The town selection process

Faced with a map of France and armed with a box of drawing pins, Christian Prudhomme and his staff plan the route of Le Tour de France that the future champions will have to follow… two or three years later. The choosing of a new town for the Grand Départ is a subject that gives rise to lively debate for several years before being settled on. Just like the final finish in Paris, this tradition has been respected ever since the first edition of Le Tour.

With Brittany having been chosen as the starting point for 2008 and over 200 candidate towns on the table, there are almost countless permutations possible for linking the British capital with the Champs-Élysées. Certain limits are imposed by the international regulations, which stipulate that the total mileage of Le Tour must not exceed 3,500 km, spread over 21 days’ racing (2 days of rest compulsory), during which the distance of 225 km cannot be exceeded more than twice. The Le Tour supremo then endeavours to respect the tremendous balance that has made the event the success it is today: several flat stages during the first week, high mountain stages contested in the Alps and Pyrenees, two days reserved for time trials (one of which can be contested by teams) and, insofar as possible, regular passage through all the regions of France. So far, the only two departments never to have played host to Le Tour are those making up the island of Corsica.

The good news arrives by mail, just under a year before the actual visit of Le Tour. From then on, the municipal authorities can start to prepare for the big occasion, on the basis of a set of specifications developed by the organisers. For example, the towns have to provide barriers for the final two kilometres of the race, supply premises sufficiently spacious for the setting-up of a press room that can host 450 journalists from the written press, etc…

The route of Le Tour is kept under wraps until the last Thursday in October. With over eight months to go before the race itself, the towns are now free to make announcements on the issues involved in this very special visit. This event is generally attended by the local media.

The preparations for Le Tour’s passing are often entrusted by the Mayor to a committee made up of members of the services concerned (sport, technical, communication, etc.…). Regular meetings are held with Le Tour’s representatives, who give their recommendations and advice in multiple fields. The meetings are even more frequent in cases where the visit of Le Tour requires special arrangements (modification of roundabouts, humpback bridges, etc…).