Barcelona city hall held the presentation of the Tour de France's 23 teams in front of the Sagrada Família on Thursday. The event precedes the Grand Départ on Saturday with a 20 km time trial through the city.
The Tour de France arrived in Barcelona on Thursday. The 184 cyclists paraded along Avinguda Gaudí after departing from Hospital Sant Pau, accompanied by performances from Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Doctor Prats and the Castellers de Vilafranca.
The city hall allocated 9.6 million euros for hosting the event. An influx of 850,000 fans is expected on Saturday, along with 4,500 professionals from the organizing team.
The first stage, a 20 km time trial, will start on Saturday at the Fórum and finish at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The second stage, departing from Tarragona on Sunday, also ends in Barcelona. The third stage starts on Monday from Granollers toward France.
Traffic closures will affect mobility on Saturday and Sunday. The city hall will reinforce metro services and set up more than 50 pedestrian crossing points along the routes.
