Visma & Vingegaard land first blow in team time trial
Dane takes yellow in hotly contested Tour de France stage one in Barcelona.
Filippo Ganna knows how to ride a time trial. He’s a two-time world champion in the disciple and has five grand tour time trial victories. Once the clock starts, he just GOES!
Dude be fast. His Ineos Netcompany squad set the bar high in the 19.6 km test against the clock. They were smooth and coordinated along the flat half of the course before hitting the two short climbs on Montjuïc. The finish was highlighted by an 800 meter section at around 7%. Ganna would power away solo, marking a time of 21:55.
On a hot day in Barcelona, that was a scorching time. Now, all he had to do was chill and hydrate and hope Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar were just a tad off. Like maybe they’d be in a giving mood?
Wishful thinking, Filippo. Critics may have questioned the relative strength of Visma-Lease-A-Bike relative to Pogačar’s UAE Emirates powerhouse. Especially after they were forced to leave Wout van Aert off the Tour roster.
However, today, they were flying. After a final boost from Matteo Jorgenson, Vingegaard attacked the final climb with a vengeance. He crossed the line with a new best time of 21:47. That was 8 seconds faster than Ganna’s Netcompany INEOS time.
Ahh, but Pogačar was still out on the course. “The one man who can destroy dreams,” said famed cycling commentator Phil Liggett, as he watched the UAE squad chasing Visma’s time.
UAE was indeed fast but once Pogačar went solo on Montjuïc, there was too much time to make up. He almost pulled off his typical magic but could just manage 3rd place, 11 seconds back. That said, he was still smiling at the finish — because what’s a 11 second deficit in the Alps and Pyrenees? Absolutely nothing.
As for the rest of the story, let’s start with Remco Evenepoel and his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad. He was just off the pace but a concerted solo effort on Montjuïc gave him the third best time, 18 seconds back. He also dropped co-leader Florian Lipowitz in the process — a little pecking order display.
Then there’s the matter of 19 year old French darling Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM. He seems to be impervious to all the extra pressure on his shoulders from the French media. Carrying extra weight is a bad thing in a race and French expectations are tres-tres elevé. He was more than solid but finished in sixth place, 38 seconds behind. Not a big chapeau, but nice looking.
Jonas Vingegaard takes the first maillot jaune of the 2026 Tour de France. And he lands what the experts like to call a psychological blow on Pogačar. But really, does 11 seconds count as a blow? Maybe a gentle tap?