This year's Tour de France will start in the French city of Lille, and next year the opening will be in Barcelona, with the first three days of racing taking place in its surroundings. In 2027, Dutch cities Rotterdam and The Hague will host the Grand Départ.
In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games from July 14-30, which means the Tour organizers will have to adjust their plans. It has been speculated that the starting location could be the Czech Republic, but there has been no official confirmation of this. Negotiations for 2029 are underway with Slovenia, and this is a completely logical move, as the country with 2.1 million inhabitants has become one of the most important in the cycling world.
Three-time Tour winner Tadej Pogačar, four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič, and Milan-San Remo winner Matej Mohorič are strong magnets for organizing a major cycling festival in Slovenia. Roglič will likely have retired from professional sports by then, but Pogačar could put a beautiful end to his career in front of his home crowd. "The first discussions have taken place, and the ASO director has also participated in them. Now we need to send an official request to the government," said Tomaž Ambrožič, founder and director of Sport Media Focus, a company operating in Slovenia.
The Grand Départ took place outside France for the first time in 1954 in the Netherlands, and since then, 11 different countries have hosted the Tour start. Slovenia has long been an example for Estonia in sports, both in team sports and individual disciplines.
PHOTO: Tour de France
