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Tour de France 2026 begins with Barcelona team time trial

sportsJul 3, 202617132

The 116th Tour de France opens with a Stage 1 team time trial in Barcelona on Saturday, with UAE Team Emirates and INEOS scheduled to ride last. Organizers expect a hot, humid start: forecasts predict temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius and more than 60 percent humidity at the Barcelona start. France endured a severe heatwave last week that the French health service linked to more than a thousand excess deaths, sharpening concerns about racing in high temperatures. Tour director Christian Prudhomme pointed to the race's 2024 heat protocol and said "adaptation" will be the codeword, allowing measures such as extra neutral motor support with water, moving starts to shaded locations, and widening time limits if needed. Climate researchers led by Ivana Cvijanovic found that although temperatures at key Tour locations have risen over the past 50 years, historically the race has so far avoided truly dangerous single days, a streak that may end this year. After the Barcelona time trial and a hilly coastal stage, the peloton climbs into the Pyrenees on Monday where temperatures are expected to fall.

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