From 4 to 7 July, Brussels will host the Grand Départ du Tour de France 2019. During this event, major traffic disruptions are expected. A “mobility plan” has thus been issued by the Tour organisation.

If you have the opportunity, avoid taking the car at all costs! The Tour is expected to attract more than a million visitors, so the city of Brussels will be completely paralysed. In addition, the Leopold II tunnel and Brugmann Avenue will be closed due to construction work. So choose public transport (especially the underground metro), which will be free for the occasion. SNCB has also planned 40 additional trains, both to Brussels and back.

► Click here to discover the Brussels-Mobility website and details of these disruptions

Here is an overview of the expected disruptions:

Thursday, July 4th:

Pentagon affected
Place des Palais closed to traffic

Friday, July 5:

Disruptions due to final preparations

Saturday, July 6:

Route 1st Brussels stage

Sunday, July 7:

Time trial course

On Sunday, the main entrances to Brussels via the motorways will be closed. This includes the A12, E40 and E411. If you absolutely have to drive to Brussels, opt for the Ring and prepare for long queues. Also, don’t count on taking taxis, which will be affected in the same way as cars.

Currently, the Tour’s organisation sends personalised letters to the inhabitants of Brussels. For good reason, it will be forbidden to park in certain spots so that the race can take place as smoothly as possible.

For more information about how the Tour de France will affect traffic and public transport, click here.

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2019 is a year like no other for Brussels. This year Brussels is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Tour de France victory of Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx, as well as being the starting point (Grand Départ) for the 2019 Tour de France. A unique occasion for the European capital to both celebrate cycling and honour its cultural heritage.

Cycling in Brussels

Brussels boasts no less than 218km of cycle paths. The Brussels-Capital region has seen the number of cyclists double over the last five years. This upward trend, observed since the beginning of the century, has continued with an average annual increase of 13% since 2010. (source: Brussels Bike Observatory).

Brussels has changed over the years, and has given more and more space to bikes. The infrastructure still isn’t perfect, but things are improving every year. Laying out cycle paths, creating new parking for bikes, increasing the 30km/h zones…there have been many initiatives, both public and private, to encourage the people of Brussels to get on their bikes.

Bike for Brussels

With Bike for Brussels, Brussels Mobility (the regional public service in charge of transport throughout the whole Brussels-Capital region) aims to put Brussels residents in the saddle. In order to do this, the service is supporting several Brussels organisations who promote cycling in the capital. Good parking maps, suggestions of routes to get around the city safely or even key bike-repair places, these organisations communicate with cyclists every day to make cycling in the city easier for them. For more information visit: https://bike.brussels/en/

Brussels Environment for a greener city

Brussels has more than 8,000 hectares of green spaces, making up almost half the area. From the huge Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes) to the Bois de la Cambre, many green areas in Brussels are accessible by bike. To preserve these green spaces and improve the capital’s air quality, the regional public authority Brussels Environment is working to create and manage green spaces, and preserve natural areas. It is also encouraging Brussels residents to use more “gentle” methods of transport, for a city that is greener and more picturesque.

Regional Cycle Routes

These are routes that are those recommended for medium and long-distance trips. As a rule of thumb, they use local roads that have lighter traffic, are slower in pace and as a result are less stressful than main roads. For more information visit:

The Bikes in Brussels fund

A Brussels resident who is passionate about cycling has recently set up the “Bikes in Brussels” fund (managed by the King Baudouin Foundation). This fund aims to support projects for infrastructure or equipment that are started by associations, authorities or private and public partnerships. These projects are designed to encourage cyclists to get around the city, by responding to users’ expectations. The fund is aimed at small and medium-sized projects as much as those needing more substantial work and investment. For more information visit:

Brussels and the Tour de France

The 2019 Grand Départ will once again put Brussels and Belgium in the saddle.

The “Great Loop” has included Belgium a total of 47 times, but the story really began in the European capital back in 1947. The Tour has passed through Brussels 11 times. The Grand Départ first took place there during the Universal Exhibition in 1958. It was also in Brussels that Eddy Merckx wore his very first Yellow Jersey, in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in 1969, near his family grocery store.

