Tour de France team-by-team guide – Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list

A total of 184 riders from 23 teams will start the 2026 Tour de France, all with different roles, hopes and ambitions for the three weeks of racing.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is chasing a record-equalling fifth victory, while some Tour debutants are just hoping to survive the mountain stages and reach the finish in Paris. ‘À chacun son Tour’ as they say in France.

Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) have dominated the Tour GC battle in recent years but this year’s race, at least for the podium spots, seems more open and so surely more interesting, even if there is a fear Pogačar could dominate once again.

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Vingegaard and his Visma team will challenge Pogačar and UAE, with Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) a dangerous duo for the GC. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) leads the list of young Tour debutants but the French teenager could also emerge as a GC contender.

The best sprinters in the world will fight for the victory on the flat stages, with plenty of other more aggressive riders looking for success from breakaways. The domestiques on every team face three weeks of suffering and total team loyalty.

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The start list includes the 18 WorldTour teams plus Pinarello-Q36.5, Tudor Pro Cycling and Cofidis – the three automatic invitation teams – and Team TotalEnergies and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, the final two wildcard teams.

This is the Cyclingnews guide to all of the 23 teams taking part in the 2026 Tour including team leaders, objective, riders to watch and full team line-ups when they are confirmed.

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Alpecin-Premier Tech

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Sprint and stage victories, points classificationTeam leader(s): Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper PhilipsenRider to watch: Emiel VerstryngeFull team: TBA

Alpecin-Premier Tech will again be hunting for stage victories at the Tour, with Jasper Philipsen a proven sprint winner and Mathieu van der Poel a threat from a breakaway or after a hard finale. Kaden Groves can help Philipsen and also be a dangerous sprint alternative.

Van der Poel and Philipsen both enjoyed successful spring Classics campaigns and appear to be on track to peak again in July. Philipsen recently won the Copenhagen Sprint WorldTour race, while Van der Poel grew in confidence and form during the Tour de Suisse.

Emiel Verstrynge is far more than a talented cyclocross rider and proved it with fourth at the Amstel Gold Race and fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Whenever the stage profiles are too demanding for Van der Poel, Verstrynge should get a chance to show what he can do in the biggest race in the world.

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Bahrain Victorious

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: GC top ten, stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Lenny MartinezRider to watch: Antonio TiberiFull team: TBA

Bahrain Victorious appear to have kept their best riders for the Tour de France, with Lenny Martinez, Antonio Tiberi, and Matej Mohorič all expected to line-up in Barcelona. Pello Bilbao will miss the Tour in what is his final season as a pro.

Cyclingnews understands that veteran Damiano Caruso is also pushing to ride the Tour de France in the final months of his career. Those five riders would give Bahrain Victorious options to fight for the GC and chase stages on mountainous and hilly terrain.

Tiberi targeted the Giro in 2025 only to suffer in the final week after a nasty crash. He will make his Tour debut, with his teammates and performance staff convinced the French Grand Tour suits him far more due to the gradual gradients in the mountains and the impact of the time trials. It will be fascinating to see if he can finally live up to the talents he showed as a young rider.

Martinez may be overshadowed by the Seixas-mania swapping through France but at 22, with two Tour rides on his palmarès, he is perhaps ready for a breakthrough stage victory. He went on the attack on four different stages in 2025 and has surely studied every detail of stages 19 and 20 to Alpe d’Huez.

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Sprint and stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Fernando GaviriaRider to watch: Stefano OldaniFull team: TBA

The Spanish ProTeam secured a wildcard invitation from ASO, as Unibet Rose Rockets missed out. The Grand Depart in Spain was surely a factor, as was the team’s long history and trusted team structure.

Caja Rural will race the Tour in their iconic jersey design of the nineties, which Marino Lejarreta showed off so often in 1987 and 1988 with mountain attacks during the Tour.

Fernando Gaviria is the team’s standout name and the now veteran Colombian will surely contest the sprint finishes, perhaps with his usual early acceleration giving him a number of placings or even a victory.

