There’s no bigger honour in cycling than hosting the Tour de France’s Grand Départ. Since it first travelled abroad in the 1950s, the Tour de France has started abroad on 26 occasions, visiting Ireland, Great Britain, Italy and a divided Germany along the way.
This tradition has only picked up in recent decades, in part due to the big financial returns for both host nations and the Tour itself. In 2026, the Tour de France will visit Catalonia, with three stages scheduled around the regional capital Barcelona. The following year, it’ll be the turn of the UK to unpack its yellow bunting, with three days of racing promised in Great Britain, starting from the race’s most northerly point to date: Edinburgh.
It’s clear that the Tour de France is more open to breaking its French mould more often, with all but one Grand Départ handed overseas since borders reopened after the pandemic. Race organisers ASO have also tested out new locations during this time, with a long transfer to Denmark in 2022, a first start in Italy in 2024 and a Scottish Grand Départ in 2027. Perhaps spurred on by the Giro’s more adventurous Grande Partenza locations, more foreign starts seem to be in the works, this time further afield.
We’ve dug through all the Grand Départ speculation, bid books and announcements to unveil the list of countries vying to host the world’s biggest bike race over the coming years.
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Czechia
Czech Tour
Back in June, the Czech press revealed that a ‘working group has been established to deal with the conditions and circumstances of organising the Grand Départ’. Headed up by the chairman of the Czech national sports agency Ondřej Šebek, the committee has already been in discussions with major players at ASO to discuss the possibility of visiting Czechia in the next five to ten years.
‘We recently had a meeting attended by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the Mayor of Prague, the Governor of the South Bohemian Region Martin Kuba, a representative of the union and the director of the Tour de France Christian Prudhomme,’ Šebek told state broadcaster Česká televize. ‘We presented our interest and our experience with organising. Christian Prudhomme then told us that it was necessary to form a group that would have a mandate to act.’
Several big names in the Czech cycling scene are said to be involved, including former pro Roman Kreuziger, the boss of L’Étape Czech Republic Přemysl Novák and the president of the national cycling federation Robert Kolář. Together, they have until October 2026 to formulate a complete bid to address logistical and financial conditions for ASO. Novák, who has lobbied for a Czech Grand Départ since 2024, cites 2029 and 2031 as targets as he believes the Tour will start in France in 2028 due to the Olympic Games in LA later that summer.
While Czechia has never hosted a Grand Tour before, the central European nation has been producing top-level pros since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. In talks with ASO at the Italian Grand Départ last summer, Novák said that Prudhomme ‘likes the fact that it could be the first post-communist country where the Grand Départ will take place. And for them too, it opens up a large market that could be interesting for them.’
What would the route look like?
Czech Tour
Given that the mayor of Prague has accepted his invitation to the organising committee, a start in Prague is likely. From there, those involved seem to believe that the race will move southwards, through the South Bohemia region. The governor of the province told Česká televize, ‘I have the feeling from the meeting that ASO sees it as ideal to start in Prague and then move south, ideally in nice hills, so that attractive drone footage can be created.’
Prague would be a major touristic draw for the race, providing a recognisable backdrop for the race’s opening day and team presentation. The capital is also willing to test the waters with pro bike racing, acting as the start location of this year’s Czech Tour. Furthermore, the landscape of South Bohemia could also make for some exciting racing, complemented by scenic spots like Český Krumlov and Hluboká Castle.
- Where: Czechia (Prague and South Bohemia)
- When: From 2029 onwards
- History: No previous Grand Départs
Slovenia
Tour of Slovenia/Sportida
During the 2025 Tour de France, Slovenia officially confirmed its candidacy for the Grand Départ. In a press conference, Slovenia’s prime minister Robert Golob said, ‘This project is dedicated to the next generation, to inspire them with the idea that Slovenia as a country dares to dream the biggest dreams. I’m proud that, after months of preparations, we officially confirmed our intention and that I will personally hand over our letter of intent to the Tour de France organisers next week. Hosting [the Tour] would show the world that Slovenia is not just a beautiful country with hardworking and happy people, we are also a confident country that dares to stand alongside the biggest.’
Like Czechia, Slovenia’s candidacy stemmed from its local Étape organiser Tomaž Ambrožič, who shared the idea to broadcaster RTV SLO in January. The minister of sports and economy Matjaž Han then confirmed the initial discussions and estimated the Tour would cost Slovenia around €15 million. However, French newspaper Le Figaro estimated a figure closer to €5 million last month.
Similar to Czechia, 2029 seems to be the target. 2031 is also considered, but according to RTV SLO, Slovenia wants to host a Grand Départ that won’t clash with an overlapping European Football Championships or World Cup. Intriguingly, the local source believes the 2028 Grand Départ will be cheaper for bidders, given the uncertainty over dates and the overlapping Euro 2028. In competition with Prague, Ambrožič believes Slovenia has the edge.
‘ASO doesn’t have a classic bidding process like most major sporting events. They monitor the interest of potential hosts and momentum, which in the case of Slovenia are Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Matej Mohorič,’ he told the national press. ‘This is an exceptional advantage compared to Prague, which does not have this, but probably has something else. This tribute to this generation of cyclists is our greatest asset.’
What would the route look like?
As part of this formalised bid, the Slovenian team, led by Tour of Slovenia director and the Cycling Federation of Slovenia, have formulated a brochure of routes. When handing the bid book over to Prudhomme on the eve of the Tour’s final stage, prime minister Golob revealed three ideas.
