The 2028 Tour de France will reportedly start on June 23 – a week earlier than usual – to allow the leading riders to complete the Grande Boucle and take part in the group stage for the Los Angeles Olympics.
Luxembourg has emerged as the favourite for the 2028 Grand Départ, but Prague is also a serious contender, despite the Tour starting outside France in Barcelona next year and Edinburgh in 2027. Slovenia is reportedly targeting a 2029 or 2031 Tour start, perhaps to coincide with the end of Tadej Pogačar's career.
If the 2028 Tour starts on Friday, June 23, the race would end three weeks later, on Sunday, July 16. This would change the traditional UCI race calendar for June, especially since the Giro d'Italia hopes to move its finish to the first weekend of June.
It is not yet clear when the 2028 Tour de France Femmes will take place. In 2024, to avoid overlapping with the Paris Olympics, the women's Tour was held from August 12-18, rather than immediately following the men's race. The UCI only confirms its calendar of major races 12 months in advance.
The 2028 Olympics will officially begin with the opening ceremony on Friday, July 14. The men's and women's time trials will take place on Wednesday, July 19, while the group stages will be held on July 22 and 23, starting and finishing in Venice Beach. The track events are scheduled for the third week of the games, July 25-30.
The overlap between the Tour's end and the Olympic time trial schedule poses tough choices for the likes of 2024 double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, while riders who only participate in the group stage will likely ride directly from the Tour to Los Angeles.
According to L'essentiel, Luxembourg hopes to host three stages of the 2028 Tour, paying between 8 and 9 million euros. The Tour's organiser, ASO, is expected to make a final decision in the spring of 2026. Tour director Christian Prudhomme has already visited Luxembourg and received the official bid package. Prague's main advantage is its long-standing partnership with Czech carmaker Škoda, which is the race's sponsor.
The first stage would be a 13.5 km individual time trial in the Luxembourg capital. The second stage, with an undulating profile, would also start in Luxembourg City, pass through the Ernz Blanche and Mullerthal valleys, and finish in Esch-sur-Alzette. The third stage would start in Echternach and then leave Luxembourg, likely entering France, where the remaining stages would take place.
