Monaco Confirms its Place in Cycling History

Monaco also has a special relationship with the Tour de France. “Without the Grimaldi family, the Tour de France might never have resumed in 1947. In 1946, after the war, a race from Monaco to Paris was organised with the riders’ accommodation paid for by the Princely Family, paving the way for the Tour de France to rise from the ashes a year later,” explains the Director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme. The Principality has hosted a stage of the Tour on no fewer than eight occasions. It was the venue for the Grand Départ in 2009, with a route that followed part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. In 2024, the final stage took place in Monaco – an individual time trial from Monaco to Nice covering a distance of 55 kilometres, with 700 metres of total elevation gain. It was the first time since 1904 that the Tour de France had finished anywhere other than the Champs-Élysées.

Historically, the Principality hosted its own Monaco Cycling Grand Prix from 1949 to 1985. The Union Cycliste de Monaco became the Principality’s official cycling club in 1952, having previously been part of A.S. Monaco.

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https://www.ucmonaco.com/fmc