“We're here to enjoy the race and we have nothing to lose”: Egan Bernal takes green jersey as Netcompany INEOS falls just short in Tour de France opener

Netcompany INEOS came within seconds of winning the opening team time trial of the 2026 Tour de France, finishing second behind Team Visma | Lease a Bike after Kevin Vauquelin's puncture disrupted the team's plans in the closing kilometres. Despite missing out on the win, INEOS left Barcelona with the green jersey after Egan Bernal recorded the fastest time at the first intermediate checkpoint under the Tour's new rule awarding the jersey to the quickest rider at that point.

Bernal admitted he had never imagined wearing the Tour's points jersey and praised his teammates after a strong collective performance.

“It's a jersey I never thought I'd wear! It's a special race with this new team time trial format, but the team was incredibly strong and finished in an amazing way. Team time trials are super hard, and these guys are crazy – they have so much power! It was a good performance,” Bernal said in a post-race interview.

Although the team narrowly missed victory after Vauquelin's puncture forced a late tactical adjustment, Bernal said morale remains high heading into the rest of the race.

“Of course, we came here to win and we missed out on the victory, but at the same time we're in good shape and the team is in a great vibe. We're definitely going to fight for everything. Every stage is an opportunity. We're here to enjoy the race and we have nothing to lose, so we'll try on every stage.”