Shock Victory & Chaotic Start | What Happened On Stage 1? | Tour De France Breakdown

Stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France delivered chaos from the very start in Barcelona, with a fast and technical 19.6km team time trial that opened the race right up.



It was complete carnage for INEOS. A puncture for Kévin Vauquelin, Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman both dropped, and Filippo Ganna left to finish the stage completely alone after riding away from his own teammates. Despite setting a time 30 seconds faster than Mathieu van der Poel, it still wasn’t enough for the win.



The shock came from Visma. After questions over their team time trial strength coming in without Wout Van Aert, Jonas Vingegaard and his team delivered a huge statement ride to take Stage 1 - with Vingegaard beating Ganna by 7 seconds to claim the first yellow jersey. Was anyone expecting that?



Plus: our Muc-Off Moment of the Day, a look ahead to Stage 2 and an inside scoop on EF Education Easy Post’s new aero helmet designed by POC.



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🏅For The Love Of Cycling is presented by ⁠Science in Sport.⁠

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For The Love Of Cycling is exactly what it sounds like. Four people obsessed with cycling.

Ned Boulting has spent decades narrating the drama from the commentary box, bringing the stories of the peloton to life, spotting the moments others miss and putting words to the madness.

David Millar knows that madness better than most. A former pro who raced at the very top and brings a sharp, unfiltered view of how the sport really works.

Pete Kennaugh brings the view from inside the bunch, a former Team Sky road captain who’s ridden through the chaos of Grand Tours and come out the other side with the kind of insight you only get from being there.

And Lizzie Deignan adds world-class insight from the women’s peloton, with the experience of a champion who’s raced, won, and helped shape the sport.

Between them, they’ve lived cycling from just about every angle.

They’ll take you into the heart of the biggest (and smallest) races. Not just what happened, but what it felt like. The atmosphere at the start line, the tension in the bunch, the strange, brilliant, exhausting rhythm of the road. It’s as much about the stories and the people of the sport as it is the results.

• No. of episodes: 496
• Latest episode: 2026-07-04
• Sports Society & Culture

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