Italy’s Stefano Oldani won a stage at the 2022 Giro d’Italia and showed he is back to his best with a strong ride at the Tour of Slovenia.

José Félix Parra finished ninth overall at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Jan Castellon was 11th, surely enough to punch their tickets for the Tour. Alex Molenaar is also expected to be part of the final eight-rider line-up.

Cofidis

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Ion IzagirreRider to watch: Milan FretinFull team: TBA

Cofidis are cleverly racing for UCI ranking points and WorldTour survival but they will perhaps change tactics at the Tour and target a stage victory, which would be worth far more due to the importance of the race for the French-based team.

Veteran Basque rider Ion Izagirre could win from a breakaway in the mountains as he did in 2016 and 2023. Izagirre has already announced he will retire at the end of the season but will surely want to go out on a high. He seems motivated and focused and his third place overall the La Route d’Occitanie proves it.

Alex Aranburu showed his form by winning at the Baloise Belgium Tour from the break, while Benjamin Thomas is still a fine finisseur and arguably deserves a Tour de France stage win on his palmarès.

Milan Fretin could be a contender in the sprint finishes, as he proved in the June semi-Classics.

Decathlon CMA CGM

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: GC podiumTeam leader(s): Paul SeixasRider to watch: Olav KooijFull team: TBA

The presence of Paul Seixas in the Decathlon Tour line-up changes everything for the French team.

Seixas is still only 19 but has already proven his stage racing ability and incredible potential. Now his talents face the ultimate test on his Tour debut, with France hoping and expecting him to finally give them a home victory in the years to come.

Such is Seixas’ talents that even his rivals respect and fear him. Can he defeat Tadej Pogačar and stop the Slovenian from winning a fifth Tour? Probably not but he is the equal of Jonas Vingegaard and perhaps already a better, more complete Grand Tour rider than Remco Evenepoel. If he avoids any early crashes and loss of time, he could emerge to fight for the podium. That gives him a chance of victory if Pogačar stumbles.

The Decathlon team management face a tough decision on the inclusion of Olav Kooij in the Tour team. Seixas arguably deserves full team support but the Dutch sprinter has won three times since overcoming illness and making his season debut in late May. A Kooij sprint win early on could help ease the pressure on Seixas.

Stefan Bissegger and Daan Hoole will play a vital role in the opening team time trial, while Tiesj Benoot could be a calming and experienced road captain. Seixas’ mountain teammates are likely to include Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Matthew Riccitello and Nicolas Prodhomme.

EF Education-EasyPost

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: GC podium, stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Richard Carapaz, Ben HealyRider to watch: Alex BaudinFull team: TBA

EF Education-EasyPost struggled for results in the spring due to illness and injury but always raise their game for the Tour de France.

Last year Ben Healy won a stage from an aggressive breakaway, wore the yellow jersey for two days and finished ninth overall. Team manager Jonathan Vaughters will be hoping the Irish rider and fellow team leader Richard Carapaz can produce similar results this year, though the Ecuadorian has played down any GC ambitions and may just be going for stage wins instead.

Carapaz was forced to miss last year’s Tour due to a late gastrointestinal issue and then was forced to reset his 2026 season after a serious saddle sore needed surgery. He missed the Giro but showed his form with second overall at the Tour de Suisse, attacking in pursuit of Tadej Pogačar on stage 1 and then defending his time gain. If he performs at a similar level in France, his and EF’s season will be a success.

Kasper Asgreen is expected to target the flatter early stages, while Frenchman Alex Baudin will hope to repeat his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes success.

Jayco AlUla

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Ben O’ConnorRider to watch: Michael Matthews, Luke PlappFull team: Michael Matthews, Luke Plapp, Pascal Ackermann, Ben O’Connor, Mauro Schmid, Kell O’Brien, Felix Engelhardt, Luke Durbridge

Jayco AlUla are looking for a major sponsor for when Gerry Ryan finally ends his backing and a successful Tour campaign could help secure the long-term future of the Australia team.

