Cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar won the opening stage of the 81st Vuelta/Tour of Spain by the narrowest of margins on Saturday, claiming the red jersey as overall leader for the first time in his career.
The Slovenian edged the short 9.4-kilometre individual time trial in his adopted home of Monaco, beating Britain's Ethan Hayter by nine hundredths of a second.
Pogačar is still missing an overall victory at the Vuelta.
The 27-year-old has dominated cycling in the way Belgian icon Eddy Merckx used to. Pogačar's long list of achievements includes a record-equalling five Tour de France ****** les including in July, two world championship ****** les, victory at the Giro d'Italia and numerous wins in the classics.
At the end of the 3,275-kilometre Vuelta, he wants to stand on the top step of the podium at the finish in Granada. That would mean Pogačar has won all three Grand Tours.

#vuelta #Cycling #tadej

Britain's Josh Tarling finished third in the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana - just eight days after his brother Finlay lost his life in a crash.
The 22-year-old Netcompany Ineos rider decided himself to take part in the three-week Grand Tour and was rewarded with a strong performance on a tight and technical course around the principality of Monaco.
Fin, 19, died in a high-speed collision with a van which had strayed on to the road during the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal last Friday.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar, the overwhelming favourite for overall victory, won the stage by just nine hundredths of a second from another Briton, Ethan Hayter of Soudal-Quick Step.
Tarling was just four seconds down on Pogacar.

#rider

Where to watch Vuelta a España 2026: Full schedule, start times, channel, live stream for cycling stage race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Can anyone find a way to beat Tadej Pogacar?
That's the inevitable question as the Slovenian superstar saddles up for La Vuelta a Espana less than a month after winning his fifth Tour de France.
Pogacar has competed in the Vuelta just once before, placing third in the general classification in 2019 as a 20-year-old. His countryman Primoz Roglic took the maillot rojo that year for the first of his four Vuelta wins and is back in 2026 hoping to recapture past glory two years after his most recent triumph.
It will be a tall task for Roglic and other GC hopefuls like Wout van Aert and Richard Carapaz, as Pogacar simply looks unbeatable at the moment. A brutal route packed with climbs and about 58,000 meters in total elevation gain should only help Pogacar, who always seems to find a way to attack as his rivals crack on the ascent.

#vuelta #pogacar #find #preferred

Where to watch Vuelta a España 2026: Full schedule, start times, channel, live stream for cycling stage race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Can anyone find a way to beat Tadej Pogacar?
That's the inevitable question as the Slovenian superstar saddles up for La Vuelta a Espana less than a month after winning his fifth Tour de France.
Pogacar has competed in the Vuelta just once before, placing third in the general classification in 2019 as a 20-year-old. His countryman Primoz Roglic took the maillot rojo that year for the first of his four Vuelta wins and is back in 2026 hoping to recapture past glory two years after his most recent triumph.
It will be a tall task for Roglic and other GC hopefuls like Wout van Aert and Richard Carapaz, as Pogacar simply looks unbeatable at the moment. A brutal route packed with climbs and about 58,000 meters in total elevation gain should only help Pogacar, who always seems to find a way to attack as his rivals crack on the ascent.

#sporting #year #full

Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard will miss the rest of season as he continues his recovery from a broken collarbone sustained in this year's race.
On stage 15, the 29-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider was tackling a tight right-hand bend off a roundabout when his front wheel slid out, causing him to land on his shoulder.
The injury required surgery and ruled the Dane out of challenging for a third Tour victory, with Tadej Pogacar going on to win a record equalling fifth yellow jersey.
Vingegaard will be absent from September's UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada, when Pogacar will go for a third straight world ******* le.
"After a long and intense racing period, a recovery period was planned after the Tour de France anyway," Vingegaard said.

#france #recovery #jonas #visma

Newly crowned five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will race in this month's Vuelta a Espana in an attempt to win all three of cycling's Grand Tours.
The Slovenian UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider will be the runaway favourite to win the three-week Grand Tour after becoming the joint most successful Tour de France champion of all time last month, alongside fellow greats Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Pogacar won the 2024 Giro d'Italia by nearly 10 minutes, and would become only the ninth rider to win all three Grand Tours in history should he triumph in Spain.
The 27-year-old finished third at the Tour of Spain as a youngster in 2019.
"I'm excited to say I'm going back to La Vuelta," said Pogacar. "It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience.

