176 riders will participate in the Tour de France from July 6 to 28. (Courtesy photo)
Tour de France comes to Belgium July 6-8
CHIÈVRES, Belgium -- This year, for its 106th edition, the Tour de France will be in Belgium July 6 to 8. The “Grand Départ” (the “Start of the Tour”) will be held July 6 in Brussels, 50 years after famed Belgian bicycle racer Eddy Merckx’s first victory.
Since World War II, 55 cities hosted the “Grand Départ” in the Tour de France.
After the first two stages in Brussels (see the full schedule below), the city of Binche will host the third stage on July 8 for the very first time. The city predicts that more than 20,000 spectators will be in the city during the day.
The event is a time to discover and celebrate the hospitality and culture of Belgium, a country that is very famous for its cycling culture and its champions such as Merckx who won the Tour de France five times.
A stronghold for cycling, Binche is a great location for the race. The city already welcomed a start of the Flèche Wallonne, a major professional cycle road race held each year in Wallonia in April.
After crossing the Belgian-French border, riders will notice the sequence of hills for 30 kilometers. The third stage ends in Épernay, France, and the fourth stage will start in Reims, France, on July 9. The Tour de France will continue until July 28.
FAN EXPERIENCE
The Tour de France is not only a race. Three fan parks entirely dedicated to the event will open in July to welcome fans. This year, one zone will be set up in Brussels. The Brussels Fan Park, located at Place de Brouckère, will open from July 4 to7. The zone will have a giant screen for people to watch the race live, an entertainment podium, BMX demonstrations, challenges on the velodrome and a tour exhibit. There will also be plenty of cycling-related activities ranging from a commentator booth to souvenir kiosks, bicycle simulators to ride on the Tour de France stages, virtual reality glasses and more. Visitors will also have the chance to win plenty of prizes.
For more information, visit https://www.letour.fr/en/.
The Schedule:
- July 4: Presentation of the Tour de France teams in Brussels. The event will start at 4 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. A parade of the teams will be in the city center at 5:15 p.m.
- July 6: Stage 1 in Brussels. The first stage will go from Brussels via Charleroi back to Brussels. The departure of the advertising caravans will be held at 10 a.m. The riders will start at Place Royale around 12:25 p.m. and finish on Avenue du Parc Royal between 4:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.
- July 7: Stage 2 in Brussels. Stage 2 will be a team time trial in Brussels finishing at the Atomium. The first team will start at 2:30 p.m. All teams will finish between 3 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. at the Atomium. The departure of the advertising caravans will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Place des Palais.
- July 8: Stage 3 in Binche. A television broadcast will start at 8:30 a.m. on Avenue Charles Deliège. At 9 a.m., the Grand Place will open. The “caravane publicitaire” will start at 10:10 a.m. At 11 a.m., the public will be able to meet and greet participants. The start of the third stage will be held at 12:10 p.m. on Rue de Merbes. Participants are expected to be in France 20 minutes later.
Don’t forget to maintain situational awareness at all times when attending events involving large crowds.
Story by Christophe Morel, USAG Benelux Public Affairs