2026 Tour de France Stage 1 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France! Our live time-trial times and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The 2026 Tour de France gets underway with a 19.7-kilometre team time trial. After a flat opening section, the finale is hilly. Unlike in a traditional time trial, where the time of the fifth rider counts, each rider’s individual time is recorded.
The Tour gets underway on the Mediterranean coast. The start is at the Parc del Fòrum, on the northern side of Barcelona, and along the waterfront, the teams thunder towards the Port OlĂmpic before cutting straight through the city on long, arrow-straight roads. Breakneck speeds are expected on this section of the course.
Just after the halfway point, the riders pass the Sagrada FamĂlia, and just after Parc Joan MirĂł, the route's character changes. From there, it becomes more twisting, and the road begins to rise. Over the Plaça d’Espanya, the riders charge towards MontjuĂŻc, starting with a 1.1-kilometre climb at 5.1%. A false-flat descent of 1 kilometre and another kilometre on the flat then precedes a final 800-metre rise to the line. This finishing stretch climbs at an average gradient of 7%.
The fact that each rider’s individual time counts makes the team time trial all the more interesting. Strong climbers may choose to leave their team-mates behind on Montjuïc in pursuit of the fastest possible time. Get more details at cyclingstage.com.
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