The top favorites for the overall victory at the Tour de France, which begins on Friday in Copenhagen, have opted for quite early starting numbers for the opening time trial.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia/UAE Team Emirates) is the 66th of 176 starters at 5.05 p.m. on the 13.2 km long course in the Danish capital. Compatriot and challenger Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) starts as the 21st driver at 4:20 p.m.
The background should be the weather forecast: On Friday afternoon there should be more showers. The time trial will be opened by Frenchman Jeremy Lecroq (B&B Hotels-KTM) at 4:00 p.m., last starter at 6:55 p.m. is Spaniard Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates). It is the turn of the German time trial champion Lennard Kämna (Wedel/Bora-hansgrohe) at 5:23 p.m.
Selected start times for the opening time trial of the Tour de France (start distance one minute):
16.00 (1st starter): Jeremy Lecroq (France/B&B Hotels-KTM)
11/16: Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands/Alpecin-Deceuninck)
16.20: Primoz Roglic (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma)
16.41: Geraint Thomas (Great Britain/Ineos Grenadiers)
16.42: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma)
16.56: Thibaut Pinot (France/Groupama-FDJ)
4.58 p.m.: Max Walscheid (Neuwied/Cofidis)
01/17: Maximilian Schachmann (Berlin/Bora-hansgrohe)
03/17: Filippo Ganna (World Champion/Italy/Ineos Grenadiers)
04/17: Wout van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma)
17.05: Tadej Pogacar (Defending Champion/Slovenia/UAE Team Emirates)
09/17: Peter Sagan (Slovakia/TotalEnergies)
17.17: Alexander Krieger (Stuttgart/Alpecin-Deceuninck)
17.23: Lennard Kämna (German Champion/Wedel/Bora-hansgrohe)
17.57: Jonasrutsch (Erbach/EF Education-EasyPost)
04/18: Simon Geschke (Berlin/Cofidis)
18.14: Chris Froome (UK/Israel-Premier Tech)
18.22: John Degenkolb (Gera/DSM)
18.43: Georg Zimmermann (Augsburg/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux)
18.51: Nils Politt (Cologne/Bora-hansgrohe)
18.55 (176th and last starter): Marc Soler (Spain/UAE Team Emirates)
