Dresden dreams of Tour de France 2030 – chances are good!

Dresden dreams of Tour de France 2030 – chances are good!

Dresden could become the venue for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France for the first time in 2030. At a recent meeting, Christian Prudhomme, the chief organizer of the world's most famous cycling race, was very positive about the idea of ​​supporting a German bid. “It’s a very interesting consideration,” Prudhomme said. The initiative to return the Tour de France to Germany, which has been gaining momentum for several months, could come at exactly the right time: in 2030, Germany will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its reunification, which would bring with it a special symbolism. [Welt] reports that the last German city to serve as a starting point was Düsseldorf in 2017, and before it Berlin in 1987, Frankfurt/Main in 1980 and Cologne in 1965.

A club called “Grand Depart Allemagne” has been actively campaigning to bring the tour back to Germany since spring 2025. Previous discussions between Prudhomme and Andreas Prokop, the association's deputy chairman, point to a promising path. The plan calls for several stages in eastern Germany, including from Dresden to Gera, Leipzig to Halle (in the form of a time trial) and Erfurt to Magdeburg. The federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are also behind this project and have already signed a declaration of intent to support the application. [MDR] notes that the estimated cost of the 2030 plans is around 20 million euros, most of which will be covered by private sponsors.

Dresden in focus

Dresden could become a central point of the entire event due to its historical backdrop and the city's commitment. Discussions between city officials and the initiators, as well as the tour organizer A.S.O., are already being planned. French Ambassador Francois Delattre has also supported the initiative, further boosting hopes for the bid. According to [Welt], around 300 applications are made every year to host stage locations, with 50 of them coming from abroad. The strong international competition comes from Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Belgium, among others.

Knowing that East Germany has produced numerous talented cyclists, Prudhomme shows great interest in the region. He wonders whether the performances of cyclists during the “Peace Trip”, an important event in the GDR, were perhaps even equivalent to those of Western professionals. The prominent names include Olaf Ludwig, who is considered one of the most successful cyclists in the GDR. [Tagesspiegel] also reports that the legendary sections of the Peace Tour, such as the infamous “Steep Wall of Meerane”, could be integrated into the planning of the tour routes should the application actually come about.

Security concerns and a look into the future

In the current political situation, which is characterized by security concerns, a meeting by Prudhomme at the French embassy took on particular urgency. The last Vuelta was disrupted by protests from Palestine sympathizers. Despite such challenges, the anticipation for the Tour de France, which will start in Barcelona in 2026, seems unbroken. From this perspective it also follows that Germany continues to play an important role in the history of the Tour de France, and therefore a German application cannot simply be brushed off the table. [Tagesspiegel] emphasizes that this is not only seen as an opportunity for the region, but also as an overall event for the cycling community in Germany.

It will be exciting to see how the discussions surrounding the start of the tour in 2030 develop. The next few months could be decisive in determining whether Dresden and eastern Germany can actually provide the stage for a magnificent cycling event. There is great hope in the region that this unique opportunity will not go to waste.