Tour de France 2026 to be relocated outside the Silo

The new track brings unprecedented treachery to this year’s race

The Tour de France, a world-renowned cycling tour famous for its multi-stage courses held throughout the Western European country, recently announced a relocation to UC Davis for its upcoming July 2026 race.

This year, UC Davis’ surrounding rolling hills and flat farmland will be integrated into the Tour’s time trials and varying terrain courses, with the Silo serving as a concluding highlight.

The stretch to the Silo will be critical in determining the overall race winner, serving as the final flat, sprint stage — an unpredictable finishing ground for the 23 competing teams. The Silo’s flat stretch may seem easy relative to other hilly or mountain stages, but it ultimately calls for intentional technical considerations while maintaining high speeds.

Including multiple roundabouts, the Silo poses technically difficult curves, vulnerable to rapid overtaking and changes to rider placement in the peloton. With many contestants still unfamiliar with roundabout functions, these junctions are predicted to result in collisions and injuries.

But the race involves further challenges beyond the course itself. Since the relocation announcement, the French have condemned the high probability of neglectful spectator etiquette with a lack of spatial awareness, creating the risk of race-day collisions. Riders must brace for wandering students and spectators, unobserving of their surroundings and distracted by handheld screens.

The abundance of Spin scooters on the current course has also yet to be resolved, with the possibility of bikers having to navigate around the scooters mid-race. Anticipating the change, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has announced imperative rulebook changes explicitly addressing severe punishments to drafting behind electric scooters.

Slovenian professional cyclist Tadej Pogačar, a four-time winner of the Tour, said that competing at Davis will prove to be an unprecedented challenge.

“The Silo is almost like a new era of competitive cycling globally,” Pogačcar said. “We’re addressing e-scooter drafting more persistently than doping.”

Other prominent Davis cycling routes are also preparing to serve as a race corridor, including the Davis to Winters flats through the countryside and the hill climb to Lake Solano.

Ann D. Railleur, a UC Davis Cycling Club member and 2023 Northern California & Nevada State Champion Masters Criterium participant, is looking forward to a closer affiliation with the Tour and course.

“It’s really cool that these pros are racing the same routes I’ve raced in Davis’ local crits,” Railleur said. “We’re already racing at such high speeds and intensities — imagine what the pros will bring.”

Bringing the race to Davis has also resonated closely with the city’s cycling communities, grounding the race on a local, small-town scale. The Davis Bike Club (DBC), a local organization which promotes the disciplines of competitive cycling and of cycling culture, noted that the Tour De France will be right at home in Northern California.

“Cycling, whether competitive or leisurely, is a fundamental component of the Davis community,” a DBC board member said. “We’ve been hosting cycling events — from group rides to races — for the past several years. It only makes sense that our close-knit cycling community here in Davis would warrant expansion to an international scale.”

Despite the positive community sentiments, the seemingly arbitrary relocation decision has warranted suspicion from some observers. The move to the Silo comes after the signing of a new free trade deal between the European Union and several South American countries earlier this year. The deal revitalized tensions between French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and local farmers, who are demanding measures against falling incomes and unfair competition.

Critics argue Lecornu seeks to ally with Davis farmers against French farmers through the Tour’s relocation. Whether symbolic or strategic, this change will continue to cause a stir in the Davis biking community up until the race in July.

Disclaimer: This article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of "sources" are fictionalized.

Written by: Thomas Wu — campus@theaggie.org