Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Tadej Pogacar started his quest for a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title when cycling’s elite race kicked off in neighbouring Spain on Saturday.
But it was his top rival, Jonas Vingegaard, who grabbed the early advantage after an impressive effort by the Dane and his Visma-Lease a Bike team.
Vingegaard helped clock the best time on the opening stage’s 19.6-kilometer (12.1-mile) team time trial in Barcelona, grabbing a 12-second advantage over Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
The Australian Jayco AlUla outfit, under the umbrella of GreenEDGE Cycling, enjoyed a solid time-trial outing to finish the day in 10th place in the team standings.
Michael Matthews placed 16th and team-mate and three-time Australian individual time trial champion, Lucas Plapp 42nd.
“It is still a long Tour obviously, but is a perfect start,” Vingegaard said.
“My team did an amazing job today. They were so strong. I didn’t have to do much, they just drove me all the way to the finish.”
The first of 21 stages took riders along the Mediterranean coast, past the city’s famous Sagrada Familia basilica and finished with a short climb up a hill overlooking the popular tourist destination.
Pogacar is the overall favourite thanks to his Tour victories in 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, as well as his strong form this year.
The Slovenian is aiming to join the select crowd of Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to have won cycling’s most prestigious race on five occasions.
Vingegaard is once again his biggest challenger. The Dane took home the yellow jersey in 2022 and 2023 and is aiming to complete the men’s Giro-Tour double.
This was the first team time trial included at the Tour since 2019.
But it had an important tweak.
At previous team time trials, the team’s riders all received the time set by the fourth rider of the team to cross the finish line.
That forced the team to stick together. This year, each rider was timed individually, meaning that the team could shed riders who had tired and finish with a leader on a solo run over the final stretch.
The three-week race will cross into the French Pyrenees on Stage three.
