Saturday, May 31, we celebrate the Tour in Lille!
On Saturday May 31, the Fête du Tour takes place on the Champ de Mars in Lille, in partnership with the village of Lille-Hardelot. On the program: two bike rides, plenty of entertainment for the whole family, and the unveiling of the Tour de France start line in the presence of Laurent Jalabert.
To whet your appetite ahead of the Tour de France's Grand Départ in early July, the Hauts-de-France region, the Nord département, the Métropole européenne de Lille (MEL) and the city of Lille invite you to join us on Saturday, May 31 for a whole day dedicated to cycling.
The Tour du Grand Départ party will take place on the Champ de Mars esplanade, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the same time as bib numbers are collected for the famous Lille-Hardelot cyclo.
Two free family walks
Two loops will be offered between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., in partnership with the Vélo club de Roubaix. They mainly use greenways and cycle paths for safe pedaling. Both routes are easy to ride and can be completed with any type of bike, including city bikes.
The first 23-kilometer loop follows the banks of the Deûle from the citadel to Quesnoy-sur-Deûle (km 11). The circuit then follows small country roads towards Verlinghem, then Saint-André-lez-Lille, before rejoining the Deûle (km 22) and the starting point following the same route as the outward journey. Along the way, you'll come across a number of remarkable heritage sites: industrial remains (information panels are available), the former site of Moulins de Paris and the Clayssens distillery in Wambrechies...
The second 8-kilometre loop follows the banks of the River Deûle, taking in the Bois-Blancs island, then the citadel, before returning to the starting point. Here, too, there are a number of sites of note, including the Port of Lille and the Port des Bois-Blancs, the mobile bridge and the Euratechnologies district.
Both tours are free, but registration is required.
Entertainment all day long
Visitors will be able to take advantage of the presence of numerous exhibitors, small-scale catering and entertainment provided by the Grand Départ :
- Fun bikes: around 12 to 15 bike saddles to discover! Grand bi, triplette, strano, reverse tandem, microbike, balance bike, crab bike, foot bike, micro tandem, grasshopper, reverse steering bike, clown bike... So many different frames to try out in complete relaxation.
- Le critérium des as: four hand-picked aces compete on racing bikes for the title of ace of aces and eternal glory! The zany commentator comments on the race in an atmosphere of funfair and cycling classic. Laughter guaranteed! Open to all cyclists aged 13 and over.
- Fitness rides for the whole family. These single-seat rides are powered solely by the muscular energy of the parents, to the delight of the children!
- The Grand Départ challenges in virtual reality: come and challenge your friends to score as many points as possible. You'll take it in turns to be a drummer who sets the rhythm for the other musicians, then a goodie-thrower with his cannon who has to please as many spectators as possible... The best scores will be rewarded!
Take in the sights with Homme V
Vincent Warin, alias l'Homme V, will perform a poetic show on the Fête du Tour site, a veritable acrobatic and danced piece featuring a BMX solo and live cello.
Contorting the body until it becomes unbalanced, stretching out the slow motion to welcome silence, suspension... and stop time. Invite you to travel in a confined and restricted space, to take comfort in certain playful gaits, to search until you lose yourself...
Two performances of the show will be given at 11 am and 4 pm.
The Tour line drawn with Laurent Jalabert
Before the day draws to a close, the starting line for the Tour de France 2025 will be symbolically drawn at around 4.30pm on the allée des Marronniers, at the foot of the Pont Napoléon.
Laurent Jalabert, former champion cyclist and Tour de France commentator for France Télévisions, will be on hand to take the photo and kick off the final stretch before the Lille-Nord de France Grand Départ.
Photo credits: Laurent Sanson; Studiomarks