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    This Is WHY We’ll NEVER Get a FOURTH Grand Tour



    Ever wondered why there are only three Grand Tours in professional cycling — the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España?

    In this deep-dive episode of BIKEFLIX, we uncover the history, politics, and power plays that have kept cycling limited to just 3 major tours for decades. From potential challengers in Germany, the UK, Colombia or Australia to UCI restrictions and tradition, here’s everything you didn’t know about why the Grand Tours have stayed the same for so long.

    💬 What country do YOU think deserves a 4th Grand Tour?

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    #Giroditalia #lavuelta #TourDeFrance #CyclingHistory #ProCycling #UCI

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    38 Comments

    4. @danmc7815 on

      As much as I would like to see a real race in the U.S.A. with the Pro Peleton, not really happening.

      But, if you want to have a race, with an available slot in the calendar, that is a new Grand Tour, Australia may be the best bet. Decent enough weather, at a time when there are few other races with which to compete.

    6. @iMadrid11 on

      At the height of its popularity the Tour of Luzon (Philippines) had 21 stages. Which was an equivalent of a Grand Tour. During present times it only has 5 stages.

    9. @SuperNoname17 on

      With the dictatorship of the UCI ,nothing important will chance in professional cycling, but in the next decade the Arabs will take charge like 👍 they did in Golf!!! The dictatorsheet of the UCI will fall, sooner or later!!

    10. @SuperNoname17 on

      Don't do in professional cycling the same thing that they are doing in professional football, more and more games each year, it's impossible for the players to achieve a high level all the time, it is the quality of the races 🏁 that will decline!!!

    20. @dansprague2 on

      I'm not aware there's ever been talk or demand for a 4th. The season's already long enough and any attempt at another GT would be a complete disaster.
      Personally, I think some of the worst, most formulaic, non-aggressive, downright dull racing takes place in GT's. This year's Giro was good, but that's by no means the norm. Super teams destroy GTs. They have no need for aggressive racing, so they stifle it and use their power to crush and penalize any aggressive riding by other teams. Every mtn stage is the same- the leader rides behind his team and when the last climber is burned off, the leader takes over and attacks halfway up the last climb. There, I just described every mountain stage in the Tour in the last 30 years. Thrilling! Team Sky and USPS were the worst, but UAE and Visma are close. It used to be that the break on a flat stage would occasionally buck the odds and stay away, creating some early in the race excitement, but with radios and DS's doing the numbers in the car, that's essentially impossible now. The last thing we need is three more weeks of that s**t. The very best of bike racing, year in year out, is in one-day races.

    26. @Aragorn.Strider on

      Well today we have the tour of Turkey with 8 stages in 2025. Tour de France in 2025 has 11. And after a search I found a dozen more. And yes, the winners have some legendary names. Some have their first win in the 1920s. But still I would agree with the premise because well, Tour-Giro-Vuelta have gained a lot of prestige, and are followed by lots of papers and tv stations

    28. @Ataraxist on

      Asia can be included as another GT location. No winter issue. Mountains available. But will Pro team come? Probably not. Lack of cycling culture. But it should start somewhere

    29. @watoft on

      There is no need nor demand for a 4th Tour. The big three are not only cycling, which is great, but also the history and countryside. They are after 3 of the most visited countries. The only, say mini Tour of value is the Tour of Switzerland because of all the mountains. There are, of course the epic one day races, Milano – San Remo for example.

    33. @lorienbruchel3689 on

      Germany would be a nice option, but unfortunately it lacks the bureaucratic support and the high mountains. The latter could be solved by organizing a joint GT with Austria (and Switzerland). (Switzerland of course very unlikely as they already have two WT tours). The former has to be solved independently, so I see it (unfortunately) as very unlikely. Although there are currently major discussions about increased investment in sport because Olympic medals are becoming rarer, I hardly see any progressive thinking at decision-making level that can also find solutions outside of money.

    34. @nomenade1 on

      These are also the three country most involved in the bike industry and manufacturing(the greatest bike builder were italians,France had the highest number of people using bikes)…cycling was a popular sport affordable for the poorest and richest…
      It's an antropological and economic reason,it is not just about sport

    37. @robjervis3898 on

      Colombia is probably best placed, same time zone as USA, amazing scenery, cycling culture and can be held between October – February.

      Do a video on the Tour de Lunsar! (Sierra Leone)

    38. @nextube_owner on

      If I had to create a fourth Grand Tour it’d go all across Europe and have something in between 25 and 30 stages. But it’s perfect how it is now.

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