The city is finalizing preparations to go at a bike pace for the next few days. After the start of the Tour's main festival this weekend, the event that has been prepared for so long is now focused on the last details. The first Grand Départ hosted by Barcelona will turn the city into a large circuit—and, once again, into an international showcase.
Although squares and streets have been filled since Friday with concerts and activities organized to welcome the Tour and to warm up engines, the final bang before the start of the circuit will take place this Thursday, with the official presentation of the teams. The setting will be Gaudí Avenue, from the Sant Pau Modernist Enclosure to the Sagrada Familia, already accustomed to large global events.
The riders will parade along the avenue before reaching the basilica's facade, where the official act will take place. It will be a day designed more for the public than for competition, but also the first major logistical test. The entire sector will be isolated with security fences and traffic restrictions, in an operation of complexity comparable to what the city deployed during the Pope's visit less than a month ago. Normalcy is not expected to return to the area until after 9:30 PM.
After a day reserved for the final logistical and sporting preparations, the big moment will arrive on Saturday, with the first stage of the competition. The teams will compete in a time trial that will start from the Fòrum to travel along the seafront and will turn back to Bac de Roda and Llull, before threading through Josep Pla until reaching Rambla Guipúzcoa and Aragón street and passing in front of the Sagrada Familia on Mallorca street. The rider will return to Aragón street to reach Plaça Espanya, which will be the gateway to the circuit through the Olympic mountain.
Everything will start around five in the afternoon, when the first of the 23 teams will descend the starting ramp installed at Parc del Fòrum. From here, the formations will start at two-minute intervals, turning Barcelona into a great cycling stage for almost two hours. The 19.7-kilometer route will culminate at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium after two pronounced climbs in Montjuic, where the first teams are expected to start arriving shortly before 5:30 PM.
In some sections, riders will be able to reach 70 kilometers per hour —surpassing, curiously, the speed limit allowed within the city—, a fact that requires extreme security measures and reinforces the race route. For this reason, the circuit will be completely isolated with a system of fences: the public will be on both sides of the track, and will not be able to cross. To prevent the city from being divided in two, 54 pedestrian crossings will be enabled: several points will allow people who need to cross to accumulate and, every five minutes and when there is an opportunity due to the passage of cyclists, the public will be able to pass from one side to the other. In addition, two bridges will be erected over the circuit, one between Mallorca and Sicilia and one on Avenida del Estadi, so that fans can pass from one side to the other to position themselves on both sides of the circuit.
Along the route, however, not only the rider will pass. Before, the Tour caravan will parade, with entertainment, music and themed vehicles from the official sponsors —any global showcase is a good occasion for advertising—. In this first stage, the caravan will start the route at 3:35 PM, and will end around 4:15 PM in Montjuic. Beyond the circuit, the Lluís Companys promenade will host a Fan Park with a giant screen, activities, simulators, workshops and exhibitions.
But the city is not satisfied with just one day. The second stage will depart from Tarragona on Sunday and arrive in Barcelona around three in the afternoon. Even so, the disruptions will begin hours earlier. First, the traditional advertising caravan will pass and, behind it, all the mobile infrastructure of the event. On this second day, the city's mobility will be especially conditioned in Montjuic, where the outcome of the stage will be concentrated again.
For Barcelona residents, the main recommendation is to plan trips in advance and opt for the metro whenever possible —the only disruptions to the suburban service will occur during the presentation of the teams around the Sagrada Familia. Despite the restrictions, several of the city's main roads will remain open, such as Gran Vía, Ronda de Dalt and Ronda del Mig, while the Litoral, although it will be operational, will have several exits closed.
Despite the difficulties, municipal authorities do not foresee them being more complex than those that occur in other major events, such as the Marathon or the Half Marathon. However, the Grand Départ adds differential factors, ranging from the speed reached by cyclists to the international projection, in an event where the focus will not only be on the cyclists, but also on the city.