Grand Départ 2028 en Champagne Grand Est

The Grand Départ is all about excellence, so Grand Est is a natural choice for the Tour de France. The Region has all the key assets needed to host the event, from demanding roads and jaw-dropping landscapes to an inspirational heritage. These bountiful lands, which have been tilled for centuries, will set the stage for the true champions of the peloton.
From Marne to Moselle and from hilly Champagne to the Ardennes and Meuse valleys, a rich tapestry of territories will be gripped by July fever over four days of racing. Cyclists will hop on their saddles in the looming presence of Reims Cathedral, in the city of Clovis and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, where Gino the Pious and Julian the Flamboyant pulled on the Yellow Jersey. The vineyards that dominate the panorama, especially on the road to Épernay, are a feast for the eyes and the palate. Yet the riders would do well to remember that these chalky hills crowned with vineyards can be full of bubbles… and troubles.
The peloton still remembers the cycling battles that have unfolded here, and the favourites will have to take matters into their own hands from the first few days of the Tour. Remembrance will also be front and centre when we visit Charleville-Mézières and Verdun on our way to Thionville and Moselle. The wars that have ravaged these lands inspired Arthur Rimbaud to write his hauntingly beautiful sonnet Le Dormeur du Val. Amid the memorial sites, the Tour will pay tribute to this heritage and commemorate its own history, particularly in Metz, which became the first (then) foreign city to host the race at the dawn of the 20th century. This time round, the Grand Départ of the 115th edition will take place on French soil.

At a time when sport brings us together and allows viewers around the world to discover our territories, the announcement that the 2028 Tour de France will get under way in Reims is a wonderful recognition of what Champagne and the Grand Est Region have achieved.

We are delighted with this choice, which will put our region under the spotlight of global sports. For several days, the eyes of the world will be pinned on our cities, towns and landscapes, as well as appreciating our know-how and art of living. The roads of Champagne will turn into a unique, demanding and spectacular arena with UNESCO World Heritage Sites. From our hills to our vineyards and villages, our identity will come into full view across several stages, combining history with a deep-rooted passion for cycling.
The Ardennes, Meuse and Moselle will also have their days in the sun and spice up this wildly popular event with their incredibly tricky terrain.
Beyond the sporting dimension, the Grand Départ will be a time of jubilation, sharing and collective pride for the people of Grand Est, deeply in love with the Tour. All local stakeholders, from local authorities and non-profits to clubs and volunteers, will rally behind a unifying project that will have a lasting impact on our territory.
The Grand Est Region will leave nothing to chance in its aspiration to make this event a success story worthy of the reputation of the Tour de France. In 2028, the whole region will ride in the slipstream of the champions.

Reims, the City of Coronations and Champagne, a hallowed site of the grandiose history of France, will host the Grand Départ of the 2028 Tour de France.
Tour de France’s decision to put the launch of the Grande Boucle in our hands comes as wonderful news. It is a tremendous recognition for a territory where love for cycling goes a long way back.
72 years later, Reims will again set the stage for the festivities and incomparable atmosphere of the Grand Départ, an event that will take our sporting and historical heritage to every corner of the world.
Domestic and international audiences will feast their eyes on an extraordinary heritage: Reims and Greater Reims have three separate entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It will be the perfect occasion to nail the colours of our city and Champagne as a whole to the mast of the Tour de France, a global showcase for France that shines a light on its landscapes, culture and unquenchable thirst for sport.
Reims is gearing up for the event with infectious enthusiasm and full confidence in an unprecedented collective momentum.
We look forward to welcoming you in 2028 for a Grand Départ fit for a king and to celebrate the legend of the Tour de France together.

REIMS

From Clovis to Julian Alaphilippe, who strutted in front of the cathedral on his first day in yellow in the 2019 Tour, the City of Kings has seen flamboyant French heroes come and go. Its architectural and bubbly gems, both past and present, have turned Reims into one of the crown jewels of France and the Tour, which already began here in 1956.
Back then, André Darrigade pounced on the opportunity to seize his first-ever Yellow Jersey. Whoever follows in his footsteps in the Pearl of Champagne, the home city of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, will be part of a unique lineage. reims.fr

CHARLEVILLE-MÉZIÈRES
The poetry of the peloton has long been a hit in Charleville-Mézières. Straddling the Parisian basin and the Ardennes mountains, the city of Arthur Rimbaud has traditionally served as a forward camp for the Tour de France on its way to conquering the east. It also provided the backdrop for the Critérium International from 2001 to 2009 and now hosts the Circuit des Ardennes. “We’ve got to be strictly modern”, wrote the flamboyant poet, while calling on people to “change life”. The Grande Boucle has followed his instructions to the letter since it first rode through Charleville-Mézières, back in 1906, during a stage from Douai to Nancy. . charleville-mezieres.fr

ÉPERNAY
From chalky Champagne, the rolling hills of Épernay have earned an international reputation that is regularly burnished by the magic of the Tour de France. In western Marne, the road winds its way around slopes crowned with vineyards, a landscape that is as pleasing to the eyes as it is punishing for the legs. Only champions thrive here. The last time that the peloton tackled these roads, Julian Alaphilippe grabbed the bull by the horns and won over the whole country with his panache. 31 years earlier, back in 1978, Bernard Hinault had taken his first Yellow Jersey out for a spin here on the eve of his maiden Tour victory. epernay.fr

METZ
The administrative centre of the Moselle department, whose history goes back three millennia, holds a special place in the geography and history of France and the Tour, which transited through Metz in 1906 and overnighted here in 1907. The Grande Boucle, which had just got off the ground, peeked outside the French borders for the first time. Back then, Metz was part of the German Empire. Once in French hands, it hosted another stage as early as 1919, shortly after the Armistice. It has since witnessed the birth of the 1990 Road Race World Champion, Catherine Marsal, and applauded the panache of Peter Sagan, who triumphed here in 2012. metz.fr

THIONVILLE
Straddling the Moselle, halfway between Metz and Luxembourg, Thionville is a window on Europe. Through the ages, it has been part of the Carolingian Empire, Luxembourg, France and Germany, each of which has left a visible imprint on its architecture. In 1999, with the third millennium just around the corner, Mario Cipollini picked up an astonishing fourth consecutive Tour de France stage win. Jaan Kirsipuu, right behind him, also made history as the first —and so far the only— Estonian rider to wear the Yellow Jer. thionville.fr

VERDUN
While war metaphors are a dime a dozen in sport reporting, the “convicts of the road” can only bow their heads in quiet remembrance of the grandiose and tragic history of the Meuse department. An ancient city and Prince-Bishopric, the Venice of Grand Est also became a foundational stone of France when the Carolingian Empire was divided in 843. In later centuries, it was the scene of major battles, most famously in World War I. It marked the turn of the century when stage 4 of the 2001 Tour finished in Verdun, with Laurent Jalabert taking the spoils. verdun.fr