Belgium is historically a cycling country. With its three classic bike races in Flanders, two in Ardennes and around 10 semi-classics, the flat country offers a choice of races for amateur cyclists. On an international level, Belgium is ranked second in the cycling nations, according to the International Cycling Union (source: UCI, 29 May 2019).

It is for all these reasons that Brussels feels great pride and fondness for the Tour de France, which has enthralled so many cycling fans by putting their champions in the spotlight.

More information available at:

#tourensemble: The 23rd team for the Grand Départ of the 2019 Tour de France

Of course, the main attractions of the Tour de France will be the international professional cyclists, who are the stars of the Great Loop. But what about every day cyclists? The #tourensemble initiative aims to get as many Brussels residents as possible in the saddle for and after the Grand Départ. Whether they cycle occasionally, as a commuter, for pleasure or even a bit reluctantly in town, #tourensemble is bringing everyone together for the same shared goal: to be able to cycle around our capital, more, again or always!

#tourensemble unites all Belgians with all the nationalities that give the capital its cultural richness, around a collaborative project which gives meaning to the Tour de France and the Grand Départ. It will be the starting point for a “citizens’ life project”, where the bicycle will become the main form of transport in the city.

The aim of this regional campaign is to significantly increase the number of cyclists in Brussels in the run-up to the Tour de France, and to have more bikes than cars in the capital the week of the Grand Départ. A real social initiative, everyone is invited to join the team by applying to tourensemble.brussels.

Exhibitions

The Tour Exhibition

This exhibition traces the history and development of the world’s third biggest sporting event, through different themes: the history, the creation of the routes and its challenges, a day on a stage, the publicity car, the magic of live sports, the Tour Festival and its supporters, the 105th Tour de France route and figures, etc.

Located in Molenbeek Saint-Jean, one of the 19 communes in the Brussels-Capital region, the exhibition takes place in the Raymond Goethals Stand at the Edmond Machtens Stadium. This is a stone’s throw from the real departure point of the Tour de France’s first stage, and the old Karreveld velodrome.

Location: Edmond Machtens Stadium
Price: Free
Dates: Until 14 July 2019
More information:

Velomuseum

The VELOMUSEUM is an initiative of the Archive and Museum for the Flemish living in Brussels (AMVB), in partnership with social economy enterprise Cyclo and Dutch library Muntpunt. It takes you on a free journey through 150 years of cycling culture in Brussels. It’s one hundred and fifty years, because in 1869 the first cycling regulations were introduced in the city of Brussels.

Location: Velomuseum
Price: Free
Dates: Until 7 July 2019
More information:

Discover Brussels by Bike: Sightseeing Tours

Eddy Merckx and Brussels by bike

This ride celebrates one of the world’s most famous cyclists, Eddy Merckx, five-time winner of the Tour the France. From his childhood in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre to his numerous victories, rediscover everything while pedalling in the footsteps of the “Cannibal”. Combining Tour anecdotes with the history and development of cycling in Brussels, this tour puts the bicycle in place of honour in the Belgian capital.

Organisation: ProVelo
More information:

Brussels stage of the 2019 Tour de France by electric bike

2019: Brussels welcomes the Grand Départ of the Tour de France! The last time was in 1958. Sunday 7 July will see a team time trial. The organisers have set out a 28km loop in our capital, travelling down the most sumptuous avenues and crossing the most beautiful parks. “Once in Brussels” couldn’t miss out on this. We suggest you put on your yellow jersey and become an electric bike champion with us. On our e-bikes, we’ll follow the route taken by the racers and discover Brussels during some cultural intervals. If you’ve always dreamed about taking part in the Great Loop, this ride is for you!

Organisation: Once in Brussels
More information:

Weekend Tours

Discover Brussels by bike every Friday and Saturday with Cactus.
The Weekend Tour takes small groups off the beaten track to discover the surprising places and areas of Brussels.

Organisation: Cactus
More information:

Greeters by bike

Greeters are local people who give tourists an unusual, original and personal insight into their city or neighbourhood, in a friendly and welcoming way. This idea is a perfect example of the trend in alternative tourism, which is increasingly in demand from tourists looking for a more authentic experience. Some of them offer cycle rides which will take you to their favourite places.

