Join us for the start of ‘Le Tour 2020’

Initially scheduled to start on Saturday, 27 June, the 2020 Tour de France has been postponed to August, along with other large-scale events that have been banned in France until mid-July as a part of the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

Now starting on Saturday, 29 August and ending on Sunday, 20 September, the Tour will still follow the same route, with no changes, from Nice to Paris.

In 2020, Nice will welcome La Grande Boucle (“the grand loop”) for the 37th time, hosting the first and second stage of the race. Both days should be very exciting. The riders will be forced to stand up on their pedals almost immediately for the ascent of cote d’Aspremont, finishing with what will probably be a bunch sprint on day 1, while the second day will head into the very hilly areas inland towards the Var.

See the race start in Nice – and make a week of it!

If you’re thinking about making your annual pilgrimage to France for Le Tour, why not make it even more of an occasion, once you’ve come down off the race high, and take the opportunity to spend the week relaxing and exploring more of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (a.k.a PACA) region?

We have plenty of properties available during the event, and Lourmarin is only a 2-hour drive from Nice.

Read more about the last time Lourmarin featured in the Tour de France.

Nice as host of the Grand Départ

After Fleurance (1977, 1979), Nice (1981), San Sebastian (1992), Monaco (2009) and Porto-Vecchio (2013), the Tour de France will start from the south of France for the seventh time as it returns to Nice this year.

This stylish city, the capital of the Côte d’Azur, is writing a new chapter of its long history with cycling, which began in 1906, hosting the end of a 345km stage in the 4th Tour.

For the 100th edition, the town was also asked to provide a superb gateway onto the continent when the peloton reached the mainland from Corsica. And Nice first hosted the start of the race in 1981, in which national hero Bernard Hinault made a great show of strength and class, coming back from a serious injury the previous year to win the yellow jersey or maillot jaune.

Stage 1: 29-Aug-2020 – Nice midlands > Nice, 170km

But before that, the riders will have already crossed the finish line twice. The 170km first stage will be an unusual format: a 50km loop to be ridden twice and then a third 70km loop. This format will give spectators an opportunity to see the pack go by several times during the day before the final sprint on Promenade des Anglais.

Stage 2: 30-Aug-2020 – Nice highlands > Nice, 190km

But the man sporting the yellow jersey the next morning will certainly struggle to retain it given the profile of another Nice-Nice stage, this time highlighting the very hilly inland. On the 190km route, the riders will have to tackle col de la Colmiane, col de Turini and Col d’Eze! It’s sure to be fierce battle of climbers on only the second day of the race …

More information

  • Download the 2020 Press Kit for more info about the Grand Départ in Nice.
  • Watch the highlights from the 2019 Tour.
  • The women’s event, La Course by le Tour de France avec FDJ, which was initially scheduled to take place on 19 July on the Champs Elysées, is also postponed, and will take place during main Tour.
  • The 30th Etape du Tour cyclosportive, originally scheduled for 5 July, has also been postponed, with the new date yet to be determined.

Source: Tour de France official website

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