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Tour de France Starts With 19.6-Kilometer Team Time Trial in Barcelona
The race opens July 4 with its first team time trial since 1971. The 19.6 km course ends at the Olympic Stadium after a flat section and two climbs.
TH
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The 2026 Tour de France opens July 4 with a 19.6-kilometer team time trial around Barcelona, the first time the race has begun with the discipline since 1971. The stage starts at 7 p.m. local time. The route runs flat for the first 15 kilometers before a 900-meter hill and a final 700-meter climb to the Olympic Stadium.
Organizers expect temperatures near 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The clock for each squad stops when its first rider crosses the line. Eight riders start together, but teams will likely finish with only one or two leaders still in contact.
The last Tour de France team time trial opening occurred in 1971, when Molteni won and Eddy Merckx took the first yellow jersey. The most recent Tour team time trial was won by Jumbo-Visma in 2019. Teams have prepared since the route announcement in October 2025.
Several squads trained on motor-racing circuits, including Netcompany-INEOS at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of the 2023 Vuelta a España and at a Valencia-area track before winning the 2026 Paris-Nice team time trial. EF Education-EasyPost placed third in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes team time trial in June and won the discipline at the 2011 Tour de France as Garmin-Cervélo.
Jacob Tipper, performance coach and technical innovation strategist for EF Pro Cycling, said the winning team is expected to produce between 2800 and 3000 watts of power per CdA.
He added that a smaller rider would put out approximately 550 watts and a larger rider 600 watts when on the front.
