Ch21's ™️ Tour De France P/Review ©️ is IN

If the goal was to kick the race off with a stage full of intrigue, it certainly delivered. A superb performance from Visma and Jonas, who thoroughly deserved both the stage victory and the first yellow jersey. Their tactics and execution were close to perfect from start to finish.

A special mention goes to Davide Piganzoli. The 23-year-old Italian, making his Tour de France debut, might not even have been on the start line had Wout van Aert been fully fit. Instead, he seized his opportunity, producing a huge turn on the front before acting as Jonas' final launch pad.

Remco also impressed, effectively hauling his team around what felt like an individual time trial. To finish fifth while conceding fewer than 20 seconds was an outstanding effort.

It was a tougher day for Netcompany. Vauquelin's puncture dented their ambitions before Bernal slipped off the back—perhaps as part of a plan to target stage victories later in the race. Meanwhile, Ganna unleashed some colossal power, coming agonisingly close to taking the win.

Pogačar may be 12 seconds down overall, but he'll take plenty of encouragement from setting the fastest time on the final climb. An absorbing opening stage that leaves plenty to look forward to heading into day two.

Stage Two

There's no need to move the finish gantry overnight because today's stage ends in exactly the same place. The route runs from Tarragona—an absolutely stunning city that's well worth a visit—to Barcelona, with a demanding final 30km.

The riders tackle three laps of a finishing circuit featuring the tougher side of Montjuïc, a punchy 1.6km climb averaging 9.3%. It's the sort of ascent that should split the race.

Will the finish prove just too steep for Van der Poel? Pogačar and Remco will certainly fancy their chances, while Jonas is likely to be there or thereabouts, although the uphill sprint probably doesn't quite suit his finishing kick.

Seixas, who won this year's Flèche Wallonne, has already shown just how dangerous he is on this type of explosive finish, so I'd expect him to be right in the mix.

My pick for the stage is Pogačar.

Posted By: Charles21 on July 5th 2026 at 10:29:25

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