#vuelta

Few things in life are certain beyond death, taxes, and Tadej Pogacar winning the Tour de France. This year's Grande Boucle went almost entirely as expected, offering few real surprises or diversions from the status quo, as the marauding Slovenian won another five stages en route to his record-equalling fifth ****** le.
His place in the pantheon of greats had already been cemented and there are few superlatives left to describe his grip on the sport. He is now equal with cycling legends in the form of Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on five wins; his 26 stage wins leave him nine off the record of Mark Cavendish, who will be wishing he'd postponed retirement by another year or two.
There could have been more had Pogacar not opted to babysit young teammate Isaac del Toro to a stage win, third place on the podium, and the best young rider's jersey too. Pogacar is able to win at will but sometimes seems happier in the role of world's most powerful domestique; perhaps the only thing holding him back from an unprecedented sixth ****** le is whether he can muster the enthusiasm for it. At 27, he is younger than all of his fellow five-time winners were and will be in his prime for a while yet.
But while the Pogacar era looks set to continue for some time, the post-Pogacar era already looks to be one to savour. Those left cold by the two-time world champion's iron grip on the sport can set a reminder to tune in in a couple of seasons' time, or perhaps as early as this autumn's Vuelta, should Pogacar skip it – as expected – to target a third rainbow jersey.
Pogacar seemed to enjoy helping del Toro as much if not more than winning stages (AP)

#pogacar

by Charly Wegelius.
Tadej Pogacar won a record-equalling fifth Tour de France over the weekend. What better time, then, to read this 2013 memoir by a cyclist who won precisely nothing?
Cycling teams are built around ensuring one rider wins; teammates ride in front of the star for slipstreaming, set the pace on climbs, or even give up bike parts in case of a breakdown. Wegelius was one such "domestique." It is a "must-read," says the biking blog Velominati, and "it is a pleasure to read a book about modern cycling that is not a drug exposé." Buy Domestique from Amazon.
— Tom Chivers

#pogacar #velominati #amazon

Jasper Philipsen ended his frustration at this year's Tour de France with victory from a reduced sprint on stage 17 as Tadej Pogacar stayed safe in the yellow jersey.
Philipsen repeatedly fell short in bunch sprints over the first two weeks of this Tour but made it look easy in Voiron after a 35-strong breakaway arrived first into town.
With Alpecin-Premier Tech team-mate Mathieu van der Poel providing the lead-out, Philipsen finished several bike lengths ahead of Mauro Schmid and Olav Kooij to take his 11th career Tour stage win, having won one in each edition since 2022.
"Definitely (it's special) after such a roller coaster of emotions in this Tour de France," Philipsen said.
"I had to wait until stage 17. I was prepared very, very well, I was in the shape of my life and the first 12 days were just horrible. I couldn't find myself, I couldn't find the feeling I was hoping for.

#tour

Cycling governing body the UCI has defended overnight doping controls on riders at the Tour de France.
Tour leader Tadej Pogačar was tested at 5 am (0300 GMT) on Sunday before the gruelling 15th stage. Jonas Vingegaard - second at the time - received a visit from drugs testers even earlier at 2 am and later suffered a dramatic crash, meaning he had to quit the race.
There has been widespread criticism of the overnight controls, which according to French newspaper L'Equipe were possible due to a court ruling. It was the first application of provisions introduced into French law in 2015.
The independent International Testing Agency (ITA) carries out the controls on behalf of the UCI, but the governing body decided to issue a statement on Wednesday.
"The UCI of course acknowledges that night-time testing can disrupt riders' rest and recovery, and wishes to reiterate that carrying out such controls outside normal hours remains an exceptional measure, reserved for limited and justified circumstances," it read.

#governing #time

Top German rider Florian Lipowitz broke his collarbone in a crash on the 16th stage of the Tour de France and his season could now be compromised.
Last year's third-place finisher was fifth overall heading into Tuesday's time trial but a heavy crash at speed meant he had to withdraw from the race given his injury, which was confirmed by his Red Bull team.
He will miss at least six weeks, which makes the Vuelta (August 22 to September 13) impossible and the World Championships in Montreal (September 20 to 27) unlikely. The one-day races in Italy at the end of the season such as the Tour of Lombardy (October 10) are still doable.
It was a bitter-sweet day for the team given other leading rider Remco Evenepoel won the stage to trim Tadej Pogačar's overall lead to 4 minutes 32 seconds. The Tour concludes on Sunday.
Team boss Ralph Denk said: "We will not only miss Florian in the fight for the podium, we will also miss him here as a person. We won but it is not as if it is super great for us. I also feel sorry for Remco that not everything here is peace, joy and pancakes."

