Ville de Reims and Grand Est to Host the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2028

It’s official this time. Candidates since last winter and competing with Luxembourg, the City of Reims and the Grand Est have been chosen by ASO to host the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2028. Nearly ten years after its last passage, the Tour and its caravan will return to the city of Reims during the last week of June 2028, between sports, popular celebration, and duty of memory.

It should be noted that cycling will flourish in Champagne in 2028. The City of Reims will indeed launch the 2028 edition of the Tour de France. Long awaited, the announcement was officially made in grand style on Monday on the square of the Reims Cathedral. Symbol of a Grand Depart that could start from Notre-Dame on June 24, 2028 (an advanced date due to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics). Carried by the Grand Est with the City of Reims, the “Champagne Grand Est” candidacy was preferred to that of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. A decision taken by the race director, Christian Prudhomme. “For a grand start, you need a place that shines and resonates worldwide,” reminded Christian Prudhomme, the Tour director. “Reims and Champagne are synonymous with celebration and have historical, iconic, and cultural places.”

Nevertheless, Luxembourg will also not be left behind. At the time of celebrating the centenary of Nicolas Frantz’s victory (1928) and the sixtieth anniversary of Charly Gaul’s success (1958), the Tour de France 2028 will also pass through the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg just after crossing the Champagne departments. But it will be Reims that hosts the grand departure. An opportunity to further extend the history of the city of Reims with the Tour de France. The city of Sacres had already hosted the Great Loop during a Grand Depart on July 5, 1956. Two years later, Reims organized the first women’s cycling world championship. More recently, Reims had shown enthusiasm for the male peloton’s arrival in 2014 and departure in 2019. Reims also hosted the start of the Women’s Tour de France in 2022. In recent years, the start was given at the Halles du Boulingrin.

4 Stages in the Grand Est

This time, it will not be a simple start that will be offered to the residents of Reims. Before the start of the first stage, several activities will be organized over several days. With the involvement of cycling clubs, schools, and local stakeholders, Reims will host a grand cycling festival, in addition to the traditional press conferences and the official team presentation, likely on Friday, June 23, 2028.

Similar to the Grand Depart of 2025 in the North (Lille), Reims could both start and finish the first stage on Saturday, June 24, 2028. This assumption is not yet confirmed. Only the stage cities (Reims, Epernay, Charleville, Verdun, Metz, and Thionville) have been revealed without detailing the stage content. However, reflecting on sporting competition and memorial routes, a second stage between Reims and Epernay to celebrate the Champagne vineyards could be imagined. Another stage could connect Charleville to Verdun, in the midst of lands affected by the First World War 110 years ago.

A grand sporting and popular celebration that is expected to offer a beautiful tourist showcase for Reims and the region. The investment (shared among the authorities) is not negligible (around 4 million euros), but Reims and the Grand Est are counting on returns of up to 15 million euros (compared to the revenue generated by Hauts-de-France in 2025).

Co-written with Laura LALUC