Management have selected the team’s biggest names, with Ben O’Connor, Luke Plapp, Mauro Schmid and Pascal Ackermann all expected to be part of the final eight-rider roster. Each has different talents and different ambitions, meaning the special edition Maap Jayco-AlUla jerseys could be in the action on every stage.

O’Connor hoped to target the GC at the Giro but suffered on the climbs and finished 16th. The Western Australian will be looking for redemption on the roads of France and often performs better in his second Grand Tour of the season.

Schmid is more consistent and can battle with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel on hilly stages suited to breakaways. His second place at La Flèche Wallonne was no fluke.

Michael Matthews missed the 2025 Tour due to a dangerous blood clot and then missed four months of the 2026 season after fracturing his wrists in a nasty training crash. He is healthy again and back racing and rode both the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the Tour de Suisse.

Plapp got his first taste of the Tour in 2025 when he got a late call to replace Matthews after racing and winning at the Giro. This year his Tour campaign has been carefully calibrated and he should be a contender for breakaways and perhaps the individual time trial.

Groupama-FDJ United

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victories, GC top tenTeam leader(s): Guillaume MartinRider to watch: Romain GrégoireFull team: TBA

The Groupama-FDJ United team have struggled in recent seasons as French rivals Decathlon CMA CGM out-performed them and became a super team.

Marc Madiot is no longer directly involved in team management but his traditional Tour de France motivational talks are likely to lift the riders as they search for stage victories and a moment of glory in their biggest race of the year.

In the absence of David Gaudu, Guillaume Martin will likely be the team’s leader and potential highest GC finisher, though a top 20 feels more feasible than a top 10 at this stage.

Romain Grégoire won the Tour of Britain in 2025 and showed he has Tour de France form by winning stage 2 at the Tour de Suisse. He is still only 23 but has already ridden the Tour twice.

Italy’s Lorenzo Germani is also expected to make his Tour debut and join the pursuit of stage victories via breakaways.

Lidl-Trek

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: GC podium, stage victories, points classificationTeam leader(s): Mads Pedersen, Juan AuysoRider to watch: Quinn SimmonsFull team: TBA

Lidl-Trek are in the midst of a management revolution as the German supermarket ushers out Luca Guercilena and puts their trust in former Tour contender Andy Schleck. It will be interesting to see if the changes have an impact on the team at the Tour de France.

Lidl-Trek have added GC ambitions to their Tour strategy after signing Juan Ayuso and have to combine the Spaniard’s lofty goals with Mattias Skjelmose’s objectives and chasing stage victories with Mads Pedersen, Guilio Ciccone, Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek. That may make it difficult for Pedersen to also target the green points jersey and Andy Schleck will have to manage his riders’ ambitions and convince them to work for each other.

Pedersen is back targeting Tour stages after swapping roles with Jonathan Milan in 2025. The Dane has endured a quiet preparation phase after fracturing his wrist before the Classics. He was strong at the Boucles de la Mayenne at the end of May but needs to be much stronger to be successful in July.

Ayuso showed his form with third overall at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. He couldn’t crack Isaac del Toro but at least tried and seems back to his Grand Tour best after failing to finish the Giro and the Tour in 2024 and 2025.

Simmons will again fly the US national champion’s stars and stripes in the Tour after his win in Charleston, West Virginia. He could be a valuable teammate but will also expect or even go and take his chances in breakaways on specific stages.

Lotto-Intermarché

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Sprint and stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Arnaud De LieRider to watch: Lennert Van EetveltFull team: TBA

Lotto-Intermarché are back in the WorldTour in 2026 and have stepped up their ambitions too. 20-year-old super talent Jarno Widar will make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España rather than at the Tour and so the Belgian team will target sprint stages with Arnaud De Lie and mountain stages with Lennert Van Eetvelt.

De Lie rode the Tour in 2024 and 2025, racking up numerous top five sprint results. A victory is surely within grasp this year, perhaps on a hillier stage when his fastest rivals have been dropped. We should watch for Lotto-Intermarché joining forces with Lidl-Trek and NSN Cycling Team to make the rolling stages far harder than they look on paper.

