The Tour de France has returned to Normandy: how Caen, Bayeux and Vire are preparing to celebrate

Loïc Jamin makes a promise. "In 1929, the Tour de France riders were blocked in the main street of Bayeux by the Pinder circus caravan and its animals. This year, we'll do better." The deputy mayor of Bayeux in charge of attractiveness and tourism is preparing for two exceptional days on July 9 and 10, with the return of the Tour de France to Calvados. The event has not been seen in Normandy since 2016. From the evening of July 8, Caen will open the ball rolling with the arrival of the Tour installations (coming from Rouen), on the eve of the time trial of the 5th stage.

A 33 km circuit "that will showcase Caen's assets: the port, the castle, the university, and will arrive near our green lung of the Prairie (the racecourse, editor's note)," smiles Mayor Aristide Olivier. Between the start and finish in the heart of the city, a loop in the plain to the northeast of the thousand-year-old city.

In this 1000th year of 2025 , the Tour is the cherry on top of a cake that Caen wants to be spectacular. "We have worked with the organization to showcase our heritage through images," assures the mayor, recalling that the Tour is broadcast in 190 countries.

The time trial format lends itself very well to this showcase effect. "When the Tour called us to tell us that not only was the start in Caen, but also the finish, for a time trial, we were more than happy."

With runners passing through all afternoon, it's well worth the €600,000 budget (all-inclusive, including the "entry ticket" estimated at just under €300,000) and the logistical headache involved, with heavy traffic restrictions.

"It's a very special security measure," the mayor and the prefect said. "It's on a different scale than the inauguration of the Millennium (March 20-22, 150,000 people) or its grand parade (May 9, also 150,000 people)." Caen is preparing for a new popular festival, with entertainment starting on the evening of July 8.

This time trial around Caen will be broadcast from Bayeux, the starting town of the 6th stage, on July 10. "We'll have a pre-race event starting on the 9th with the broadcast of the 5th stage, a film about cycling, the installation of a start village and several cycling-related activities. We want to experience the atmosphere of the start," says Martin Burger, director of education and sport in Bayeux.

The city has already hosted the Tour seven times, but "being a starting city is a first. And it was more interesting for us than a finishing city because that would have required a lot of work," adds Loïc Jamin. The mayor testifies to "an unprecedented fervor" surrounding the event, which is unlikely to wane despite the riders' departure for the second longest stage of the race.

Indeed, "the party will continue in the lower part of the town", with the broadcast of a race that could become incandescent if Kevin Vauquelin , the young local and French hopeful, were to get noticed. Bayeux would only have eyes for its protégé...

This long 6th stage (201 km) will cross 26 municipalities. In the Calvados department, which is celebrating cycling this summer, the excitement promises to be overwhelming. And you can expect a spectacle all along a route dotted with hills, designed by... a true Virois, Thierry Gouvenou, who is responsible for the Tour's route.

Another nod to Vire, the scene of the finish. The last time was in 1997, for a sprint. This time, it will be a summit on Atlacomulco Avenue, a charming hill with an average gradient of 10% . "The fields will be natural stands," says Nicole Desmottes, mayor of Vire-Normandie.

In the capital of the bocage, events will also begin the day before and continue in the evening, while the Tour teams prepare to reach Brittany. The final stage will crisscross the vast new commune. A fantastic opportunity for the mayor: "We don't always know how to showcase our heritage, our culture, our gastronomy, and our assets. The Tour is an opportunity to showcase a beautiful image."

Everyone is playing the game: several companies will shut down on July 10 to free up staff and some parking lots. Caen, Bayeux, and Vire are already hoping for economic benefits (two to three euros in benefits for every euro invested, according to studies), a sporting fireworks display, and an unforgettable public festival.