More riders are using single chainrings than ever before at the 2026 Tour de France, as the 1x (or one-by) trend spreads beyond time trials to road stages.
The 2023 Tour de France was the first at which major teams, including Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike, went 1x for flat and mountainous days. One-by configurations have been popular during the Spring Classics, and we saw this used liberally by teams at Opening Weekend given the relatively flat terrain on offer and higher average speeds.