The Federal Government is supporting the start of the Tour de France in Germany, 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now it’s up to the individual states.

Leipzig, November 12, 2026. Great joy at Grand Départ Allemagne e.V. and German Cycling: On Thursday (November 12th), the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag decided on the participation of the federal government in the multi-year promotion of the Grand Départ 2029, the start of the Tour de France in Germany. To this end, it increases the allocation in the federal budget for 2027 and secures the subsequent years through commitment appropriations. However, the final adoption of the budget by the German Bundestag is still pending.

For the German application to host the Tour de France in 2029, Thursday’s decision is an important step. The members of the Budget Committee have done everything possible to ensure that the next steps can be taken. Grand Départ Allemagne e.V. initiated and coordinated the application.

Rudolf Scharping, Honorary President of German Cycling: „The Tour de France is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. The fact that the Federal Government is hosting the start in Germany is a strong sign of support for cycling and the regions that are jointly bidding. 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the start of the Tour would be a celebration of freedom that we would like to invite Europe to. The Federal Government, the states and the sports organizations have now all got their hands on it.“

In 2029, the fall of the Wall will be celebrated for the 40th time. The Grand Départ is intended to accompany this anniversary with festivity: open, European and freely accessible to everyone on the road. The campaign is based on the guiding principle of „Freedom in Motion“.

With the decision, the focus shifts to the participating countries. For further discussions with the tour operator A.S.O., the application requires binding financial commitments from the countries as well as guarantees for security and police deployment that fall within their jurisdiction.

„Now we are looking at the countries,“ says Andreas Prokop, board member of Grand Départ Allemagne e.V. „We need binding commitments and guarantees for safety and police, so that we can present a credible offer to the A.S.O. The talks are underway, and we want to conclude them quickly together.“

„With this decision, the federal government is sending a clear signal for the Grand Départ in Germany,“ says Dr. Thomas Hofmann, board member of Grand Départ Deutschland e.V. „Our thanks go to the members of parliament who made this possible. The Grand Départ is not yet decided, but we are a good step closer to it.“