#team #september #crash

Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel stormed to victory in Tuesday's 26.1km individual time-trial at the Tour de France to shave valuable seconds off Tadej Pogacar's overall lead.
Belgian Evenepoel, 26, blasted over the stage 16 course along the shores of Lake Geneva 28 seconds quicker than reigning champion Pogacar in second.
Everyone else finished more than a minute back, with Dane Mattias Skjelmose taking third at 1min 04sec.
That performance by the world and Olympic time-trial champion -- on Belgium's national holiday -- cut four-time Tour winner Pogacar's overall lead to 4min 32sec.
"It's amazing, it was a very nice TT (time-trial), a lot of people on the side of the road," said Evenepoel.

#time #tour #lead

Where to watch Tour de France 2026: Full schedule, stages, times, TV channels, live streams, winners for cycling race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The world's biggest cycling race is back, with the 113th edition of the Tour de France set to wind its way from the streets of Barcelona to the finish line on the Champs-Elysees over the course of three weeks.
While anything can happen across the 3,321 kilometers that await, the men who have combined to win the last six Tours will command the spotlight. Tadej Pogacar will try for his third consecutive yellow jersey and fifth overall, which would tie him for the most all-time. His primary opposition figures to come from Jonas Vingegaard, who won in 2022 and 2023 and is fresh off a triumph at the Giro d'Italia, where he became the eighth man to win all three of the sport's grand tours.
It would be a surprise if the general classification battle doesn't come down to those two, but there will be plenty of other storylines to follow. First on that list is the Tour debut of Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old Frenchman who has taken the sport by storm this year with wins at the Tour of the Basque Country and La Fleche Wallonne and second-place finishes behind Pogacar at the Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
American riders will also play a prominent role, with Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson serving as key escorts for Vingegaard and threats to take a stage themselves, and three-time U.S. road race champion Quinn Simmons also a potential stage winner.

#three #tours

Remco Evenepoel made it back-to-back stage wins at the Tour de France as he marked Belgian national day with victory in a time trial on the banks of Lake Geneva on Tuesday.
Resplendent in the rainbow bands, the world time trial champion completed the 26 kilometre course in a time of 32 minutes 19 seconds, beating Tadej Pogačar by 28 seconds.
He took a small bite out of the Slovenian's commanding advantage in yellow, now 4 minutes 32 seconds, but more importantly opened up a significant gap over Isaac del Toro in the fight for second.
But it was a bittersweet day for Evenepoel's Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team as Florian Lipowitz, third overall last year and fifth in this Tour at the start of the day, crashed 6 kilometres from the finish and abandoned with an apparent broken collarbone.
When Evenepoel won Sunday's stage 15 atop Plateau de Solaison, it was his first career Tour road stage win, but this was his third time trial success in the world's biggest race. What was a 58-second advantage over Del Toro is now 2 minutes and 19 seconds.

#time #stage #toro

The day before the Tour's first rest stage proved to be a highly charged rollercoaster. As overall leader, Tadej Pogacar chose who would be allowed in the breakaway and who would not, the worn out peloton was ready for the day to be over.
The unbearable heat matched with the speed of both the breakaway and peloton proved every rider was ready to wrap this day up early. From Malemort to Ussel, the hills were calm compared to the intensity of the riders.
At one thrilling point, Tom Pidcock's gears broke on him in the breakaway. After a few swift kicks, the gears were fixed, and he was back with the leaders.
The final breakaway included the likes of Mathieu Van Der Poel, Tobias Johannessen, Tom Pidcock, and Alex Baudin. The peloton nipped at their heels the entire day. So much so, the peloton filled with the leaders, finished 6 seconds behind today's stage winner.
As they approached the final turn, no one would dare challenge MVDP. Sure enough, he held off not only his breakaway group, but the entire peloton as Fillipo Ganna hauled the rest of the cyclists behind him.

