the big start will be given from Barcelona in 2026

Three years after the departure from Bilbao, the Tour de France will once again set off from Spain for its 113th edition, in 2026. This choice was made official on Tuesday June 18 by race director Christian Prudhomme, thus marking a fourth departure abroad in five years, after those of Copenhagen (2022), Bilbao (2023) and Florence (2024).

While the 2025 edition will start from Lille for the men and from Brittany for the women, the Grande Boucle will therefore return to Spain in 2026 for a third major departure on the other side of the Pyrenees, after those from San Sebastian ( 1992) and Bilbao (2023). Start city for the Vuelta in 2023, Barcelona will host a third edition of the Tour de France.

The first stop of the Tour de France in Barcelona dates back to 1957, with a victory for Frenchman René Privat in the Catalan streets after a given start from Perpignan. The next day, Jacques Anquetil won the time trial in Barcelona, ​​before a new start from the capital of Catalonia.

In 1965, Barcelona also hosted an arrival then a departure, just like in 2009, with a victory for the Norwegian Thor Hushovd on the Montjuic hill. In total, Barcelona has been a stage city for the Tour de France seven times. Note that the year 2026 should mark the end of work on the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi’s cathedral, work on which began in 1882.