Cycling fans gather in Barcelona for the Tour de France

The 2026 Tour de France kicked off with a spectacular Grand Départ in Barcelona, Spain.

The opening stage featured a high-stakes, 19.6-kilometer Team Time Trialthrough the city streets. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar and his all-star UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad were the final team down the start ramp, launching an intense three-week battle for the general classification.

Visma-Lease a Bike took a thrilling opening-day victory, finishing the course in 21 minutes and 47 seconds. This put Pogačar's primary rival, two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, straight into the first Yellow Jersey of the race.