Tour de France set to start in Barcelona in 2026 for first time

Michael Woods from Canada competes in the prologue, a 5,12 km race against the clock at the 75th Tour de Romandie UCI ProTour cycling race in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

PARIS — The 2026 edition of the Tour de France will start from the Spanish city of Barcelona, organizers said Tuesday.

The host city of the 1992 Olympic Games has previously hosted stages of cycling’s biggest race, but never its start.

The 113th edition of three-week event will kick off on July 4, 2026. It will feature two stages in the Catalonia region and a third that will start there and finish in France.

It will mark the 26th time that the Tour de France starts from a foreign country. This year’s race sets off from the Italian city of Florence. In 2025, riders will start their journey on French soil, from the northern city of Lille.

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