A different kind of team time trial
The opening stage covers 19.4 kilometres and finishes with two climbs, including the ascent to Montjuïc and a steeper final ramp to the finish. Because riders are timed individually, teams can afford to use some riders as early engines before they drop away.
He contrasted the format with the traditional team time trials. “Previously, the time of the fourth rider across the line counted. If the stage was fifty kilometres long, you had to keep the whole team together. That is different now, especially because it is only 20 kilometres long in Barcelona.”
Mathieu van der Poel in time trial action at the 2026 Tour de Suisse
Van der Poel could benefit
Pauwels believes Alpecin-Premier Tech could be one of the teams best suited to exploit the format, suggesting Mathieu van der Poel’s impressive individual time trial at the Tour de Suisse [he was second behind Pogacar] was no coincidence. According to Pauwels, the team has the riders needed to launch the Dutchman into the decisive climbs.
“The reason Van der Poel went all out is because Alpecin-Premier Tech also think: this is something we can do. They have a rider like Rickaert, and several others like him, who can ride extremely hard for a few kilometres. After that, they can immediately drop back.”
In Pauwels’ view, the Belgian squad could focus entirely on delivering Van der Poel to the decisive final section before leaving him to finish the stage alone. “Then they have to launch Van der Poel towards the climb. An explosive two-kilometre effort suits him well. And if not, it also gives him opportunities to take the yellow jersey in the following days.”