Tour de France Femmes could start in Brussels as city maps out landmark cycling decade

Brussels is already preparing for a landmark moment in its sporting history, and women’s cycling could be a key part of it.

According to reporting by La DH, the Belgian capital has formally expressed interest in hosting a future Grand Depart of the Tour de France Femmes, a move that would significantly expand its ambitions for the end of the decade.

Rather than a standalone bid, the interest in the Tour de France Femmes forms part of a much wider strategy. Brussels is scheduled to host the Road World Championships in 2030, a year that also marks the 200th anniversary of Belgium. City officials are understood to be exploring how multiple major cycling events could be aligned around that moment, turning 2030 into a sustained celebration rather than a one-off occasion.

Adding the women’s Tour to that picture would be a symbolic statement as much as a sporting one, placing the Tour de France Femmes alongside cycling’s most established global events in the heart of the capital.

Brussels is not starting from zero. The city successfully hosted the Grand Depart of the men’s Tour de France in 2019, demonstrating its logistical capability and international appeal. Any women’s Tour start, however, would still require approval from organiser ASO, with several future editions yet to have their host cities confirmed.

That timing may work in Brussels’ favour. The start locations for the 2028 and 2029 editions remain undecided, leaving room for long-term planning rather than a rushed bid.

Since its revival in 2022, the Tour de France Femmes has begun to expand its geographical footprint. Rotterdam hosted the start in 2024, Switzerland will welcome the race in 2026, and the United Kingdom is already lined up to host a future Grand Depart.

Against that backdrop, Brussels positioning itself as a candidate fits the wider trajectory of the event, as the women’s Tour continues to establish itself as a truly international fixture.

Whether or not the bid is ultimately successful, the interest itself underlines how central women’s cycling has become to major cities planning their sporting futures.