Barcelona dresses in yellow and welcomes the stars of the Tour

BarcelonaBarcelona is turning yellow. Thousands of yellow caps have welcomed the cyclists who will chase glory on two wheels starting this Saturday with the Tour de France, the emblematic race that, for the first time, starts from Barcelona. Today was the turn of the official presentation of the teams with a route where the cyclists rode along a yellow street that began at the modernist complex of Sant Pau and ended in front of the Sagrada Familia, in a setting where both riders and authorities had their say. If just a few days ago thousands of people approached the temple to see the Pope of Rome in an act of faith, today the atmosphere was different. More festive, with a crowd of cycling fans who wanted to see the best cyclists of the moment up close.

On the stage, the 184 cyclists from the 23 participating teams in this edition of the Tour have paraded, eight cyclists per team, each with their own objective. Some are looking to finish, and others to reach Paris in yellow, especially the big favorite, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, the most sought-after by fans. The route was full of people enjoying the Tour's yellow gift caps, trying to take photos of Pogacar or his great rival, the Dane Tadej Pogacar, who a few months ago already won the Volta ciclista a Catalunya in the streets of Barcelona. "This city has a long tradition on wheels, races were already held during the 19th century," said mayor Jaume Collboni.

A festive day, with a lot of music and performances, among which the one by Sílvia Pérez Cruz stands out, who this 2026 celebrates 30 years of career with a tour that will culminate precisely at the Olympia in Paris. Her voice has kicked off the event along with a performance by the castellers de Barcelona, while some people were still hiding from a sun that had been setting as the runners paraded. The group Doctor Prats also played, authors of Energia, the official song of the Grand Départ 2026. There were displays of popular culture and the performance of the Castellers de Vilafranca. "It's fantastic to see how Barcelona and Catalonia have opened their doors to us, this stage is hard to improve," said the Tour director, the Frenchman Christian Prudhomme, just below the facade of the Nativity of the Sagrada Família.

The presentation has generated great expectation in the Catalan capital, but it also involved some alterations in mobility, especially in the streets near the event, which were closed to traffic. For the two stages that pass through Barcelona on Saturday and Sunday, the use of the metro is recommended, as it has been reinforced by 40% compared to what would be usual, and numerous bus lines are modifying their routes. Although the Sagrada Família station of L2 was closed today, there were no major mobility problems for those who arrived on foot, the majority, or those who arrived by bicycle, a few.