French media also expect a dirt road stage in Brittany
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Thomas Voeckler points to the start in the Vendee region(Image credit: AFP)
Veronique Besse and Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme point to the Vendee start of the 2011 Grand Depart (Image credit: AFP)
It wouldn't be a Tour de France without Thomas Voeckler in a breakaway
The Tour de France peloton on the Passage du Gois (Image credit: AFP)
Geraint Thomas with Chris Froome on the finish line of the 2016 Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2016 Tour de France started at Mont Saint-Michel(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Tro-Bro Leon is known as the Paris-Roubaix of Brittany for good reason.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
The 2018 Tour de France is expected to start in the Vendee region of central France, with a confirmation from race organiser ASO reported to be imminent according to well-informed French regional newspaper Ouest-France.
The Vendee –home to Jean-René Bernaudeau Direct Energie team, hosted the Grand Depart six years ago and 2018 will be the sixth time the coastal department hosts the start of cycling's most important Grand Tour after previous starts in 1976, 1993, 1999, 2005 and 2011.
According to a second report in Le Telegramme newspaper, the Grand Depart will be centred around the Puy du Fou historical theme park, with three days of racing in the Vendee before heading north to Brittany.
The Puy du Fou hosted the Grand Depart in 1993, when Miguel Indurain won the 6.8km prologue time trial and went on to win the race in Paris.
Le Telegramme suggests the Tour de France could visit Sarzeau, on the Rhuys peninsula in Brittany after the stages in the Vendee. The local newspaper also claims that Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme asked local officials from the Plouhinec area of Brittany to suggest a tough finale for a stage that includes dirt road sections in the final 30km.
The iconic Tro-Bro Leon race covers dirt roads and farm tracks in a neighbouring part of Brittany north of Brest and seems to have inspired the Tour de France organisers to add some dirt sections to the 2018 Tour de France route.
Value for money
Hosting the Grand Depart costs several million Euros but the Vendee department has calculated that the Tour de France creates significant income from tourism. According to Ouest-France the 2011 Tour de France Grand Depart attracted 1.2 million spectators to the area and generated € 22.6 million in economic spin offs.
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