2028 Tour de France Will See Super-Early Start to Avoid LA Olympic Games

May 18, 2026

The professional cycling calendar is in for a historic shake-up in 2028. Tour de France organizers ASO have confirmed that the 115th edition of the world’s biggest bike race will start significantly earlier than usual to prevent a high-stakes scheduling conflict with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

With the LA Games set to open in mid-July 2028, cycling’s governing body (UCI) and race organizers have scrambled to find a solution that allows the sport’s biggest stars to compete for both the yellow jersey and Olympic gold. Rather than forcing athletes to choose between France and California, the Tour will make a rare shift forward into the early summer.

Alongside the dramatic date change, ASO also officially announced that the historic city of Reims, located in the heart of the Champagne region, will play host to the 2028 Grand Départ. VELO