Barcelona prepares to host the start of the most important cycling competition in the world. For the first time, the Catalan capital will host the start of the Tour de France in 2026, which will begin on July 4 in the Fòrum with a stage of almost 20 kilometers that will cover emblematic places such as the Sagrada Família or Casa Batlló, and will finish in Montjuïc. The following two stages, on July 5 and 6, will depart from the cities of Tarragona, to culminate again in the Montjuïc mountain, and from Granollers, from where it will head towards French lands.
The city had been negotiating for more than a decade to be the starting point of the race, which has passed through the Catalan capital three times, but from which the starting gun had never been fired. The last time the competition set foot in Barcelona was 16 years ago, in 2009, and the previous one was in 1965.
"Barcelona loves cycling, and hosting the start of the Tour de France is the culmination of a dream," remarked the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, during the presentation of the details of the French tour through Barcelona, in an event also attended by the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa; the general director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, as well as prominent figures from the world of cycling, such as Miguel Induráin or Carlos Sastre.
In the first stage of the tour, cyclists will pedal in a team time trial of almost 20 kilometers, which will start from the Fòrum to travel the Barcelona coast towards the Port Olímpic. The more than 150 cyclists will also pass through emblematic spaces of the city, before facing the most demanding kilometers, with two successive climbs to the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc.
The second stage of the competition, with a route of 178 kilometers, will begin in Tarragona on July 5, and will follow the Costa Dorada coastline through cities such as El Vendrell, Vilanova and Sitges. The stage will increase in level from its halfway point, at the height of Viladecans, where cyclists will enter the mountains of Ordal and Collserola in the direction, again, towards Montjuïc. It will be there where competitors will again face three successive climbs, with a practically identical finish to the previous day.
"There are many possible routes in this area, and we believe we have chosen the toughest one," emphasized Thierry Gouvenou, the route manager. Of the third stage, it has only been announced that it will depart from Granollers to enter French territory, towards a destination yet to be confirmed.
With the Gran Départ, Barcelona aspires to become the world capital of cycling, not only for being an essential venue for the Volta Ciclista de Catalunya year after year, but also for the increasing number of international sporting events hosted by the Catalan capital. Two summers ago, it hosted the start of the Vuelta Ciclista de España, more than 60 years after the first and only time it had hosted its start, in 1962, and this year it will also kick off the Vuelta Femenina.
"The hills, the sea, the prestige of the city, in addition to being the place that has hosted major events such as the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup or the America's Cup, are elements that make Barcelona a privileged city," highlighted the general director of the Tour de France. After Bilbao in 2023, Florence in 2024 and the start from its home country in this year's edition, Barcelona is already preparing to welcome the 150 cyclists who will ride on its asphalt in 2026.