New team time trial format set to decide first yellow jersey at 2026 Tour de France draws criticism from Visma-Lease a Bike CEO

The timing format for the stage 1 team time trial at the 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona has raised questions from Visma-Lease a Bike's CEO, with it following the new TTT format seen in Paris-Nice in recent seasons, where the time is taken from the first rider across the line for each team.

For the general classification, each rider will be given the respective time they finish the 19km route, a departure from the previous format seen in 2019 and Tours de France gone by, where GC times were taken on the fourth rider crossing the finish line.

"For me, a team time trial is a team time trial, and the beauty of it is that you need the whole team, and even your number four or five has to be able to keep up," said Visma team boss Richard Plugge to Het Laatste Nieuws, speaking at the route presentation in Paris.

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"Right now, it's one big lead-out for the leader. But it is what it is, and we have to deal with it."

After years of punchy stage 1 finishes and a sprint opener this past season in 2025, the Tour's organisers are hoping for the GC favourites to once again come to the fore, but only after the TTT spectacle on the streets of Barcelona, finishing with key climbs to Montjuïc and the Olympic Stadium

The TTT stage at Paris-Nice in the past three years has seen teams empty their resources before launching their leaders into the final kilometres.

Visma won the TTT stage in 2023 and 2025, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG taking victory in 2024, so despite Plugge's complaints, they will no doubt be one of the favourites to take yellow.

"The course lends itself to it, with two difficult climbs, we want to let the leaders express themselves," said Tour technical director Thierry Gouvenou, reported by L'Equipe. "We also want to avoid having five riders from the same team at the top of the general classification.

"It doesn't prevent the team from working, but it adds an individual touch. The winner will be the one who has been carried by his team and who manages to make the final effort to get the best time. And this will allow us to have a real ranking from the first day."

The last time the first yellow jersey was determined by a team time trial was during the prologue TTT of the 1971 race, when Eddy Merckx's Molteni team took victory and his teammate Rini Wagtmans wore yellow en route to Merckx's third GC crown.

Despite Plugge's reservations, he and everyone else trying to prevent Tadej Pogačar from claiming a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey at the Tour know that it will be the gruesome third week and back-to-back stage finishes to Alpe d'Huez that will decide the race, not the 19km around Barcelona.

"That last week is really tough. The organisers clearly want to keep the suspense going for a long time, and I think they've designed a good course to achieve that," said Plugge.

"We still believe we can fight for the win. We're very confident about that. There are some great stages that should suit Jonas very well, and the team time trial and time trial certainly won't be a disadvantage. But I think several riders within our team see potential on this course."

Racing at the Tour de France will kick off on July 4 2026, starting with the TTT and Barcelona Grand Départ, before heading to the Pyrenees and into France. The full route was revealed on Thursday, October 23.