The Tour de France is about to welcome its fourth Grand Départ in 5 years in 2026 with Barcelona all-but-confirmed to host the beginning of the race in two years.
Following Grand Départs within the Danish capital of Copenhagen and the Basque metropolis of Bilbao in 2023, the 2024 race will kick off in Tuscany this summer time, and the race will head to Catalunya in 2026, in response to a report by native newspaper El Periódico.
A deal has been reached to start out the race in Barcelona after over a 12 months of negotiations between town’s council and Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, El Periódico stories, with the official announcement set to be made subsequent month.
The deal signifies that Barcelona will host the beginning of a Grand Tour for the third time, following Gran Partidas on the Vuelta a España in 1962 and 2023. No Spanish metropolis has but hosted a Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia, whereas each San Sebastián and Bilbao have hosted Tour de France begins prior to now.
Last 12 months, Barcelona hosted a gap staff time trial on the Vuelta, adopted by a GC-neutralised hilly stage 2 gained by Andreas Kron. The metropolis additionally hosts the hilly closing stage of the Volta a Catalunya, whereas again in 2009 it hosted a Tour de France stage end and begin.
News of the settlement signifies that Grand Départs of the following three Tours de France at the moment are set, with Lille internet hosting the beginning of the race in 2025. The race will start with two dash levels and a punchy uphill end, with levels 2 and three each bringing the potential for crosswinds by the North Sea.
With the 2026 Barcelona Grand Départ but to be formally confirmed, nothing is but identified about how the race’s opening days will pan out when it comes to route planning.
However, with the race possible having to cross the mountain passes of the Pyrenees to return to France, an early mountain stage might be on the playing cards, a la stage 4 of this 12 months’s race, which crosses the Alpine border from Italy, passing the high-mountain climbs at Sestriere, the Col de Montgenevre, and the Col du Galibier earlier than a descent into Valloire.
Unlike the Tour, the begins of future editions of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España have but to be introduced. The Spanish race will this 12 months kick off with three levels in neighbouring Portugal, whereas a begin in Monaco has been rumoured for the 2025 version.
