CITIES APPLYING FOR THE LABEL IN 2026
With 27 applications, the 2026 promotion could see many municipalities recognized for their efforts to promote cycling.
On the French side, nine cities on the 2026 Tour route and four others on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift route have submitted applications, including five cities that already hold the label and wish to have their scores reassessed to take into account their most recent initiatives. Among the municipalities along the route of the upcoming edition, some rub shoulders with others that have already hosted the Grande Boucle, ranging in size from Bédoin to Lyon and Gavarnie-Gèdre to Nice. They reflect the diversity of applications, once again this year, for a label that allows them to showcase their assets on their own scale.
The 2026 edition is further enhanced by the application from Montgeron, a municipality in the Essonne department, which occupies a special place in the history of the Tour de France as it was the very first starting point for the first edition of the Tour in 1903. This historic role gives Montgeron a unique symbolic dimension, recalling the origins of the Grande Boucle.
Bédoin and Malaucène, well known in the cycling world due to their proximity to Mont Ventoux, are also candidates. These communities are marked by the daily passage of thousands of cyclists who come to test themselves on this legendary climb.
Across the border, Lausanne, the Olympic capital and starting point for this year's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Arlon, a Belgian stage town for the 1968 Tour de France, and Prachatice, a town in the Czech Republic that hosted L'Étape Czech Republic by Tour de France in 2024 and 2025, are also applying for the label.
The jury is now reviewing all the applications. The results will be announced to the candidate cities on May 21 as part of the “May by Bike” campaign.
