Brussels applies to host 2030 Tour de France Femes Grand Départ

Brussels and Belgium could be set for a full scale cycling celebration in 2030. The capital is already scheduled to host the 2030 UCI Road World Championships, typically held in September after the men’s and women’s Tours.

The city last welcomed the Tour de France in 2019, when the opening weekend featured a sprint stage, a team time trial, and a punchy stage in Wallonia. If the Tour de France Femmes heads to the Belgian capital, organisers ASO could follow a similar template, with an individual time trial or another team time trial around the city among the options.

The proposed start is still awaiting approval. ASO has yet to announce the Grand Départ hosts for 2028 and 2029, but the next editions are already lined up, with Switzerland set to host in 2026 and the United Kingdom in 2027.

So far, the Tour de France Femmes has largely remained within French borders. There has been only one foreign Grand Départ, in Rotterdam, where the route later passed through Belgium and saw Puck Pieterse take the stage win in Liège.

The men’s Tour de France also has two foreign Grand Départs lined up, with Barcelona hosting in 2026 and Edinburgh in 2027.

There is a strong chance a third start outside France will follow. Luxembourg has openly positioned itself as a candidate to host the 2028 Grand Départ, and Prague is also in the mix, with both cities pushing their bids for the right to launch the world’s biggest bike race.

Interest from abroad remains strong for the years after that as well, with Slovenia emerging as the leading candidate in a bid to give Tadej Pogačar the dream scenario of a home Grand Départ.