Is the Tour de France coming to Berlin and East Germany in 2029?

AOn the Straße des 17. Juni in Berlin, the German professional racing cyclist Florian Lipowitz races away from the aging Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Tens of thousands of people cheer on the side of the route, most of them on the final kilometers between the Victory Column, called “Goldelse”, and the Brandenburg Gate. Next to the street there is something like what we know here when the marathon runners do the honors or Christopher Street Day. On the asphalt, however, the world’s best racing drivers of this time duel in the hustle and bustle of Berlin. It could look something like this when the Tour de France comes to Berlin.

So far it is a vision, although a lot has recently become more concrete. In just three years, the Tour of France will be visiting East Germany for four days, starting with the first stage in Berlin and moving from there to Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. Dresden, Leipzig, Halle an der Saale, Magdeburg, Jena and Erfurt could be further stops, along with all sorts of smaller towns that the Tour de France pelotonists pass through or pass by. If the visionaries win the contract for their idea.

The Grand Départ Allemagne association based in Leipzig and its most prominent member Rudolf Scharping are behind the idea

In brief, the application history reads nicely and coherently: 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, “the Tour de France is to begin in East Germany for the first time – supported by four federal states, full of history, passion and European charisma,” says the concept. Behind the idea is the Grand Départ Allemagne association based in Leipzig and its most prominent member Rudolf Scharping, known as a former federal politician and sports official. At this year’s – externally awarded – Grand Départ in Barcelona, ​​Scharping reported that the application had been officially submitted at the end of June. Scharping said he expected “a huge opportunity to tell the story of freedom and the fall of the Berlin Wall.” The decision lies with the tour organization, the ASO.

However, the East German application team faces a hurdle with formidable opponents in the coming months. The Czech Republic had already positioned itself in November and presented its application documents to ASO boss Christian Prudhomme at a reception in Prague. According to reports, the driving force behind this is a Czech car manufacturer, which has been providing support vehicles as a partner to the Tour de France for years. The third applicant is the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. She comes up with the good argument that she should be able to welcome the tour dominator Pogacar in his home country. The start of the tour in 2027 has already been assigned to Edinburgh, Scotland, and in 2028 it will be Reims and the Grand Est region.

In 2029, when the 116th edition of the tour takes place, it would be a good idea to have some stages go through East Germany and Berlin, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is still unclear who will bear the immense costs for the project: i.e. for the road barriers, the helpers, the security guards, the hotels for the drivers and supervisors, the planes for the tour entourage when they return to France after the four stages in East Germany with only one day of rest.

One of the doubters about the project in its current form is Jörg Werner, a cycling manager who is particularly well connected in the east of the nation and works as an advisor to the state of Thuringia on the matter. Essentially, Werner criticizes the planned participation of the four countries in the financing. In total, Werner told the SZ, the implementation is likely to cost 68 million euros, which, according to current knowledge (regardless of possible financially strong sponsors), should be covered in equal shares by the four countries. From Werner’s point of view, this is unbalanced. And he is debating whether the money would not be better invested in supporting sports and school sports.

Does tourism in the Thuringian Forest benefit in the long term from a tour visit? This is where Jörg Werner’s doubts begin

“I recommend sharing the costs accordingly, where the return on investment comes from,” said Werner. “And it’s mainly in Berlin.” This means, for example, income from hotel stays, restaurant visits, fan merchandise sales or concession stands. Especially when the Grand Départ is advertised with the comparatively more prominent capital Berlin, instead of Leipzig or Erfurt. According to Werner’s calculations, Berlin should bear half of the investment, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony the rest.

In the Grand Départ Allemagne club they see it differently, as an opportunity beyond the four German tour days. “We expect impulses for trade, infrastructure and new dynamics in regional development,” said the club’s chairman Thomas Hofmann. The Grand Départ will not only generate enthusiasm, “but at the same time create economic added value that will strengthen the region in the long term and open up new opportunities for tourism and investment.” The rough concept on the association’s website mentions up to “twelve million visitors on site”, “3.5 billion TV impressions worldwide” and “150 million euros in economic added value”. Although it is not explained where this money will arrive – and whether tourism in the Thuringian Forest will also benefit from it in the long term. That’s where Jörg Werner’s doubts began.

The Grand Départ of the Tour de France made its guest appearance in Germany four times, in 1965 in Cologne, in 1980 in Frankfurt am Main, in 1987 in West Berlin, and most recently in Düsseldorf in 2017. And 2029? Under the eyes of Goldelse? According to the association, in addition to the four states, the federal government is now also involved. Maybe even as a co-financer? Berlin’s cycling enthusiasts should hope so, because they know: their golden horse has never been a golden cow.