Germany to bid for 2030 Tour de France Grand Départ

Germany are in the process of launching a bid to bring the Tour de France Grand Départ to its eastern regions in 2030, marking the 40th anniversary of German reunification. 

According to reports from Der Spiegel, the Tour de France race organisers have responded positively to an initial proposal for the 2030 race to start in Eastern Germany, with Dresden, Erfurt, and Magdeburg among the proposed host cities.

Representatives from three German states met with Tour director Christian Prudhomme during this year’s race to discuss the bid.

"This meeting served as an introduction to give a face to our bid," Andreas Prokop, a co-initiator of the proposal, told the German Press Agency, dpa. "Germany is a very important market for ASO, which also organises the Deutschland Tour," he said, highlighting strong prospects for the German application.

The meeting with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which organises the Tour, included Rudolf Scharping, Honorary President of German Cycling, and Thomas Hofmann, President of the Saxony Cycling Federation.

"The next step is a visit to Paris to discuss the application and clarify its format,” Prokop added.

Official talks are already underway among the participating states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, with sponsors secured to fund the initial phases of the project. Organisers expect to clarify the application format later this year.

Der Spiegel reports also indicate that the first stage would take riders from Dresden to Gera through the Erzgebirge region, including the iconic steep climb in Meerane that featured in the historic Peace Race. A time trial from Halle to Leipzig could follow, with a third stage running from Erfurt to Magdeburg.

Back in April, the Brussels Times reported that the project organisers estimate costs around €20 million but predict the event could generate between €150 to €200 million in tourism revenues. To minimise taxpayer burden, funding will be sought through corporate sponsors and partnerships, with RB Leipzig football club mentioned as a potential supporter. 

Germany has hosted the Tour de France Grand Départ four times; the first occasion was in 1965 in Cologne, followed by 1980 Frankfurt, 1987 West Berlin and most recently 2017 in Düsseldorf. As of 2025, the only countries to have hosted more foreign Tour Grand Départs than Germany are the Netherlands, 6 times and Belgium, 5 times. 

Foreign Grand Départs are not a new concept to the Tour de France, with Amsterdam, Netherlands, hosting the first back in 1954. In the 2020s, however, foreign Grand Départs have become increasingly prevalent. 

2022 to 2024 was the first time in Tour history that the race began with three consecutive foreign Grand Départs: Copenhagen, Denmark in 2022, Bilbao, Spain in 2023, and Florence, Italy in 2024. The next two Tours will start abroad with Barcelona, Spain in 2026, and Edinburgh, Scotland in 2027, whilst there are reports of Slovenian interest to host in 2029.