Van Eetvelt was chasing stages and looking strong at the Giro d’Italia but then crashed and fractured a finger on stage 11. He appears to have recovered and has been training at altitude recently, so should be in form for breakaway days in the mountains.

Movistar

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victories, GC top tenTeam leader(s): Cian UijtdebroeksRider to watch: Einer RubioFull team: TBA

Movistar have carefully divided their Grand Tour leaders, with Enric Mas riding the Giro and the Vuelta. Cian Uijtdebroeks was a surprise signing for 2026 and was given the task of targeting the Tour, which arguably suits his talents and more controlled racing style.

Uijtdebroeks was considered a super talent when at Red Bull and Visma and is keen to return to his best at this year’s Tour and prove his talents. He was seventh overall at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and seems to be building consistently for the Tour.

Einer Rubio will be Uijtdebroeks’ climbing companion and could also have the freedom to target mountain stages. The Colombian is on track to ride all three Grand Tour this year after finishing 23rd at the Giro.

Movistar will be missing one strong rider in Iván Romeo who is out of the race due to illness.

Netcompany Ineos

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victories, GC top tenTeam leader(s): Kévin VauquelinRider to watch: Thymen ArensmanFull team: TBA

Netcompany Ineos have a new title sponsor and appear to have a new focus on their performance, with the Tour de France the biggest goal of all.

However, their team has already taken a blow as Oscar Onley has been ruled out of the race due to a shoulder injury he sustained in a nasty crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The British team does not otherwise have a bonafide GC contenders but any of Thymen Arensman, Carlos Rodríguez and Kévin Vauquelin could finish in the top 10. The roads of France will surely decide who emerges as the protected rider for the final mountain stages in the Alps.

Vauquelin was seventh last year and despite underwhelming results so far this year he will probably start as their main rider. Arensman finished fourth at the Giro d’Italia and may opt to target mountain stages but his ride in the 2025 Tour indicated he performs better in his second Grand Tour.

Filippo Ganna is also doubling up, riding the Tour after the Giro, and the Italian will be the driving force for the team time trial, target the stage 16 individual time trial and also target stage victories from breakaways.

NSN Cycling Team

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Sprint, stage victories and points classificationTeam leader(s): Biniam GirmayRider to watch: Marco FrigoFull team: Biniam Girmay, Jake Stewart, Lewis Askey, Krists Neilands, Marco Frigo, Matis Louvel, George Bennett, Tom Van Asbroeck

NSN will celebrate the Tour de France Grand Départ kicking off near their Spanish base, with co-founder and former Barcelona soccer player Andrés Iniesta no doubt as popular as the team’s riders during the opening stages.

Biniam Girmay leads NSN’s stage hunting ambitions after his move from Intermarché. The Eritrean has won three times so far in 2026 but appeared stronger and faster at the recent Baloise Belgium Tour where he beat Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) in the first sprint.

Stage 2 ends with three laps of the Montjuïc circuit and a 1.6km climb each time. If the GC riders opt not to attack, Girmay could have the power to survive and the speed to win the stage. A new points structure also favours Girmay as he targets a second green jersey after his historic 2024 success.

NSN will build their Tour team around Girmay, with Jake Stewart expected to be a vital leadout man.

“At the beginning of the year, we built a nice group around Bini for the sprints and that was a learning process,” sports director Sam Bewley explained to Wielerflits.

“We asked how he wanted to be led out, where is the best place to position him, and how does he work with the other riders. They have found that click now.”

Picnic PostNL

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victories, points scoringTeam leader(s): Pavel BittnerRider to watch: Mattia GaffuriFull team: TBA

Picnic PostNL have been struggling in the first part of 2026 but refuse to give up the fight and always trust their well-developed and proven process.

In 2025 Oscar Onley emerged to finish fourth overall in the Tour de France and his UCI ranking points haul helped the team retain WorldTour status. He left for Netcompany Ineos during the winter and so Picnic PostNL can only hope that Pavel Bittner can pull off a win in the sprints and veterans Warren Barguil and John Degenkolb can rekindle the success of their past.

