Can anyone beat Tadej Pogačar? - Tour de Romandie prologue start times and order
Slovenian star last to start 3.2km opening effort at 17.27 local time
The 2026 Tour de Romandie gets underway on Tuesday afternoon with a short and fast prologue effort set to decide the first race leader.
Coming in at only 3.2km long, the prologue TT around Villars-sur-Glâne is flat or downhill for the first 2km, and then climbs up to the line with a 1.1km effort at 5.1%.
Despite the climb, the stage should still be one for the powerful riders, with GC favourite Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) a possible contender for the win alongside TT specialists like Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
For the more climbing-focused GC contenders, fortunately the short length of the TT should limit any earlier time losses, though everyone will be going all-out on the stage that will be decided by fine margins.
The racing gets underway at 15.45 local time (CEST), so 14.45 BST or 9.45 ET, with Movistar's Davide Formolo the first rider to start. All riders, including the final starters, will be leaving at one-minute intervals.
The first stage contender to look out for will be Plapp at 15.49. Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers) will be the first GC contender down the ramp at 15.53, whilst Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) starts at 16.10, and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) is at 16.20.
Pogačar has been given the number 1 bib and therefore will start last, at 17.27, to tackle an effort which should only take a few minutes.
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Scroll down for the full start times and order.
Start times
Time (CEST) |
Rider (Country) Team |
|---|---|
15:45:00 |
Davide Formolo (Ita) Movistar Team |
15:46:00 |
Warren Barguil (Fra) Picnic PostNL |
15:47:00 |
Marius Mayrhofer (Ger) Tudor Pro Cycling |
15:48:00 |
Gil Gelders (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep |
15:49:00 |
Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco-AlUla |
15:50:00 |
Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United |
15:51:00 |
Vlad Van Mechelen (Bel) Bahrain Victorious |
15:52:00 |
Clément Champoussin (Fra) XDS Astana |
15:53:00 |
Oscar Onley (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers |
15:54:00 |
Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Lidl-Trek |
15:55:00 |
Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
15:56:00 |
Tijmen Graat (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike |
15:57:00 |
Ivo Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
15:58:00 |
Jorge Arcas (Spa) Movistar Team |
15:59:00 |
Robbe Dhondt (Bel) Picnic PostNL |
16:00:00 |
Marco Brenner (Ger) Tudor Pro Cycling |
16:01:00 |
Rotem Tene (Isr) NSN Cycling Team |
16:02:00 |
Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep |
16:03:00 |
Mauro Schmid (Swi) Jayco-AlUla |
16:04:00 |
Clément Berthet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United |
16:05:00 |
Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious |
16:06:00 |
Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS Astana |
16:07:00 |
Dorian Godon (Fra) Ineos Grenadiers |
16:08:00 |
Michael Leonard (Can) EF Education-EasyPost |
16:09:00 |
Jakob Söderqvist (Swe) Lidl-Trek |
16:10:00 |
Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
16:11:00 |
Jørgen Nordhagen (Nor) Visma-Lease a Bike |
16:12:00 |
Kevin Vermaerke (USA) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
16:13:00 |
Pavel Novák (Cze) Movistar Team |
16:14:00 |
Dillon Corkery (Irl) Picnic PostNL |
16:15:00 |
Joel Suter (Swi) Tudor Pro Cycling |
16:16:00 |
George Bennett (NZl) NSN Cycling Team |
16:17:00 |
Maximilian Richard Walscheid (Ger) Soudal-QuickStep |
16:18:00 |
Patrick Gamper (Aut) Jayco-AlUla |
16:19:00 |
David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United |
16:20:00 |
Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious |
16:21:00 |
Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Spa) XDS Astana |
16:22:00 |
Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) Ineos Grenadiers |
