Slovenia submits official bid to host Tour de France in 2029
Elated by the success of Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia has decided it wants to host the opening stages of the Tour de France, an event known as the Grand Départ, in 2029.
The initiative was first put forward by a sports-marketing agency, but now the government has signed a formal letter of intent expressing its support for the idea, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
The letter is accompanied by a proposal for three routes, one of them ending at the top of the Vršič mountain pass.
Presenting the initiative, Prime Minister Robert Golob said that organising the Grand Départ would be an exceptional opportunity for cycling in Slovenia, as well as for the country's economy and tourism.
The government is dedicating the project primarily to the young generation of Slovenian cyclists, "but it also feels an obligation to the current generation to do so," according to him.
High cost but high potential benefit
According to Jure Leben, a state secretary at the prime minister's office, the projected cost would be €10-12 million, but he says that "for every euro invested, seven euros are returned into the economy".
The Tour of France has started abroad 26 times so far, most recently last year in Florence. The race will also start outside France in the next two years - in Barcelona in 2026, and in Edinburgh in 2027.
Three stages are usually held as part of this arrangement, with the idea being that the host country also presents its natural wonders.
The plan has its detractors. For one, the cost is fairly high. Delo newspaper has calculated that the estimated expense is more than half the funds Slovenian sports receives directly from the state each year.
Economy Minister Matjaž Han, whose portfolio covers sport, has been reserved as well. While he has not commented on the letter of intent, he described the original idea put forward in February as requiring "serious additional analysis".
