On the eve of the team presentation, to be held next to the Sagrada Familia, the Tour de France, its riders, and its followers have already taken over Barcelona and Montjuïc, as well as Gaudi’s basilica, recently inaugurated and now featured on Movistar’s jerseys.
“Wearing the Spanish champion’s jersey through the streets of Barcelona will be a dream come true”, says Pablo Castrillo, recently crowned Spanish national time trial champion and one of Movistar’s leading figures.
The first Grand Départ in Catalonia celebrates a rich legacy forged by the Tour and local riders, and opens new horizons. “We want it to be remembered as a huge celebration and a spectacular event”, says the Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.
A UNIQUE RENDEZVOUS WITH GAUDI’S COMPLETED BASILICA
The Sagrada Familia will be one of the main highlights of the Grand Départ in Barcelona. The marvelous basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi was completed this spring with the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus, which was blessed just three weeks ago by Pope Leo XIV. At 172.5 metres tall, it is just a few centimetres shorter than the summit of Montjuïc, in accordance with the express wish of its creator, who wanted the work of man to always be subordinate to the work of God. As a sign of respect for its grandeur, the Tour de France will hold its official presentation next to the Sagrada Familia this Thursday, July 2, starting at 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesday morning, Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, presided over a solemn Mass dedicated to the Grande Boucle in the basilica’s crypt, where Gaudi’s remains rest. “The Tour de France is not just a race: it is also a journey, just like faith,” he declared in perfect French. “As a sport, cycling is a true lesson in humility that must be experienced through communion and brotherhood, as a competition among teammates who are not enemies.” The Mass concluded by entrusting the health of the peloton to the Virgin Mary of Lourdes and Montserrat.
BARCELONA AND THE TOUR DE FRANCE: SETTLING A HISTORICAL DEBT
“We want this Grand Départ from Barcelona to be remembered as a huge celebration and a spectacular event,” explains Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme. “Bringing the best cyclists of the moment and the world’s greatest race to a setting like Montjuïc and in front of a monument like the Sagrada Familia is a true luxury. In fact, the big question is why we haven’t done this before,” concludes the general director of the Tour de France with the broad smile of someone settling a historic debt. Mediterranean and open to the world, vibrant and brimming with magic, powerful and proud of itself, the Catalan capital waited 123 years to host an event so closely aligned with its values, its unique character, and its culture.
The 113th edition marks the first time the Tour de France starts in Barcelona. Throughout its long history, the Grande Boucle has visited the city on three occasions. The first, in 1957, saw René Privat triumph in a road stage that started in Perpignan. Overall leader Jacques Anquetil then prevailed in a time trial through the very same Montjuïc hills where the favourites will compete this weekend, before the peloton set off toward Ax-les-Thermes two days later, following a rest day. In 1965, José Pérez Francés was a hero in his hometown, capping off a tremendous breakaway of more than 200 kilometres. It wasn’t until 2009 that the Tour returned to the streets of Barcelona with a stage that started in Girona and was marked by rain. Thor Hushovd defeated Spain’s Oscar Freire and José Joaquín Rojas on the slopes of the Magic Mountain, which will award the first Maillot Jaune of 2026 with an exciting team time trial.
TWO CATALANS AT THE START, A LEGACY TO KEEP ALIVE
While Catalans first appeared in the Tour de France in 1920 with Jaime Janer, their first victory came in 1937 thanks to Mariano Canardo. Known as the "Catalan of Olite", he won almost on home turf in Ax-les-Thermes, just a few kilometres from the border between France and Spain. In 1955, Miquel Poblet dominated the opening stage of the Tour 1955, in Dieppe, to become the first Spaniard and only Catalan to date to don the Yellow Jersey. He repeated the feat in Paris (1955), then did so again in Bordeaux (1956). Barcelona legend José Pérez Francés secured the fifth Catalan victory on home soil, in Barcelona, in 1965. Having settled in Catalonia at the age of eight, Pedro Torres made his mark on history by winning the polka-dot jersey in 1973, thanks in large part to his successful assault on the queen stage to Pau. Juan Antonio Flecha (Toulouse 2003) and Joaquim Rodríguez (Mende 2010, Huy & Plateau de Beille 2015) round out the list of the 10 Catalan victories. Pérez Francés and Rodríguez also claimed two podium finishes in the general classification, the former taking third place in 1963 and the latter emulating him in 2013.
Two Catalans are making their Tour debut this year, eager to honor this glorious legacy. Born in Ullastrell, north of Barcelona, Abel Balderstone has been riding for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA since turning pro in 2023. After winning the first Clasica Terres de l'Èbre in Catalonia in 2024, he then surprised everyone by becoming the 2025 national time trial champion, two months before shining at La Vuelta (13th, the best result for a Spaniard in that edition). His teammate Joel Nicolau, a native of Llofriu on the Costa Brava, has also ridden exclusively for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA at the pro level since 2019. His skills as a climber-puncher and his attacking spirit earned him the title of "Most Combative Rider" at La Vuelta 2025, and brought him within 5 seconds of the Spanish road championship title (2nd) on June 28. Two other members of the peloton are, in a certain sense, connected to the region. Born in Barcelona, Juan Ayuso left the region at a very young age to live in Atlanta and then elsewhere in Spain. His teammate at Lidl-Trek, Carlos Verona, was not born in Catalonia, but he was trained there, riding at the elite training center in Sant Cugat del Vallès as a teenager.
