Tour director open to Berlin Grand Départ bid for 2029

Berlin bid remains in play

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has left the door open for the 2029 race to begin in eastern Germany and Berlin, telling Frankfurter Rundschau on Thursday that he is 'very open-minded' about the German bid.

That wording matters. This is not a confirmed Grand Départ, but it is a clear signal that the proposal is being treated as credible enough to stay in the conversation. For a race as route-dependent as the Tour, the start location is more than a ceremonial detail. It shapes the opening days, the logistical frame around the race, and the way the event positions itself before the first decisive racing has even happened.

At this stage, there is no route detail in the report, so there is no serious basis for reading tactical consequences into the bid. The meaningful takeaway is narrower: Berlin and eastern Germany remain possible hosts for the 2029 opening, and Prudhomme is publicly receptive to the idea.

Full details are at the linked Dpa-international.com source.