2026 Tour de France to start with team time-trial in Barcelona

The 2026 Tour de France will begin with a team time-trial as the opening stage for the first time since 1971, organisers said on Tuesday.

Barcelona will host the start of the Tour de France in 2026 and will feature some of the city's architectural wonders 🚴#TDF2026

📸: @LeTour
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 26, 2025

The "Grand Depart" of the 2026 Tour de France will take place on July 4 in Barcelona, Spain, kicking off with a 19.7-kilometre team time-trial.

This stage will feature a format first introduced on the 2023 Paris-Nice, where the team's time is determined by the first rider to cross the finish line.

However, individual general classification times will be based on each rider's actual time.

The following day's stage also finishes in Barcelona after a 178km ride from Tarragona, while the third stage begins in Granollers, with the format and finish line yet to be confirmed.

"It is a very special day for the city of Barcelona and the whole of Catalonia. Thank you for your trust and belief in Barcelona," Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni told a press conference.

"Finally, the city will be linked to this event forever. It will be the culmination of this love story between Barcelona and the Tour."

The last time the Tour began in Spain was in 2023 in Bilbao. The 2025 edition of the prestigious cycling race will start in the northern French city of Lille.