Sadly Max Poole has not raced since February as he battles full recovery from Epstein-Barr syndrome but the lack of a clear team leader could open doors to the likes of Mattia Gaffuri, who showed his form by finishing 15th overall at the Tour de Suisse.

Bittner has raced little since the spring but was second behind Tim Merlier at Scheldeprijs. He also took two top-five placing in sprints in the 2025 Tour.

“Things aren’t going smoothly. We’re fighting against the wind. That’s a given at times, and you have to find a way out of it,” sports director Roy Curvers told Wielerflits recently.

“Believe me, we’re working hard on that internally. But if you look at a list of our injured and sick riders, it’s understandable why things aren’t going smoothly for us.”

Pinarello-Q36.5

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victories, GC top tenTeam leader(s): Tom PidcockRider to watch: Fred WrightFull team: TBA

Pinarello-Q36.5 secured an automatic wild card invitation to the 2026 Tour de France and so will make their debut in the sport’s biggest race.

The Swiss-based team is growing and improving rapidly, just like team leader Tom Pidcock‘s Grand Tour ambitions. The Yorkshire rider finished third overall in the 2025 Vuelta a España and so will try to combine his love for winning with Tour de France GC ambitions.

“The first goal is to enjoy the Tour de France,” his long-time coach, confidant and Head of Performance at Pinarello-Q36.5 Kurt Bogaerts told Cyclingnews.

“His last result in the Tour was 13th in 2023. If he could get into the top 10 on GC, that, for me, would be a good progression. Then with Tom, we always know that he can do better than anyone expects.”

Pidcock was slowed by a viral infection at his altitude camp and so opted to miss the Tour of Suisse. However he won the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica on June 21, showing he was on the way back to his best.

The Pinarello-Q36.5 Tour roster is built around Pidcock’s ambitions but fellow Briton Fred Wright will likely have the freedom to also target stages. He suffered a knee infection after the team’s pre-season altitude camp in Chile but has raced aggressively and taken several placings in recent weeks.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: GC podium, stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Remco Evenepoel, Florian LipowitzRider to watch: Jai HindleyFull team: Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Mattia Cattaneo, Nico Denz, Jai Hindley, Jan Tratnik, Tim van Dijke, Maxim Van Gils

Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz have been named as joint team leader’s for the Tour de France, with team manager Ralph Denk opting for a Formula 1 type strategy of letting the two fight it out on the road for eventual team leadership. Jai Hindley finished third at the Giro and will have the difficult task of trying to help both of them on the key mountain stages.

Lipowitz has the bragging rights of finishing third in the 2025 Tour but prefers to let his legs do the talking. Evenepoel is Red Bull’s big name signing for 2026 and has claimed his stake to leadership by dedicating the last two months to his Tour preparation.

The Belgian was a surprise contender at the Tour of Flanders and won the Amstel Gold Race. Now he has to prove to himself and his doubters that he really can challenge for the yellow jersey against Pogačar and the next generation of riders led by Paul Seixas.

The Barcelona team time trial will be the first test of Red Bull’s leadership strategy and for Evenepoel’s and Lipowitz’s Tour ambitions.

Soudal-QuickStep

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Sprint and stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Tim MerlierRider to watch: Valentin Paret-PeintreFull team: TBA

Soudal-QuickStep have reverted to being a Classics and sprint team after letting Evenepoel move to Red Bull but have few regrets about the decision so far, with the team’s core proving to be strong enough to move on from the change in strategy.

Tim Merlier suffered with a knee problem and only made his season debut in late March. However he immediately won Scheldeprijs and more recently won a stage at the Baloise Belgium Tour and was second on two others.

Merlier has the late speed and power to win Tour sprints and the calmness to handle the pressure and hectic finale of stages. This year he can count on the support of loyal leadout man Bert Van Lerberghe, plus the proven talents of Jasper Stuyven.

