Barcelona will host the start of the Tour de France in 2026 with three days of racing unveiled by organizers and local officials on Tuesday showing off the Catalan region at its best.

The world's greatest bike race will speed past the crowds of Spain's most vaunted avenue, the Ramblas, and take in some of Barcelona's architectural wonders such as Antoni Gaudi's modernist cathedral, the Sagrada Família.

Jaume Collboni Celebrates Barcelona's Grand Depart

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said the city was honored to welcome the July 4 'Grand Depart' after previously hosting the Olympics, men's World Cup, and the America's Cup.

"Today we fulfill a dream, the dream of seeing the Grand Depart of the Tour de France become a reality, a dream that Barcelona has pursued for years," he told gathered press in Catalan.

The motto for the Catalan city's most famous football team is "More than a club," and the organizers latched onto this by calling their Grand Depart "Mes que una Cursa" ('More than a race').

A fierce struggle for the first yellow jersey will be decided in the form of a 19.7km team time trial passing by the Olympic Port, the Sagrada Familia, and ending at the Olympic Stadium.

This type of challenge would, on paper at least, suit Jonas Vingegaard's Visma outfit rather than defending champion Tadej Pogacar's Team UAE Emirates.

Christian Prudhomme Highlights Barcelona's Cycling Legacy

Stage two starts along the coast at Tarragona and runs back to the Barcelona Olympic Stadium over 178km, while stage three starts at Granollers and runs towards France to a finish that will be revealed in October along with the rest of the 21-stage route.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme mentioned former Spanish cycling greats Miguel Indurain and Luis Ocana, describing Barcelona as a shining city.

He said he could hardly wait to "see the fervor of the fans as the race climbs the slopes of Montjuic," the mountain where Barcelona's 1992 Olympic Stadium stands and which is now the temporary home to Barcelona football club.

After Copenhagen in 2022, Bilbao in 2023, and Florence in 2024, Barcelona's Mediterranean seaport provides the latest exotic backdrop for the globally broadcast extravaganza.

The whole cycling world will gather in and around the city several days ahead of the race, with the cream of world cycling, fans, and curious onlookers alike, bringing a huge tourist boom as worldwide audiences tune in to the 21-day race across 190 countries.

The remainder of the route will be unveiled in October and is likely to culminate on July 28 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

The 2025 Tour de France will be raced exclusively in France for the first time since the 2020 edition as it starts in northern capital Lille.