USSEL, France (AP) — Mathieu van der Poel timed his attack perfectly to win the hilly ninth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar kept the race leader's yellow jersey on Sunday.
Van der Poel was in a group of four contesting the victory. He accelerated with about 200 meters to go, then held off Norwegian rider Tobias Johannessen and Britain's Tom Pidcock before spreading his arms as he crossed the line. All three were timed at 3 hours, 27 minutes, 51 seconds.
It was a third career Tour stage win for the 31-year-old Dutchman, whose vast pedigree includes multiple victories in one day classics and Cyclo-cross world championship ****** les. He is also a former world road race champion, and cycling runs through his veins.
His maternal grandfather was French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, who raced in the 1960s and '70s, finishing second on the Tour three times and third five times. Nicknamed "Poupou" and "The Eternal Runner-up" he was adored by French fans.
Four-time Tour champion Pogacar finished six seconds behind Van der Poel in a group including two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard.

Tim Merlier doubled up to win stage eight of the Tour de France in a sprint finish and break the heart of lone escapee Liam Slock in Bergerac on Saturday.
Slock, who had gone clear with 40 kilometres of the 180km stage from Perigueux remaining, was caught just before the flamme rouge before another big show of strength from Merlier delivered a second stage win in as many days, while Tadej Pogačar stayed safe in the yellow jersey.
In similar scenes to Friday's stage into Bordeaux, Jasper Philipsen got a big leadout from Alpecin-Premier Tech team-mate Mathieu van der Poel but could not convert it into victory as Soudal-QuickStep's Merlier came from way back to power his way to the line.
With around 400 metres to go, the Belgian was several bike lengths back after a sharp right-hander and needed to close a short gap to get near to Philipsen, but his momentum carried him all the way to the line.
"It didn't feel (easy)," the Belgian said. "I needed to fight for my position all the time until the last minute. Before the corner I was a bit boxed in and then I almost crashed so I thought it was over.

Tim Merlier sprinted to victory on stage seven of the Tour de France in Bordeaux on Friday as Tadej Pogačar stayed safe in the yellow jersey.
Soudal-QuickStep's Merlier was several places back on the final approach but picked his moment to charge past Jasper Philipsen and take his fourth career Tour stage win in a scrappy finish.
As riders ****** ped shoulders Alpecin-Premier Tech's Philipsen, the winner the last time the Tour visited Bordeaux in 2023, opened up early after being dropped off by lead-out man Mathieu van der Poel more than 250 metres from the line, running out of steam as he finished fifth.
Søren Wærenskjold was second just ahead of Biniam Girmay.
"It was a mess to be in position," Merlier said of the fight for ****** e on the road. "I made it thanks to the team, great work from all of them…

Tadej Pogacar took a big step towards winning the Tour de France for a record-equalling fifth time with a dominant victory on stage six, regaining the leader's yellow jersey.
The defending champion established a lead with ease on the iconic Col du Tourmalet during the first 186.2km mountain stage of the three-week race.
Pogacar, 27, is aiming to become the joint-most successful rider in the Tour's history, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Between launching his attack five kilometres from the top of the Tourmalet to the summit of the climb, UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Pogacar gained 30 seconds over his main rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark - and a devastating one minute 45 seconds over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and young French hope Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM.
Pogacar eventually crossed the line of the stage from Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre two minutes 38 seconds ahead of Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard, with Pogacar's team-mate and chosen lead domestique Isaac del Toro of Mexico a further 19 seconds down, along with Evenepoel and Seixas.

Tadej Pogacar delivered a statement victory over the Tourmalet as he retook the yellow jersey on stage six of the Tour de France on Thursday.
Pogacar attacked with a little over four kilometres left of the 17-kilometre climb over the Pyrenean giant, 43km from the end of the stage, and rode clear of his rival Jonas Vingegaard down the descent and up the final climb into Gavarnie-Gedre.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG star took the stage by two minutes 38 seconds from Vingegaard, the 17th time the pair have shared the top two places of a Tour stage, reclaiming yellow from Torstein Traeen and opening up a commanding advantage after starting the day on the same time as Vingegaard.
Traeen, who took yellow on Tuesday, had hoped to carry the jersey into the second week but was distanced less than halfway up the Tourmalet. The advantage of seven minutes 53 seconds the Norwegian held at the start had already disappeared before a crash on the descent piled on the pain.
But ***** ody could have competed with Pogacar on this form. Midway up the Tourmalet the Slovenian, targeting a record-equalling fifth Tour ***** le and third in a row, confidently told the team radio: "I'm good guys, I'm good."