Valentin Paret-Peintre helped steady the Soudal ship after Evenepoel quit the Tour last year and it became evident he would move to Red Bull. Few riders have won atop Mont Ventoux and the French climber took victory from the breakaway after a great team ride from Ilan Van Wilder.

The two could combine again this year, perhaps late in the Tour in the high Alps, when the GC is set and breakaway opportunities more frequent.

Mikel Landa missed the Giro after being hit by a race vehicle at the Itzulia Basque Country race but is expected to ride the Tour. It is possibly the last time for ‘Landismo’ racing on the roads of France.

TotalEnergies

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Jordan JegatRider to watch: Mattéo VercherFull team: TBA

French ProTeam TotalEnergies are racing for their future, with legendary team owner Jean-René Bernaudeau and new team manager Stéphane Heulot are hoping a historic result in the Tour can convince a new sponsor to take over from the French energy giant and keep the team alive.

Threats by management not to select riders who had found a new team for 2027 appears draconian and illogical but has perhaps focused minds and ambitions.

The team has emerged from the ashes in the past, with Thomas Voeckler wearing the yellow jersey for ten days in 2011 and finishing fourth overall.

The TotalEnergies roster is weaker than it once was but Jordan Jegat impressed at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, going on the attack on three different mountain stages. It is easy to forget that Jegat finished tenth overall in the 2025 Tour.

Geoffrey Bouchard is now 34 but has proven Grand Tour experience, as do Mattéo Vercher and Mathis Le Berre.

Tudor Pro Cycling

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Michael StorerRider to watch: Julian AlaphilippeFull team: TBA

Tudor are a WorldTour squad in everything but name and team owner Fabian Cancellara is hoping to see his distinctive black and red colours in the thick of the action after an injury-hit spring.

Julian Alaphilippe is in Tudor’s Tour de France selection along with Michael Storer, Matteo Trentin, Rick Pluimers and possibly Stefan Küng.

The Swiss rider fractured his femur at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the end of February and will only race again at the Swiss National Championships this week. However if that test goes well, he could be part of the Tour roster.

Alaphilippe recently took time out from racing but was back in action at the Tour de Suisse. He may lack the panache and swagger of his best years but even at 34, Alaphilippe is still inspired by the Tour de France and the love of the French fans. He went closer to victory on stage 2 last year and went on the attack on four other stages. His long spells in yellow may be a thing of the past but Alaphilippe is always entertaining.

Storer finished seventh at the Giro d’Italia as he focused on the GC. He will flip to stage hunting at the Tour and hopes to build on his five breakaway attempts and two top-five results of 2025.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Win the GCTeam leader(s): Tadej PogačarRider to watch: Isaac del ToroFull team: TBA

UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Tadej Pogačar appear unbeatable on paper but everyone at the team, from manager Mauro Gianetti to Pogačar and each rider and staff member, know that every Tour has to be won out on the road, overcoming daily problems, crashes, illness and attacks.

The final UAE Tour squad is expected to include Isaac del Toro, Tim Wellens, Nils Politt, Adam Yates, Brandon McNulty and Florian Vermeersch.

Last year Pogačar seemed unhappy and fatigued in the final week, only to reveal months later that a simple handlebar bang to his knee had left him in pain and doubting he could even make it to Paris. Of course he won a fourth Tour and now he has a chance to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as five-time Tour winners.

Pogačar defies cycling logic in the way he distances his rivals and adds victories to his palmarès. He appears from another planet but yet remains humble, hungry and even friendly. When he can’t drop his rivals on the road, he seems to destroy them mentally. He again dominated the Classics, even if Paris-Roubaix evaded him and won the Tour de Suisse after working hard at altitude for the Tour.

“I’d say I’m stronger,” Pogačar said after a recent training camp test ride. “We did super good training. We had a lot of time out of home with the teammates. A lot of work has been done, so I’m happy.”

We have been warned.

