The starting gun will be fired for the world's greatest cycle race, the Tour de France, in under four months – and it will be on Danish soil for the first time ever. It will be a unique opportunity to experience the Tour de France at close quarters when the cyclists ride through the beautiful Danish towns, cities and landscapes over the first three stages of the race.

Ida Bigum Nielsen, Director, Grand Départ Copenhagen Denmark I/S, says:

“All Tour de France fans from home and abroad need to be able to get to and from the three Danish stages easily. Therefore, in tandem with the Danish authorities, transport operators and others, we will keep everyone informed about access to the stages before, during and after the start of the Tour. We will endeavour to reduce congestion on the roads for people who choose to steer clear of the race. We will collect all relevant information about the tour's impact on traffic and easy access to the routes on our website letourcph.dk.”

The first weekend in July is traditionally one of the busiest travel weekends, when many Danes pack their car or caravan and head for the countryside or holiday destinations outside Denmark.

Area Manager for Traffic Management and Data Charlotte Vithen, Danish Road Directorate, says:

"Irrespective of the reason for your journey on the first weekend in July, it is important to be aware that there is a high risk of congestion and heavy traffic along the entire Tour de France route. The roads around the route will be closed and it will not be possible to drive on or cross the route by car when this happens. The Storebælt Bridge will also be closed in both directions for five hours on the afternoon of Saturday 2 July, so if you’re crossing Storebælt that weekend, please consider leaving as early as Thursday or Friday - or wait until Sunday. The reason we’re alerting you now is because we know from experience that you can influence motorists' travel plans if you let them know well in advance. And this is essential if we’re to ensure that as few people as possible cross Storebælt on Saturday 2 July.”

The Danish stages of the Tour de France coincide with the likes of Roskilde Festival and DGI National Convention in Svendborg, with tens of thousands of festival guests and athletes participating. All motorists going to and from events in the municipalities along the route should therefore plan their trip and prepare for increased congestion on the road, railways and ferries between 1 and 3 July.

The Storebælt Bridge will be closed in both directions

The Tour will be crossing the Storebælt Bridge on the second stage from Roskilde to Nyborg on Saturday 2 July, and the bridge will be closed to all road traffic in both directions for five hours from 13:00 to 18:00.

The recommendation is to avoid driving across the Storebælt Bridge on that Saturday if at all possible and instead leave for your holidays on the days before – or wait until Sunday 3 July. On the other hand, it will be best to drive on the Jutland roads on the Friday or Saturday.

The national working group behind the traffic information campaign for the Tour de France 2022 consists of Rigspolitiet (the National Police of Denmark), Grand Départ Copenhagen Denmark, Sund & Bælt A/S, the Danish Road Directorate and the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority.

You can read much more about the transport arrangements on the official website for the Tour de France stages in Denmark at LeTourCPH.dk. You will also be able to see how traffic will be affected at trafikinfo.dk.

Read more at Letourcph.dk

Read more at  Vejdirektoratet.dk/tourdefrance

FACTS: How the Tour de France is expected to affect traffic

Roadblocks

Roadblocks can be expected on race days for 4 to 12 hours along and around the route. In the start and finish cities, local closures can be expected for extended periods. There will be updates on roadblocks along and around the route on trafikinfo.dk in April.

Driving outside the busiest time periods is recommended as well as allowing extra time for the journey. Race spectators must arrive early and before the roads around the route are blocked off – and again allow for extra travel time. For the 1st stage in Copenhagen, it would be a good idea to leave the car at home – and use public transport to and from the race. 

Rail traffic and ferries

Rail traffic across Storebælt will not be affected by the temporary closure of the bridge carriageways. DSB will be running longer trains and is encouraging customers to travel in good time, buy return tickets and book seat reservations.

Ferries offer an alternative to the closed bridge. This applies to Molslinjen's express ferries in the north and the Langeland line ferries in the south. A substantial amount of traffic is expected on both routes on the days around the Tour de France so it is a good idea to book tickets well in advance and aim for an early start.  

First stage: 13 km individual time trial start in Copenhagen, Friday 1 July

• The individual time trial start in Copenhagen will significantly affect traffic and parking conditions over several days from Tuesday 28 June up to and including Saturday 2 July.
• From Tuesday, June 28, the start and finish area on and around H.C. Andersens Boulevard and Rådhuspladsen will be closed to vehicle traffic and for parking.
• The route itself will be closed to all traffic from the night of Friday 1 July until Saturday afternoon 2 July.
• The entire route will be closed for parking from Thursday morning, 30 June.
• Spectators as well as people living in the area should use public transport to and from Copenhagen, as well as around the city. It will not be possible to drive into Copenhagen.
• The city is expected to return to normal traffic conditions on Saturday afternoon, 2 July.

See map of the route at  letourcph.dk

Second stage: 202 km from Roskilde to Nyborg, Saturday 2 July

• Traffic in and around Roskilde, Lejre, Odsherred, Holbæk, Kalundborg, Korsør and Nyborg will be affected all day on Saturday 2 July. Extra travel time and the risk of traffic jams in and around the start city of Roskilde and the Nyborg finish should be expected.
• If planning to drive on Saturday, allow extra travel time and check traffic conditions in advance.
• The Storebælt Bridge will be closed in both directions on Saturday 2 July from 13.00 to 18.00. Be aware that the motorways leading to the Storebælt Bridge can be blocked as early as 12.30 for traffic safety reasons. More specific times for the motorway closures will be announced at a later date. The motorways will be blocked at Nyborg V and at Slagelse V.
• Motorists are advised to avoid crossing the Storebælt Bridge on Saturday 2 July and instead plan to drive on Thursday, Friday or Sunday.
• Train traffic across the Storebælt will not be affected by the closure of the Storebælt Bridge.
• A number of motorists are expected to use the ferries on Saturday 2 July, so you should book a ferry ticket well in advance.

See map of the route at  letourcph.dk

Third stage: 182 km from Vejle to Sønderborg, Sunday 3 July

• Traffic in and around Vejle, Kolding, Haderslev, Aabenraa and Sønderborg will be affected for long periods on Sunday 3 July. Extra travel time and the risk of traffic jams should be expected in and around the start city of Vejle and the Sønderborg finish.
• If driving on Sunday, set aside extra journey time and check the traffic conditions in advance.
• If travelling to Billund Airport on Sunday 3 July, leave home early to allow for the journey time.

See map of the route at letourcph.dk

Further information:

Press and Communications Manager, Simon Kærup, Grand Départ Copenhagen Denmark, el1u@kk.dk, tel: 24 92 62 98

Area Manager, Charlotte Vithen, Danish Road Directorate, cv@vd.dk, tel: 22 16 70 72/ Road Directorate’s  media tel: 61 93 05 99

Head of Group Communications, Lene Gebauer Thomsen, Sund & Bælt, lgt@sbf.dk, tel: 21 70 44 50

National Police of Denmark, media tel: 41 74 04 40

Media Manager, Frederik Roed, the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, presse@trafikstyrelsen.dk, tel: 61 92 97 19