The Vuelta a España will begin with a team time trial on the streets of Barcelona beginning at 18:55 local time. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA will be the first team to embark on the 14.8km race against the clock.
The stage isn't purely flat, featuring minimal elevation as the 22 teams race along the city streets, starting at the beachfront and taking on a succession of largely right-angle bends on a technical course before finishing in front of the famous fountain at Montjuïc Park.
It is the second year in a row and the third time in five years that the Vuelta a España has begun with a team time trial, following Torrevieja in 2019 and Utrecht in 2022.
The teams with favourites in the overall classification start later in the day, with Bahrain-Victorious beginning at 19:31, and Mikel Landa will be looking to improve on his 15th overall last year.
Jayco-AlUla are set to start at 19:43 with contender Eddie Dunbar as their main rider in contention for the overall across the three weeks of racing. Bora-Hansgrohe, starting at 19:51, will be looking to start well with Aleksandr Vlasov, directly followed by Ineos Grenadiers and former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas to start at 19:55.
Jumbo-Visma will be the team to beat and host two contenders with three-time overall winner Primož Roglič and two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard. They begin their time trial at 20:07.
They will be followed by UAE Team Emirates at 20:11, who also have two contenders in Juan Ayuso, third overall last year, and João Almeida. Then it's Movistar with Enric Mas at 20:15.
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The team time trial will mark the first opportunity to create early separations in the GC standings, but given that the team time trial is shorter than in previous years, teams might only be separated by mere seconds as the first red jersey of the race is awarded.
Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
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