Monaco and the Tour de France
Monaco is, of course, a land of motor sports, with the legendary Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco E-Prix, the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, and the Monte-Carlo Historic Rally; football from the renowned AS Monaco Football Club; basketball from the impressive Roca Team (AS Monaco Basket); tennis with the prestigious Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters; athletics, with the Herculis EBS international meeting; and horse-riding, with the famous Jumping International of Monte Carlo
But it's also a country with a close link to cycling and the Tour de France...
A special relationship lasting 85 years
The Principality has already hosted the Tour de France 11 times and has been a stage town 6 times.
Standout memories include:
- 1952: The Tour comes through Monaco for the first time
- 1964: Jacques Anquetil, the legendary five-time winner in the Tour de France and of the most races in the history of cycling, wins the Briançon-Monaco stage
- 2009: the last time the Tour came to the Principality, for the first stage, a time trial around Monaco, and the departure of the second stage from the Rocher
S.A.S le Prince Albert II lance le départ du Tour de France à Monaco le 4 juillet 2009
The Tour de France in figures
- Around 175 riders of 30 different nationalities
- 500 people supporting the riders (managers, team directors, assistants, mechanics, etc.)
- 10 to 12 million spectators along the roads (20% of whom are foreigners)
- 3,500 journalists, reporters, filmmakers, and photographers of around 40 nationalities
- 600 media sources (TV, radio, press, photos, and Internet)
- Broadcast in 190 countries by 100 channels (60 of which broadcast the stages live)
- 4.2 million television viewers
- 30.6 million unique visitors to www.letour.fr
- 11.6 million fans on social networks dedicated to the Tour de France
Monaco and cycling
Monaco is home to around fifty professional cyclists, including Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic, Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana, Peter Sagan and Matteo Trentin. They appreciate the fine weather that allows them to train all year round, as well as the varied terrain in the surrounding area, such as the demanding ascent of the Col de la Madone (almost immediately adjacent to the Principality), which attracts time-trial specialists as well as sprinters, climbers and puncheurs.
Two professional cyclists are from Monaco: Victor Langellotti and Antoine Berlin.
The Principality organises Monaco Beking every year: a festive event that brings Monaco-based professional cyclists together with amateurs and families to promote cycling (races, family activities, conferences, etc.) and support charitable causes.
More information: bekingevents.com
The Monaco Cycling Union also organises the annual Cycling Criterium at the Rainier III Outdoor Swimming Stadium (Port Hercule).
The Monegasque Cycling Union, founded in 1952, is the only club affiliated to the Monegasque Cycling Federation, which was founded in 1985.
- UCM website: www.ucmonaco.com
- FMC page: www.ucmonaco.com/fmc
- Number of members: 150
Between 2016 and 2021, the Prince’s Government has also organised the "Cycling Sunday" event (as part of European Mobility Week): a friendly event for all ages, with the aim of reclaiming an area usually occupied by cars (with educational workshops, operations to raise awareness of soft mobility and road safety...).
Monaco has almost 6km of cycle paths (in an area of just over 2km2).
The Principality has its own electrically-assisted bike-sharing scheme, Monabike, with almost 50 stations throughout the Principality (775 connections) and more than 400 self-service bicycles (almost 2,300 subscribers and more than 600,000 registered journeys by 2023).
More information: monabike.mc
After the final stage of the Tour de France 2024, Monaco will host the official departure of the 2026 Spanish Vuelta race. This inaugural stage will take place entirely within Monaco, as will the departure of the second stage of the Vuelta 26.