Champagne for the Tour? The city of Reims and the Grand Est region are candidates to host the start of the Grande Boucle in 2028. Arnaud Robinet, mayor of the Marne city, and Franck Leroy, president of the region, officially announced it, at the foot of Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral, to the director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, this Monday at noon.
Reims was recently the arrival city of a stage, during the 2014 Tour de France, then the departure city, in 2019, but we have to go back to 1956 to see the city of coronations host the inaugural day of the Grande Boucle, which linked Reims to Liège (Belgium).
In 2019, after a spectacular 3rd stage in the Champagne vineyards won by Julian Alaphilippe in Épernay, the French rider set off from Reims with the yellow jersey on his shoulders for the first time in his career.
While the Tour will start from Barcelona (Spain) on July 4, and from Edinburgh (Scotland) in 2027, Luxembourg has also officially positioned itself to host the start of the Tour de France in 2028. This should also be brought forward to the end of June due to the Olympic cycling events in Los Angeles (the Olympics are scheduled for July 14 to 30).
Alternation between departures in France and abroad?
Faced with that of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which has already hosted the Grand Départs of 1989 and 2002, the candidacy of Reims nevertheless seems to have every chance. The alternation between departures from France and abroad could argue in its favor. Especially if Slovenia, home of four-time Tour winner Tadej Pogacar, gets the start of the 2029 edition, for which it is strongly campaigning.
Indeed, the Tour de France is increasing the number of major departures from abroad, where it is in great demand by metropolises which have the means to pay the 4 to 6 million euros necessary for the first 3 stages (Copenhagen 2022, Bilbao 2023, Florence 2024, Barcelona 2026, Edinburgh 2027, and therefore perhaps Slovenia 2029, etc.).
But the third sporting event on the planet also needs to reconnect with departures in France, which since the 2020s have tended to become the exception rather than the rule. The popular success in Lille this year showed it: French metropolises are also demanding the Grande Boucle.
Despite a significant cost for communities, the returns on investment, in terms of tourism and image benefits, are significant, especially for an event that lasts 5 days, from the presentation of the runners on mondiovision two days before the start, up to the 3rd stage.
Reims and the Grand Est region have understood this well. In a joint press release, the two communities underline that this choice “would be an opportunity for the Grand Est region and the city of Reims to strengthen the attractiveness of the territory, to highlight all of its heritage attractions and to recall its European and international dimension”. Champagne is ready to make the Tour sparkle.
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