The light of the Tour de France has transcended Barcelona for the past few days, as the Catalan capital embraced the Grand Départ of the 113th edition. The sun was out on the Sagrada Familia; fans and riders’ faces beamed as they marvelled at an extraordinary setting to kick off the fantastic battles that await them for three and a half weeks. The anticipation is over. Now comes action, with the slopes of Montjuic to elevate the contenders towards glory and the Maillot Jaune, their beacon until Paris.
The first Grand Départ in Barcelona opens new horizons for the Tour de France and revamps a traditional discipline. The team time trial has been a staple of the race for almost a century, but Saturday’s stage uses a new format, unprecedented in the Grande Boucle but tried and tested in Paris-Nice (since 2023) and then the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (2026). The stage standings are established with the time of each team’s best rider. For the general classification, riders will be credited with their individual time after flashing past the crowd’s eyes at dazzling speeds.
To make the most of collective strength and individual brilliance, tactics will vary from team to team, but there are a few certainties. The first 16 kilometres, along Barcelona’s shimmering beaches, will be ridden flat out with domestiques emptying their tanks for their squad’s leading lights. Then, a couple of climbs will come in quick succession for the brightest stars of the peloton to illuminate the finale at the Olympic Stadium.
Teams are dressed up for the occasion, starting with Netcompany Ineos, studded with powerhouses (Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling to name just the most decorated of them when it comes to time trials) to try to launch Kévin Vauquelin into the Maillot Jaune, repeating their success earlier this year in Paris-Nice. Remco Evenepoel is the best time trialist in the world; can Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe collectively support the Belgian star’s ambitions? As for Tadej Pogacar, the Sun King of the Tour is surrounded by an impressive team, and the uphill finish is a perfect launchpad for him to shine. These three riders emerge as the hottest favourites for stage 1. But everyone wants the spotlight.
