The bid to host the start of the 2029 Tour de France in eastern Germany has been officially submitted. Former Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping, a member of the executive board of the German bid committee, confirmed this on the sidelines of the second stage of the Tour in Barcelona. “The bid has been submitted. It also involves Berlin, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. It’s a huge opportunity to tell the story of freedom and the fall of the Wall,” Scharping told ARD.
The bid by the association “Grand Départ Allemagne”—a member of the German Cycling Federation—has historical significance: 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the organizers plan for the start of the world’s largest cycling race to serve as a symbol of a united Europe. Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, had expressed openness to the possibility of a Tour start in eastern Germany.
