For the first time since 1971, the Tour de France will begin with a team time trial, and while the concept isn’t new, the format has evolved in recent years.
What the riders will experience, and the fans will watch unfold in Barcelona, Spain, on July 4, is a format that has been tested since 2023 and changes the whole strategy for how teams will find success.
The stage will be 19.6 kilometers around Barcelona and certainly has the potential to set the tone for the 21 days of action, all of which will be broadcast live on FloBikes and the FloSports app for viewers in Canada.
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Unlike in the past, the team’s time now will be based on the first rider who crosses the finish line, so while teamwork still is important, there’s potential for the strongest riders to break free and ride alone.
Additionally, individual times will be assigned for each rider and count toward the General Classification, so there’s more motivation for the top riders to potentially leave their teams behind.
The ride showcases historic Barcelona, the seafront and the Olympic complex that welcomed the 1992 Summer Olympics and now will have the finish of Stage 1 of the Tour de France 2026 in its shadows.
A flatter start will allow the teams to work together and even enjoy some of the waterfront scenery, but the final stretch, which includes two successive climbs up the Côte de Montjuïc – a hill overlooking the host city – will provide the opportunity for separation and for the stronger climbers to capitalize.
The new TTT format has been used at a number of races since being introduced in 2023, and the every-man-for-himself setup most recently was used at the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes in June. It fell in Stage 3, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike picked up the win, with Matteo Jorgenson leading the way.
Previously, the team would race together, and the finishing time of a pre-determined rider in the finishing order would be the time used for that group. As an example, the fourth or fifth rider to cross the line would be the team’s official time.
The last time a team trial was held during the Tour de France was in 2019. It was a 27.6-kilometer ride around Brussels in Stage 2. There also was an individual time trial, which came in Stage 13.
This year also will feature an ITT. It will be a 26-kilometer ride in Stage 16 on July 21.
Saturday's Grand Depart in Barcelona marks the 27th foreign start for the Tour de France and third in Spain. The others were San Sebastian (1992) and Bilbao (2023).
The Tour de France itself will run from July 4 through July 26, and every stage will be broadcast live for Canadian subscribers.
For those interested in a little bonus coverage, the formal introductions of the teams will be broadcast live from Barcelona on July 2 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
The race, the 113th edition, has 23 confirmed teams of up to eight riders. The list includes 18 UCI World teams that earned automatic entry, three Pro teams that earned their spots based on UCI rankings and two wildcard teams that were invited by organizer ASO.
The last two editions of the of the Tour de France were won by Tadej Pogačar, a 27-year-old Slovenian superstar who now has four titles overall (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025) and will be looking to become the fifth rider in history to win five times.
Pogačar’s biggest rival is Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who won the TDF in 2022 and 2023 and has been the runner-up to Pogačar on three occasions.
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How To Watch The Tour de France 2026
For Canadian viewers, the Tour de France 2026 is streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms.
In the United States, the Tour de France will be on the NBC family of networks and will stream daily on Peacock. Select stages will air on local NBC affiliates, while others, plus stage reruns, will be shown on the USA Network.
In February 2023, NBC Sports, Peacock and ASO announced a six-year deal that will keep NBC Sports as the home of the Tour de France in the United States through 2029.
When Does The Tour de France 2026 Start?
The Tour de France 2026 starts July 4 and will conclude July 26.
The schedule includes 21 stages and two rest days (July 13 and July 20).
Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish.
For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.
The three weeks of racing across Barcelona and France will feature eight mountain stages, including five summit finishes, seven flat stages, four hilly days, an individual time trial and a team time trial to kick things off on July 4.
How Long Is The Tour de France 2026?
The course for the Tour de France 2026 is 3,333 kilometers or just over 2,071 miles.
The race is 21 stages.
A map of the entire route can be found here.
What Is The Schedule For The Tour de France 2026?
- Stage 1 (TTT) - July 4: Barcelone - Barcelone (19.6km)
- Stage 2 - July 5: Tarragone - Barcelone (168.5km)
- Stage 3 - July 6: Granollers - Les Angles (195.9km)
- Stage 4 - July 7: Carcassonne - Foix (181.9km)
- Stage 5 - July 8: Lannemezan - Pau (158.3km)
- Stage 6 - July 9: Pau - Gavarnie-Gèdre (186.2km)
- Stage 7 - July 10: Hagetmau - Bordeaux (175.1km)
- Stage 8 - July 11: Périgueux - Bergerac (180.4km)
- Stage 9 - July 12: Malemort - Ussel (185.5km)
- Rest Day - July 13: Cantal
- Stage 10 - July 14: Aurillac - Le Lioran (166.6km)
- Stage 11 - July 15: Vichy - Nevers (161.3km)
- Stage 12 - July 16: Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours - Chalon-sur-Saône (179.1km)
- Stage 13 - July 17: Dole - Belfort (205.8km)
- Stage 14 - July 18: Mulhouse - Le Markstein Fellering (155.3km)
- Stage 15 - July 19: Champagnole - Plateau de Solaison (183.9km)
- Rest Day - July 20: Haute-Savoie
- Stage 16 (ITT) - July 21: Évian-les-Bains - Thonon-les-Bains (26.1km)
- Stage 17 - July 22: Chambery - Voiron (174.7km)
- Stage 18 - July 23: Voiron - Orcières-Merlette (185.2km)
- Stage 19 - July 24: Gap - Alpe d'Huez (127.9km)
- Stage 20 - July 25: Le Bourg d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez (170.9km)
- Stage 21 - July 26: Thoiry - Paris Champs-Élysées (133km)
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Tour de France?
Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams and up to 184 competitors in the Tour de France. This year, there will be 23 teams.
Here’s the list for 2026:
- Alpecin - Premier Tech
- Bahrain - Victorious
- Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
- Cofidis
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team
- EF Education - EasyPost
- Groupama - FDJ United
- Netcompany INEOS
- Lidl - Trek
- Lotto Intermarché
- Movistar Team
- NSN Cycling Team
- Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco AlUla
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- TotalEnergies
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- UAE Team Emirates - XRG
- Uno-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
Who Won The Tour de France In 2025?
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar added to his growing legacy by winning the Tour de France in 2025.
It was his second consecutive victory at the event, and fourth overall (2020, 2021), making him the sixth rider in history to win four times.
Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain all have won five times, while Chris Froome joins Pogačar with four.
On his way to securing the yellow jersey in 2025, Pogačar was the pre-race favorite.
His title defense featured four stage wins (4, 7, 12, 13), and he finished more than four minutes ahead of runner-up Jonas Vingegaard. Florian Lipowitz was third, 11 minutes behind Pogačar, who also won the King of the Mountains jersey.
Pogačar owns five Grand Tour victories overall, including the Giro d’Italia in 2024, which was part of a historic Giro-TDF double, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1998.
In 2026, Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, will be looking to match the effort after claiming the GC title at the Giro d’Italia in May and becoming the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours at least one time.
Merckx has the most GC wins in Grand Tours with 11, followed by Hinault, who has 10.
Pogačar has maintained his elite form in 2026 and started the year with four wins in his first five events. He then added four stages wins on the way to the GC crown at the five-stage Tour de Romandie.
Tour de France 2026 Starts With A Massive Twist: Team Time Trial
The Tour de France 2026 begins with one of the most important opening stages in years: a team time trial in Barcelona.
We break down the history of the format, how the innovative rules work and why organizers first tested the concept before bringing it to the Tour de France.
Learn how times are calculated, how riders can gain or lose crucial seconds and why this opening stage could immediately impact the battle between Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and the other GC contenders when the race begins on July 4.
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