in 21:472. Netcompany Ineos, +8s3. UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +12s4. Lidl-Trek, 16s5. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +19s6. Decathlon-CMA CGM, +39s7. Alpecin-Premier-Tech, +39s8. Groupama-FDJ United, +41s9. Bahrian Victorious, +47s10. Jayco-AlUla, +51Tour de France 2026 general classification after stage 11. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike in 21:472. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Netcompany-Ineos, +8s3. Tadej Pogaar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +12s4. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek, +16s5. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +19s6. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +26s7. Davide Piganzoli (Ita) Visma-Lease a Bike, +28s8. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +35s9. Tobias Foss (Nor) Netcompany-Ineos, +38s10 Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, +39sTour de France 2026 points classification after stage 1No points awarded on stage one. Egan Bernal (Netcompany-Ineos) to wear points jersey on stage 2.Tour de France 2026 mountains classification after stage 1No points awarded on stage one. Tadej Pogaar will wear the KOM jersey on stage 2.Tour de France 2026 youth classification after stage 11. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek in 22:032. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +10s3. Davide Piganzoli (Ita) Visma-Lease a Bike, +12s4. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, +23s5. Romain Grgoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +25sTour de France 2026 teams classification after stage 11. Netcompany-Ineos in 01:07:082. Visma-Lease a Bike, +39s3. Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +1:11

Remco Evenepoel leaves the first day in Barcelona without the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France, but already ahead in the comparison Red Bull BORA hansgrohe were always going to face. After Stage 1, Jonas Vingegaard leads the race for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Tadej Pogacar starts...

Not since the final stage of the 2023 race has Tadej Pogaar been chasing Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France. He is now though.Stage one of the 2026 edition, a 19.6km team time trial in the centre of Barcelona, ended with Vingegaard in the yellow jersey, his Visma-Lease a Bike team having produced a flawless performance. UAE Team Emirates-XRGs Pogaar finished 12 seconds adrift. The race is long its just the start of what will be three punishing weeks but the first blow has been landed by Vingegaard. Not that Pogaar is too concerned. The 27-year-old, who is targeting a record-equalling fifth title, knows that his rivals advantage is minimal. But psychologically it matters that Vingegaard is on top and he is in the unfamiliar position of being the hunter and not the hunted.No, he said when asked if he was disappointed. Im really happy we did a super good performance. Of course you always aim for the victory but I think we did a really good team time trial. We went all in and we got third place so it was really good. We can be proud of that. Netcompany-Ineos's Filippo Ganna was sandwiched between the two favourites for yellow.A positive for Pogaar was that he climbed the finishing 860m ascent three seconds quicker than Vingegaard, meaning he leads the mountains classification and will be dressed in the polka dot jersey on stage two. Its also a sign that his third place on the opening stage was more a reflection of the performance differences between his and Vingegaards team.Good news: I have climbing legs! Pogaar laughed. But it was quite short, the climb. The legs are good, the sensations are really good, so the shape should be here. I hope I can continue like this. We can be happy with today and be really motivated for the next few days.Stage two, which starts in Tarragona the furthest south the Tour has ever visited before arriving back in Barcelona and finishing on the same Montjuc circuit, offers Pogaar an immediate chance to cut his deficit to Vingegaard. We will fight for the yellow in the coming days, maybe tomorrow, but tomorrow is a super hard, tricky stage so you never know, Pogaar said.Tomorrow we will need to be as calm as possible because already before the final I think there will be a lot of stress so we have to be ready for that.Theres always a temptation to read too much into the results of a single stage out of 21, and the reality is Pogaars losses to Vingegaard are small enough that they can be recovered in one climb alone. But Vingegaard being in yellow for the first time since he won the last of his two maillot jaunes is significant. For a change, its the Dane in the driving seat, and the Slovenian on the (relative) backfoot. Hes already shown signs of frustration, too. Im also super happy the day is over, he said. Its super hard to do this day because its long, you prepare just for these 20 minutes with the team and its really stressful. But I enjoyed it today. It's been a long time since Ive done a team time trial.Advantage Vingegaard, albeit a minor one.

The Tour de France is often shaped as much by survival as by strength. Across three weeks of racing from the Grand Dpart in Barcelona on 4 July to the final stage in Paris on 26 July, crashes, illness, heat, fatigue and withdrawals can quickly reshape the peloton, from nervous sprint stages and exp...