More information:

Green Brussels

Green Promenade

You are probably unaware, but the Brussels-Capital region is crowned by a rich greenness which few capitals can rival. To showcase this, and so every Brussels resident can take advantage of it, the Green Promenade was created. The route offers a 63km loop around Brussels: a beautiful ride that allows those both on foot and bike to discover the numerous parks, natural areas and preserved landscapes in our picturesque region. The Green Promenade is divided into seven sections representing various aspects of Brussels’ landscapes. Covering between 5 and 12km, its sections cross a variety of landscapes, be they urban, rural, or industrial, showing off Brussels’ many green areas along the way.

More information:

Usquare and its new velodrome

Usquare is the conversion of a military complex from the early 20th century into a lively open space looking towards the 21st century. It’s not a campus, but a really new piece of town with all that this implies: a Brussels neighbourhood of the future that’s mixed and dynamic, urban and friendly, university-centred and international, sustainable and innovative.

As of this weekend Usquare will have an open-air velodrome: an unmissable place where amateur cyclists can indulge in their passion.

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Last Friday began the exhibition dedicated to the sixty years of posters of the Tour de France at the Brussels Expo Holiday Fair. It was an opportunity for the Tour de France director, Christian Prudhomme, to highlight the link between the Tour and our country: « Belgium is a country of cycling champions and is part of the history of the Tour » he said.

Belgium has a special story with regard to Tour de France. Several Belgian athletes have indeed won the competition and Eddy Merckx has been one of the best cyclists in the history. That’s what Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, pointed out while inaugurating the exhibition. He congratulated Brussels for hosting the start of the 2019 Tour and expressed a strong support to the teams that will set up such an event.

The exhibition of official Tour De France posters throughout the years (since 1958) is currently showcased at the Brussels Expo, as a side event of the Holiday exhibition in Palais 3.

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Belgium has the second highest record of Tour de France victories (18) behind France (36). Although the last Belgian victory was 44 years ago, the legacy still highlights that cycling is a major sport in the country.

Belgian winners of Tour de France

Eddy Merckx (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973)

Eddy Merckx is the most famous Belgian cycling champion who won Tour de France five times – there’s even a metro station (line 5) named after him. He holds the record number of victories, together with Jacques Anquetil (French), Bernard Hinault (French) and Miguel Indurain (Spanish) – as Lance Armstrong was stripped of his titles. He was nominated as the best cyclist of the 20th Century by the Union Cycliste Internationale. His son, Axel Merckx, was also a professional cyclist but never won the competition.

Philippe Thys (1913, 1914, 1920)

Philippe Thys is the second most titled Belgian cyclist in Tour de France. He won in 1913, 1914 and 1920. He was the second Belgian to win after Odile Defraye’s victory in 1912. Philippe was also the first cyclist to win the title three times. The 1910’s and the 1920’s were special years for Belgian cycling, as Belgian cyclists won the Tour de France seven times in a row, from 1912 to 1922 (between 1915 and 1918, there was no race because of WWI).

Firmin Lambot (1919, 1922)

After WWI ended in 1918, the Tour de France resumed in 1919. 69 competitors took part, but as most of the cyclists had no appropriate material, and due to the damage to the roads from WWI, only 11 managed to finish the Tour. In the penultimate step, Firmin Lambot was 30 minutes down on Eugène Christophe. But Mr Christophe broke his tire spoke and had to fix it in a factory, which allowed Firmin Lambot to win the race; with him winning again in 1922.

Sylvère Maes (1936, 1939)

World wars and Belgian victories in the Tour de France seem to be linked. With Philippe Thys winning in 1914 before the race stopped for four years, and Firmin Lambot winning once it resumed. Sylvère Maes, however, won the title in 1939 before WWII; the course was not held for seven years after. After his victory in 1939, he stated he no longer wished to take part as the Tour “has become too hard”, especially in the mountains. He then participated in the Tour of Italy in 1947, before he retired in 1948.

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