Dutch rider Olav Kooij won the fifth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Wednesday, while Norwegian rider Torstein Traeen kept the yellow jersey on a day when the peloton largely took it easy.
Tour contender Jonas Vingegaard, however, finished on teammate Victor Campenaerts' bike after a late crash in the peloton, which included defending champion Tadej Pogacar.
Kooij, meanwhile, was put in a strong position to attack by his Decathlon CMA CGM teammates and held off German Max Kanter and Belgian Tim Merlier in a dash to the line. They all finished in just under three and a half hours.
“After a couple of hard days here, I had to wait for this day to get (a) first chance to sprint in the Tour and to immediately win is unbelievable,” the 24-year-old Kooij said.
“It was quite an easy day until the final (moments), when you know it will be hectic. Everyone is still really eager and I just managed to find my way.”

PAU, France (AP) — Dutch rider Olav Kooij won the fifth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Wednesday, while Norwegian rider Torstein Traeen kept the yellow jersey on a day when the peloton largely took it easy.
Kooij was put in a strong position to attack by his Decathlon CMA CGM teammates and held off German Max Kanter and Belgian Tim Merlier in a dash to the line. They all finished in just under 3 1/2 hours.
Traeen rolled over the line 14 seconds later in a big main group containing defending champion Tadej Pogacar and fellow Tour contender Jonas Vingegaard. They both trail Traeen by about eight minutes in the standings. But Traeen, who took the yellow jersey on Stage 4, is not considered a contender for overall victory.
After a testing team time trial, an early mountain stage, raging wildfires and sweltering temperatures hitting 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit), riders appreciated Wednesday's flatter fifth stage.
The 158.3-kilometer route from Lannemezan to Pau in southwestern France was made for sprinters.

Ahead of the highly anticipated Tour de France Grand Départ in Barcelona, motorsport icon Marc Márquez joined forces with cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar for an exclusive training session in Catalonia. Brought together by their shared global ambassador roles for Insta360, the two world champions took to the roads to swap experiences, push their physical limits, and bridge the gap between motorcycle racing and elite cycling. Capturing every moment on camera, this unique meeting highlights a deep mutual respect and a shared passion for life on two wheels, offering fans a rare glimpse into the bond between two of the sporting world's most dedicated athletes. See the video here: https://www.instagram.com/...
Begin press release:
Marc Márquez joined Tadej Pogačar for a training ride on Thursday, taking advantage of Pogačar and his team's presence in Catalonia as they prepare for the upcoming Tour de France.
With the historic Grand Départ of the Tour taking place in Barcelona this year, Pogačar's team has been spending the last few days riding and scouting sections of the route. A huge cycling fan and a regular on these roads as part of his own physical preparation, Marc found time in his schedule to ride alongside one of the biggest names in world cycling.

Mads Pedersen sprinted clear from a breakaway to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France as defending champion Tadej Pogacar lost the yellow jersey and slipped to fourth.
Dane Pedersen timed his run for the line at the end of the 181.9km stage to perfection as temperatures reached 40C in southern France.
Uno-X Mobility rider Torstein Traeen is the new race leader after finishing eighth in the stage - almost 13 minutes ahead of the peloton.
Pedersen's Lidl-Trek team-mate ⁠Quinn Simmons ‌was second on the road, as the route took the riders from Carcassonne to Foix, with Movistar's Raul Garcia Pierna third.
Four-time champion Pogacar - who loses the yellow jersey after just one day for the third year in a row - was 33rd in the stage and trails the new leader by seven minutes 53 seconds.

Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar took victory on stage three of the Tour de France with a late acceleration to the line following a 195.9km route from Granollers to Les Angles.
The Slovenian also acquired the overall lead and yellow jersey after the stage winner's bonus points took him level on time with Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike, who had been in yellow since Saturday's opening stage.
Pogacar took control with around half a kilometre to go, taking Vingegaard and French darling Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM by surprise with a blistering attack.
Pogacar was led up the final category three climb by Sunday's stage winner and UAE Team Emirates-XRG team-mate Isaac del Toro of Mexico, who Pogacar had shepherded over the line the previous day while very clearly holding back his own pace.
On a sweltering hot day in the Pyrenees on the border between northern Spain and southern France, fans had been told to stay away from the area around Les Angles at the finish because of wildfires.

