The 23 Tour de France teams have all arrived in Barcelona and have begun their final preparations, combining training rides, final team time trial testing, sponsors and media obligations and rest and recovery before the three weeks of racing begin on Saturday.
The official team presentation is scheduled for Thursday evening, with the main stage in the shadow of the stunning Sagrada Família basilica. Riders are expected to enjoy a coffee-ride day on Friday before Saturday's opening TTT stage on the streets of central Barcelona.
Tadej Pogačar has kept a low profile so far but opted for a split training session on Thursday morning. Pogačar stood out in his World Champion's jersey and matching white shorts and opted for a short haircut to fight the expected July heat.
Latest Videos From
The Slovenian and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates first shook down their new time trial bikes and tested their clothing and aero helmet before switching to their road bikes for a short ride into the hills behind their hotel.
Paul Seixas and his Decathlon CMA CGM teammates headed to the Montmeló Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya motor racing circuit for some final team time trial training. The riders used the traffic-free, high-speed track to practice their riding order, turn length, start strategy and power efforts.
French ProTeam TotalEnergies also hit the track for some final TTT work and equipment testing.
Remco Evenepoel and his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates tested their TTT set-ups out on the road, with the Belgian riding what looks like the final version of a new and secret Specialized Shiv TT bike. Cyclingnews was the first to spot a black version of the bike at the team hotel on Wednesday. On Thursday Evenepoel rode a dazzle camouflage version in public.
Visma-Lease a Bike trained in their lighter-coloured yellow but will race in the darker colours that the team said was inspired by the works and sketches of Antoni Gaudí.
Visma have not yet confirmed a new title sponsor but announced a three-year helmet sponsorship extension with Giro on Thursday morning and so will continue to use the huge Aerohead helmet in time trials. Later on Thursday Victor Campenaerts, Matteo Jorgenson and Davide Piganzoli attended an event to reveal the new Nimbl × Nike Étoile clothing collection. Jonas Vingegaard was one of the big-name riders to give final interviews to the Tour de France media pack before the team presentation.
With the teams based in and around Barcelona, some opted to ride the final kilometres of stage 2 that also ends on Montjuïc overlooking the city.
Cyclingnews saw the Bahrain Victorious riders on the Carrer des Sants main road that leads to three Montjuïc circuits. The climb on each of the three laps has been compared to the La Redoute climb of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and so teams are expected a GC battle, with the likes of Pogačar, Evenepoel, Vingegaard and Seixas immediately fighting for the bonus seconds.
With time gains and losses also expected in Saturday's time trial, the GC standings will already indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the big-name contenders, even before the Tour leaves Barcelona for France and the Pyrenees on Monday.
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