‘In accordance with the wishes of the Tour de France organisers, one route is mountainous, and naturally includes Vršič,’ Golob told the press last month. ‘The second course is longer and flat, passing through the Dolenjska region. The third route features flying finishes in cities and would most likely take place in Ljubljana.’
The most exciting proposition here is the Vršič Pass, an 11km-long climb with cobbled hairpins. Sitting in the middle of the Triglav National Park – and relatively close to the dreamy Lake Bled – this mountainous offering could be a real corker on camera. That said, early talks in the winter suggested that the organisers would be happy for the route to dip into nearby Italy or Croatia, as long as the stages ended in Slovenia. In particular, Ambrožič said that Italian region Friuli would be on board.
- Where: Slovenia (Prague and South Bohemia)
- When: 2029 or 2031
- History: No previous Grand Départs
Germany
GFR/Marcel Hilger
German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that Germany is in talks with ASO for a Grand Départ in 2030. More specifically, the idea is to bring the race to East Germany to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of German reunification.
Andreas Prokop, who appears to be the initiator according to these reports, says initial talks with ASO were ‘met positively’, further sharing: ‘Germany is a very important market for the ASO, which also organises the Deutschland Tour’. With this, Prokop believes that Germany would be in a good position to win the bidding war.
As discussed by the Brussels Times in April, a preliminary board named ‘Grand Départ Allemagne’ has been created to formalise the plans. According to the Belgian reports, the project is expected to cost €20 million, with organisers planning to raise funds through external companies and sponsors to avoid burning through taxpayers’ money. One of the sponsors considered was RB Leipzig, who have ties to the sport through its majority shareholder Red Bull.
Several months after that initial report, it seems as though these financial questions have been answered. The organising committee, which features the president of German Cycling, will soon head to Paris for further discussions with ASO. The three host states (Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia) have now been confirmed and a logo has been leaked on social media.
What would the route look like?
GFR/Marcel Hilger
The three-day route will focus on East Germany, with an emphasis on reunification and European unity. The first stage is planned to be a road stage between Dresden and Gera. The proposed route would traverse the Ore Mountains, close to the Czech border, with a proposed return to the Steile Wand von Meerane, which was a fixture on the Peace Race parcours.
The following day is rumoured to be a time-trial between Halle and Leipzig, the largest city in East Germany. The final stage on German soil is sketched out as a flat stage northwards, from Erfurt to Magdeburg.
- Where: Germany (Dresden, Leipzig and Erfurt)
- When: 2030
- History: 1965 (Cologne), 1980 (Frankfurt), 1987 (West Berlin), 2017 (Düsseldorf)
Norway
Tour of Norway/Szymon Gruchalski
This is the most ambitious out of all the bids on the list, not solely because of its geographic distance, but also its fairly unsubstantiated rumour.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Norway have tried to attract the Tour before. Last time, it was in 2017, when oil firm Statoil pledged to fund a project to bring the Tour de France to Stavanger in 2022. They lost out to fellow Scandinavians Denmark in the end, but the desire to host the race is still there. So is ASO’s partnership with Norwegian cycling, highlighted by their ownership of the Arctic Race of Norway in the nation’s northern corner.
Ambassador for the Arctic Race and Uno-X sports director Thor Hushovd has hatched a plan to get the Tour to Norway in the future, riding on the coattails of Uno X’s success. In an interview with Tuttobici, the former world champion said, ‘I dream of seeing the Tour de France start from Norway.’
‘I think this is possible,’ he continued. ‘We must convince ASO, it won’t be easy, but I believe it’s feasible. If we manage to organise a great start in Oslo or elsewhere, cycling will literally explode. We saw this in Denmark in 2022, but I sincerely believe the Grand Départ would be even more popular here. We are certain this will happen because Uno-X will still be here in 2030, 2040, and even 2050. Everyone wants to continue seeing our team at the start of the world’s most important races, and all of Norway will work to make its riders race.’
Unlike the other nations mentioned, no formal plan is in progress. However, with Hushovd’s intent and a clear hunger to host the Tour previously shown, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Norway steps in to host the race during the next decade. The country held the 2017 UCI Road World Championships, which was considered a success for the country on a sporting and tourism front.
- Where: Norway (Oslo mentioned)
- When: Unknown
- History: No previous Grand Départs
Anyone else?
Institut Barcelona Esports/Javier Funez
Grand Départ announcements typically come two years before the race’s scheduled start date. With this in mind, the race is on for cities and countries to get the ball rolling for 2028.
The LA Olympics in 2028, however, will force the Tour de France to alter its typical calendar slot since the time-trials will get underway on 19th July. With the Euros also set to clash with the Grand Départ, foreign locations have been turned against bidding for the start due to reduced TV impact. After two years abroad in Spain and the UK, it’s likely the Tour will start on home soil in 2028.
While the bidding race is centred on 2029 and beyond, some have raised the possibility of a Luxembourgish Grand Départ. This partly stems from a previous report, which suggested that Luxembourg was interested in hosting stages of the Tour de France, with 2027 set as an original goal. The country’s sports minister Georges Engel had considered a stage arrival or start, but no formal plans were in place to place a Grand Départ bid. That said, Luxembourg has been visited on several occasions by the Tour, including two Grand Départs in 1989 and 2002.
Otherwise, there are almost no rumours circulating for the 2028 Grand Départ. However, with Grand Tour interest piquing abroad, we could expect more names to enter the ring. The Giro d’Italia has been previously linked to starts in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA and even Australia. The Tour’s route designer Thierry Gouvenou, however, is against the idea of adding jet lag into the Grand Tour equation.