Debutant Isaac del Toro claimed victory on stage two of the Tour de France as Jonas Vingegaard retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.
Mexico's Del Toro, 22, crossed the line just ahead of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG colleague Tadej Pogacar, after accelerating on the short, steep climb to the finish at Montjuic, Spain.
Remco Evenepoel finished third, with Vingegaard fourth in the same time as the leading duo at the end of a hilly 168.5km route from Tarragona to Barcelona.
"It means really everything. I said before I'm a very privileged guy - you can not believe how much we work as a team to be here," said Del Toro.
"This is the work of everybody - my family, my friends growing up. I cannot believe I just did this attempt, it's just insane. Also to appreciate being in the same team as Tadej, the best in the world, it's really [the] full emotions.

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard took the yellow jersey on the opening stage of the Tour de France following a tense team time trial.
Two-time Tour winner Vingegaard finished the 19.6km course in 21 minutes, 47 seconds - eight seconds ahead of Italy's Filippo Ganna of the British Netcompany Ineos Cycling team.
Favourite for the overall win Tadej Pogacar finished third, 12 seconds down on Vingegaard for his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team.
Pogacar, 27, is looking to try to become the equal most successful rider in the Tour's history, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
On a hot evening in Barcelona for the Tour's Catalonia-based Grand Depart, the race's first team time trial for seven years saw teams ride in a 'chain' formation to establish the quickest time through the city by protecting their lead rider from the wind resistance - with each squad's seven support riders eventually peeling off to let their team leader cross the line alone.

The 2026 Tour de France is officially underway, kicking off with Stage 1 on Saturday, July 4, at the Grand Départ in Barcelona, Spain. Over the next three weeks, the world’s most prestigious cycling race will cover 21 stages, traversing challenging terrain across several countries.
A total of 184 riders representing 23 teams lined up at the start in Barcelona, each aiming to take an early lead and position themselves for the race ahead. Among the competitors is Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar, the reigning champion, who returns to defend his ******* le and pursue a third consecutive Tour de France victory.
The opening stage featured a Team Time Trial spanning the first 12.1 miles of the race. Each rider’s individual time was recorded as they crossed the finish line, but the winner of Stage 1 was determined by the fastest combined team time. This year, Jonas Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team claimed victory with a time of 21 minutes and 47 seconds.
Here is the leaderboard after Stage 1.
More: 2026 Tour de France: How to watch, schedule, stages for cycling's top race

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tadej Pogačar will start his quest for a record-equaling fifth Tour de France **** le when the race kicks off in neighboring Spain on Saturday.
The elite Grand Tour begins with a team time trial in Barcelona, an opening stage which will take riders past the city’s famous Sagrada Familia basilica and finish with a short climb up a hill overlooking the popular tourist destination.
Pogačar is the overall favorite thanks to his Tour victories in 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, as well as his strong form this year.
The Slovenian sensation is aiming to join the select crowd of Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to have won cycling's most prestigious race on five occasions.
Jonas Vingegaard is once again his biggest challenger. The Dane took home the yellow jersey in 2022 and 2023 and is aiming to complete the men’s Giro-Tour double.

Where to watch Tour de France 2026: Full schedule, stages, times, TV channels, live streams, winners for cycling race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The world's biggest cycling race is back, with the 113th edition of the Tour de France set to wind its way from the streets of Barcelona to the finish line on the Champs-Elysees over the course of three weeks.
While anything can happen across the 3,321 kilometers that await, the men who have combined to win the last six Tours will command the spotlight. Tadej Pogacar will try for his third consecutive yellow jersey and fifth overall, which would tie him for the most all-time. His primary opposition figures to come from Jonas Vingegaard, who won in 2022 and 2023 and is fresh off a triumph at the Giro d'Italia, where he became the eighth man to win all three of the sport's grand tours.
It would be a surprise if the general classification battle doesn't come down to those two, but there will be plenty of other storylines to follow. First on that list is the Tour debut of Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old Frenchman who has taken the sport by storm this year with wins at the Tour of the Basque Country and La Fleche Wallonne and second-place finishes behind Pogacar at the Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
American riders will also play a prominent role, with Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson serving as key escorts for Vingegaard and threats to take a stage themselves, and three-time U.S. road race champion Quinn Simmons also a potential stage winner.