Sports director Joxean Fernandez Matxin fears Vingegaard and Paul Seixas but considers Del Toro as a valid and strong Plan B if anything should happen to Pogačar. The Mexican is making his Tour debut but won the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Uno-X Mobility

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Top five on GC and stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Tobias Halland JohannessenRider to watch: Magnus CortFull team: Andreas Kron, Magnus Cort, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Anders Skaarseth, Søren Wærenskjold, Anthon Charmig, Jonas Abrahamsen, Torstein Træen

The Uno-X Mobility team jokingly described themselves and their Tour de France squad as a moment of yellow and red Danish-Norwegian unity, as riders from the two nations come together to target stage wins and a GC result with Tobias Halland Johannessen.

Uno-X won a stage at the 2025 Tour thanks to Jonas Abrahamsen, with Tobias Halland Johannessen finishing sixth overall. This year their goals are higher.

“The goal is to do what we did in 2025 once again. And that might be even harder this year than last year, because now we have said it out loud. A top 5 overall with Tobias is the objective, and it is the team’s big goal,” sports director Gabriel Rasch said.

Halland Johannessen has been consistently impressive so far in 2026, finishing fourth at Tirreno-Adriatico, third at Itzulia Basque Country and fifth at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The eight-rider roster includes Andreas Kron, Magnus Cort, Anders Skaarseth, Søren Wærenskjold, Anthon Charmig, Jonas Abrahamsen and Torstein Træen, who impressed at last year’s Vuelta.

33-year-old Cort seems back to his Grand Tour winning best and leads the group of sprinters and stage hunters.

“There are many stages where we have to try to get the right rider in the right breakaway on the right day. We can win in several different ways,” Rasch said.

Visma-Lease a Bike

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Win the GCTeam leader(s): Jonas VingegaardRider to watch: Davide PiganzoliFull team: Jonas Vingegaard, Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail, Victor Campenaerts, Per Strand Hagenes, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli

Visma-Lease a Bike are a proven Tour de France winning team and perhaps the only squad able to take on Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad in this year’s race.

Vingegaard defeated Pogačar in 2022 and 2023 and has clashed with the Slovenian year after year. Pogačar is targeting a record-equalling fifth victory, while Vingegaard is chasing a historic Giro-Tour double.

The Tour will decide who has chosen the best route to Paris but both seem in peak form. Vingegaard and Visma rode a controlled Corsa Rosa and the Dane again insisted he was back to his very best for the first time since his terrible 2024 Itzulia Basque Country crash.

Vimsa were the first major team to confirm their final eight riders, with the roster built around Vingegaard’s ambitions. The absence of Wout van Aert due to his elbow infection has removed any temptation and stage victory distractions, Visma are going all-in for Vingegaard.

Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail, Victor Campenaerts and Per Strand Hagenes are the engine room and guardian angels for the flat stages, with Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli expected to be there in the mountains.

Strand Hagenes is perhaps a replacement for Christophe Laporte, who tore his quadriceps muscle in training in mid-May. Van Aert is irreplaceable and so Visma opted to add climbing power with Piganzoli. The Italian joined the team in 2026 but made an immediate impression with his strong riding at the Giro and earned Vingegaard’s utter confidence.

Expect Visma and Vingegaard to be in the battle for the yellow jersey right from the opening time trial in Barcelona.

XDS Astana Team

(Image credit: Getty Images)Ambitions: Stage victoriesTeam leader(s): Sergio HiguitaRider to watch: Max KanterFull team: TBA

XDS Astana successfully chased UCI ranking points in 2025 to safeguard their WorldTour status but with a new three-year licence confirmed, they are targeting race victories in 2026, with any points as a welcome consequence.

They won three stages at the Giro d’Italia and will surely hunt more at the Tour. Sergio Higuita and Harold Tejada are always a threat in a mountain breakaway, while Mike Teunissen and Max Kanter are suited to the stages that become a Classics-rider showdown. Kanter secured his place after three top-five results at the Baloise Belgium Tour.

Higuita finished 14th in the 2025 Tour after a consistent ride. There is no reason why he can’t climb into the top ten this year, especially with the difficulties of the late mountain stages in the Alps.

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