Stage 1: Barcelona -> Barcelona (TTT)
The Tour de France got underway on late Saturday afternoon with an almost 20 kilometre team time trial test around the streets of Barcelona. Unlike a traditional TTT where the time for the winning team is taken on the fourth rider, in this stage the team’s winning time was taken by their first rider across the line. This meant the GC and TTT powerhouse squads would do almost a lead-out before launching their GC rider on the final climb to the line.
Team Picnic PostNL arrive at the Tour without a GC focus, and knowing that competing for a top stage result would be tough, the team took a deep dive into the rule book and saw that the green jersey would be awarded to the rider on the team who covered the start to checkpoint one the fastest. Therefore, the squad set out to go as fast as they could to the first check point, before regrouping and making it safely within the time limit to the line.
Times from other teams came and went, but for a long time no one was able to top Team Picnic PostNL at the first checkpoint, until the four fastest overall teams went through, who just went a fraction faster than the two-striped squad. Ultimately the squad won’t start the second stage with a green jersey, but the commitment and spirit the riders showed to the goal has given them all extra motivation for the coming weeks.