The 2026 Tour de France got underway today with the opening stage in Barcelona a respectable start for XDS-Astana from Kazakhstan, although the action was marred by a crash which seriously affected the team.
In an unusual step for this multi-stage race, the opening day’s cycling was a team time trial (TTT). It was slightly different from previous years in that the riders were all given individual times – rather than sharing the same time it took their fourth-placed rider to cross the finish line.
Because of the high-speed crash, the new-look XDS-Astana team finished the 19.6 km stage 23rd of 23 teams, but in truth, leader Sergio Higuita was only 2 min 18 sec behind the stage winner. Three of them hit the deck midway through the course, said to have happened because one rider’s wheel hit a storm drain cover, followed by a touch of wheels.
“No fractures or serious injuries for our riders, but Nicolas Vinokourov, Harold Tejada, and Simone Velasco did sustain abrasions and various bruises,” the team told the media. ‘Not the way we wanted to start the Tour de France.’
The opening day certainly matters, but doesn’t decide final placings on the General Classification, and this race is far from finished for the guys in light blue, in spite of the cuts and bruises.
The day’s winners in the baking hot Catalan sun were the Visma Lease a Bike team, thanks to a stunning finish from Dane Jonas Vingegaard, after Italian Filippo Ganna from the Netcompany Ineos team had posted a seemingly unbeatable time earlier in the afternoon.
Pre-race favourite Tadej Pogačar led his team to a third-placed finish, a few observers noting how tough the stage seemed for him at the end, but none doubting his class and few doubting he will be the winner on 26 July in Paris.
Having said that, the two previous tours had seen his main rival, Vingegaard, arrive less than fully fit after racing accidents had set his training back. Entering the 2026 Tour at his fittest could make this year’s battle for the yellow jersey a classic.
The route today, far shorter than a standard stage, was from the Parc del Fòrum, past the Port Olímpic and the iconic Sagrada Familia, before the cyclists got to the finish in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium. As they were awarded their own times, rather than that of the team, the end of the stage saw teams break up, and individual riders push to the line to secure winning times. The new TTT format added to the excitement enormously.
Forthcoming stages promise to be even hotter and more gripping, as traditionally, the Tour de France doesn’t reach its peak excitement until the riders get to the mountains, but the team time trial has always been a favourite with many enthusiasts. The spectacle of eight riders working together at such speed, inches from each other’s wheels, round sharp corners, and even over cobbles only adds to the suspense.
Many claim that Le Tour is the world’s biggest annual sporting event, with over ten million people watching live on the stunning French (and Spanish) streets, but no Astana team has won the race overall since 2014, when Sicilian Vincenzo Nibali powered to victory.
This year is unlikely to change that, yet the participation of the squad will make the Tour all the more exciting, not least as the Kazakhstani outfit is one of the oldest teams in professional cycling.
What might seem like a bad day in the office was, in truth, a solid workmanlike showing, and XDS-Astana Team has plenty more riding left to do yet.
