Grand Départ 2026 to Take Place in Barcelona
The Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026 is to take place in Barcelona, it was announced yesterday.
The 2026 Grand Départ will be from 4th to 6th July 2026.
Two stages will be within Catalonia, and the third will start there but take the race back to its home country, France.
The Tour de France has already visited Barcelona on three occasions:
- 1957
- 1965 and
- 2009
David Millar tried a solo break on Stage 6 of the 2009 Tour de France, which was from Girona to Barcelona, He was caught on the wide avenues of the run-in, and it was Thor Hushovd who prevailed that day.
At the end of ITV’s coverage of the 2009 stage to Barcelona, Ned Boulting interviewed Millar – an occurrence that has become more frequent since Millar retired from cycling and took up talking for a living.
Video
The 2026 Grand Départ promotional video features Salvador Dali saying he likes bike racing and the Tour de France.
It also has a clip of Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux. It’s funny how a bad mistake in the organisation of the race has been turned into a selling point.
Barcelona 2026
The Tour de France points to the fact that Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia is finally due to be completed in 2026 as a reason for visiting the Catalan city.
The race organisers say that Juan Ayuso should be nearing his best as a bike racer and could do well in Barcelona.
Mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni said:
‘This is a historic milestone. It confirms Barcelona’s role as an international sports capital.
Barcelona will be the only city in the world to host the Olympics, World Cup, the America’s Cup and the Tour de France, the four most influential sporting events in the world’.
mayor of barcelona jaume collboni