My dream, my goal, my Tour
Rotterdam hopes to host the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2024 or 2025. On Thursday, 6 May 2021, the bid book was presented to the organisational body of the Tour de France, the A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation). Rotterdam held the Tour start once before in 2010. The municipality wants to use the Grand Départ to inspire residents and entrepreneurs, offering perspective in these difficult times while boosting the economy and tourism. It has to be a Tour for all citizens of Rotterdam. “We want to use the motto ‘My dream, my goal, my Tour’ as a source of inspiration for the entire city”, says sports alderman Sven de Langen.
’To this end, a women’s and youth cycling will be focal points in the run-up to the Tour. A step-by-step plan in four stages will guide the city towards the desired Grand Départ:
Rotterdam Cycling on Tour
This school project started in September 2021. We visit secondary schools with a special unit and let first-year students experience how much fun cycling is.
L'Etape Rotterdam by Tour de France (2022)
Enthusiasts can already register on this website for the first edition of L’Étape Rotterdam by Tour de France, which will take place Saturday 16 July 2022. Under the Tour de France banner, we will organise a cyclosportive and several tours/rides around the city and region. Register via the link.
Rotterdam Cycling Women's Criterium
When it comes to promoting cycling, Rotterdam gives everyone a chance. In addition to men’s cycling and youth cycling, we also attach great importance to women’s cycling. On Sunday, 17 July, we will organise an international criterium for women at a unique location. For a few hours, Rotterdam The Hague Airport will be made available for a large field of professional international participants to race. This is a significant step in keeping with the increasing attention on women’s cycling that can help us in terms of talent development for female cycling. It promises to be a magnificent event and is an excellent first step towards our goal of bringing the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to Rotterdam.
Tour de Femmes avec Zwift
Rotterdam is also a candidate for the arrival of the Tour de Femmes avec Zwift. We would like to become the first foreign city to host the final stage of this race for women announced by the A.S.O.
Grand Départ (2024 or 2025)
With the goal of bringing the Tour back to the Netherlands, Rotterdam has joined forces with the municipality of The Hague and the province of Limburg. Three race days: An opening time trial through the heart of Rotterdam, a stage through the Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Region and a stage from Rotterdam to Valkenburg. It’s a unique event for our country: The Tour has never been in the Netherlands for three whole days. The Grand Départ is ultimately assigned by the A.S.O. The starting places for 2021 (Brest), 2022 (Copenhagen) and 2023 (Bilbao) have already been announced.