16:23:00 |
Georg Steinhauser (Ger) EF Education-EasyPost |
16:24:00 |
Albert Withen Philipsen (Den) Lidl-Trek |
16:25:00 |
Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
16:26:00 |
Axel Zingle (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike |
16:27:00 |
Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
16:28:00 |
Filip Maciejuk (Pol) Movistar Team |
16:29:00 |
Mattia Gaffuri (Ita) Picnic PostNL |
16:30:00 |
Yannis Voisard (Swi) Tudor Pro Cycling |
16:31:00 |
Itamar Einhorn (Isr) NSN Cycling Team |
16:32:00 |
Valentin Paret Peintre (Fra) Soudal-QuickStep |
16:33:00 |
Hamish Mckenzie (Aus) Jayco-AlUla |
16:34:00 |
Maxime Decomble (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United |
16:35:00 |
Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious |
16:36:00 |
Sergio Andres Higuita Garcia (Col) XDS Astana |
16:37:00 |
Andrew August (USA) Ineos Grenadiers |
16:38:00 |
Lukas Nerurkar (GBr) EF Education-EasyPost |
16:39:00 |
Patrick Konrad (Aut) Lidl-Trek |
16:40:00 |
Adrien Boichis (Fra) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
16:41:00 |
Menno Huising (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike |
16:42:00 |
Domen Novak (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
16:43:00 |
Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team |
16:44:00 |
Henri François Renard Haquin (Fra) Picnic PostNL |
16:45:00 |
Jacob Eriksson (Swe) Tudor Pro Cycling |
16:46:00 |
Floris Van Tricht (Bel) NSN Cycling Team |
16:47:00 |
Junior Lecerf (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep |
16:48:00 |
Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco-AlUla |
16:49:00 |
Lorenzo Germani (Ita) Groupama-FDJ United |
16:50:00 |
Robert Stannard (Aus) Bahrain Victorious |
16:51:00 |
Davide Toneatti (Ita) XDS Astana |
16:52:00 |
Bob Jungels (Lux) Ineos Grenadiers |
16:53:00 |
Samuele Battistella (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost |
16:54:00 |
Sam Oomen (Ned) Lidl-Trek |
16:55:00 |
Luke Tuckwell (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
16:56:00 |
Anton Schiffer (Ger) Visma-Lease a Bike |
16:57:00 |
Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
16:58:00 |
Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda (Ecu) Movistar Team |
16:59:00 |
Oliver Peace (GBr) Picnic PostNL |
17:00:00 |
Roland Thalmann (Swi) Tudor Pro Cycling |
17:01:00 |
Nadav Raisberg (Isr) NSN Cycling Team |
17:02:00 |
Steff Cras (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep |
17:03:00 |
Filippo Conca (Ita) Jayco-AlUla |
17:04:00 |
Joshua Kench (NZl) Groupama-FDJ United |
17:05:00 |
Kamil Gradek (Pol) Bahrain Victorious |
17:06:00 |
Marco Schrettl (Aut) XDS Astana |
17:07:00 |
Laurens De Plus (Bel) Ineos Grenadiers |
17:08:00 |
Sean Quinn (USA) EF Education-EasyPost |
17:09:00 |
Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Lidl-Trek |
17:10:00 |
Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda (Col) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
17:11:00 |
Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike |
17:12:00 |
Felix Großschartner (Aut) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
17:13:00 |
Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar Team |
17:14:00 |
Alexy Faure Prost (Fra) Picnic PostNL |
17:15:00 |
Robin Donzé (Swi) Tudor Pro Cycling |
17:16:00 |
Marco Frigo (Ita) NSN Cycling Team |
17:17:00 |
Casper Casper Pedersen (Den) Soudal-QuickStep |
17:18:00 |
Asbjørn Hellemose (Den) Jayco-AlUla |
17:19:00 |
Rémy Rochas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United |
17:20:00 |
Attila Valter (Hun) Bahrain Victorious |
17:21:00 |
Florian Samuel Kajamini (Ita) XDS Astana |
17:22:00 |
Ben Swift (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers |
17:23:00 |
Jefferson Alexander Cepeda (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost |
17:24:00 |
Bauke Mollema (Ned) Lidl-Trek |
17:25:00 |
Jan Tratnik (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
17:26:00 |
Pietro Mattio (Ita) Visma-Lease a Bike |
17:27:00 |
Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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