A “REJUVENATED” MOVISTAR CELEBRATES BARCELONA
With over four decades of history and 43 appearances in the Tour de France – during which they have racked up 7 overall victories and 34 stage wins – Movistar Team is undoubtedly the leading force in the Spanish peloton. Befitting this status is the special jersey they will wear for the upcoming edition of the Grande Boucle, swapping white for the team’s traditional blue and featuring details referencing this Grand Départ in Barcelona, with a special focus on the Sagrada Familia. At the press conference held on Wednesday at the Palau de la Música Catalana, the team led by Eusebio Unzue revealed the sporting ambitions of a squad spearheaded by the Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks.
“This is a rejuvenated Movistar, full of cyclists with great potential for improvement,” proclaims Unzue. “My main aim is to find out what it’s like to race the Tour,” adds Uijtdebroeks, a debutant and a contender for a good position in the general classification. “If we manage to break into the top 10 in this very first year, it will be fantastic. Fighting for the white jersey would be nice, but it’s not a goal in itself.” For his part, Raul Garcia Pierna makes no secret of the fact that he will be aiming for “a stage win”, while Paul Castrillo highlights the confidence boost provided by the national time trial title he won last weekend in Sabiñanigo: “Wearing the Spanish champion’s jersey through the streets of Barcelona will be a dream come true.”
BARCELONA’S YOUNG CYCLISTS BRING OUT THE MOST HUMAN SIDE OF THE PROFESSIONALS
How do you manage to ride for so many days on end? How much sleep do you get? What do you do when you’re tired and there’s still a long way to go? And so on, for an hour. Young cyclists aged 12 to 14 from the Jufre Cycling Team in Terrassa, the Isaac Galvez Cycling School in Vilanova i la Geltru, the Mataro Cycling School, the Clementina Cycling Team and the Open Natura BTT Club, both based in Barcelona, gathered at the Palau Sant Jordi on Wednesday afternoon to question three professional cyclists who are, for them, true idols and role models: Carlos Verona, who is set to tackle his sixth Tour de France with Lidl-Trek; Joel Nicolau, making his debut this weekend in the Tour de France with Caja Rural-Seguros RGA; and Marcel Camprubi, recently crowned Spanish champion with Pinarello-Q36.5. During this special children’s press conference, all three were open and friendly with the children, answering their questions with a smile and great insight. The main message they conveyed is summed up in this quote from Camprubi: “To be a cyclist, you have to work hard every day and, above all, enjoy the journey.”
RECOGNITION FOR A “PAPER” ROMANTIC
In one of his celebrated maxims, Basque journalist Jesús Gómez Peña asserted that cycling is a “paper” sport, in that its major races sprang from the pages of the newspapers that organized them and continue to live on there thanks to the reports that bring the exploits of the hard-working riders on the road to the fans. One of them, Sergi Lopez-Egea, will receive this Saturday in his native Barcelona the award known as the "Plateau de la Reconnaissance": a tray presented to those who, like the legendary cycling correspondent for El Periódico, have covered 35 editions of the Tour de France. "Just like for cyclists, this race has been my goal every year," he explains, "and it has helped me realize the importance of the Tour beyond cycling itself."
Throughout his professional career, Lopez-Egea has been an independent, romantic, and enthusiastic voice who, beyond the pages of his newspaper, has made a name for himself in the literary world with books such as "Locos por el Tour" (co-authored with his friends Gabriel Pernau and Carlos Arribas), "Cumbres de leyenda" (again with Arribas), "Cuentos del Tour", and "Cuentos del pelotón".
For the Catalan journalist, this Grand Départ will be "the biggest sporting event Barcelona has seen since the 1992 Olympic Games. We’ve hosted major soccer matches and motorsports events, but none of them were free, nor did they pass right by our bakery, our children’s school, or the corner where we fell in love. Only the Olympic marathon and the Tour de France can do that.” After this visit to Barcelona, the peloton will set off for France… and Lopez-Egea will follow as he covers his 36th Tour.
THE 'CYCLE CITY' LABEL PUSHES FRONTIERS
Created in 2021 as part of the 'L’Avenir à Vélo' programme, the 'Tour de France Cycle City' label recognises each year towns linked to the Tour de France that are actively committed to promoting cycling, whether for everyday travel, leisure, tourism, or sport. Applications are assessed according to several criteria, including the strategy for developing cycling infrastructure, concrete initiatives to support cycling (lessons in schools, awareness campaigns, recreational rides, etc.), and the support provided to cycling clubs and associations.
This year, the label has been extended to include new levels of government, with local authorities (metropolitan areas, counties, regions, etc.) now able to submit an application. This development marks a new stage in the recognition of cycling policies implemented at all levels, involving all tiers of local government in the transition towards more sustainable mobility. No fewer than six organisations have been recognised, according to a calculation method different from that used for municipalities: the Hauts-de-France Region (2 bikes); the Department of Isère (2 bikes); the Department of Vaucluse (2 bikes); Dijon Métropole (2 bikes); the Champagnole Nozeroy Jura Community of Communes (1 bike); and the Vallée de Saint-Amarin Community of Communes (1 bike).
On the occasion of the Grand Départ in Spain, the 'Cycle City' label is also extended to include La Vuelta’s 'Mas Bici' certification. The winning towns for the 2026 edition will be announced on Friday.
