Pogacar and Vingegaard Lead Field as Tour de France Opens With Spotlight on Teen Seixas

Overview

• The 113th Tour de France starts on Saturday 4 July with a 21-stage route from Barcelona to Paris that includes five French massifs and about 3,320 km.
• Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard arrive as the clear favourites after strong seasons, continuing a five-year duel that has dominated the race’s podium picture.
• Nineteen-year-old Paul Seixas has recovered from a heavy mid-June crash and will make his Tour debut, drawing intense attention from organisers and the media.
• Race design changes include a team time trial whose times count individually and a brutal Alpe d'Huez sequence with 5,450 metres of climbing late in the race to keep the general classification open.
• Final rosters show a thinner French presence with 30 riders—the smallest since 1968—and several high-profile absences such as Wout Van Aert and Oscar Onley that reshape team roles and sprint options.