Organizers in Germany say they are confident Berlin will be selected to host the start of the 2029 Tour de France.

Speaking with AFP subsidiary SID, "Grand Départ Allemagne" chairman Thomas Hofmann said discussions with the race organizer Amaury Sport Organisation are progressing well.

"We're having very good discussions," Hofmann said.

"The ASO considers our chances for the 2029 bid very, very good, assuming Berlin is definitely included."

The proposal would see the race begin in the German capital before passing through three eastern states: Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.

"We are committed to implementing our three-plus-one model," Hofmann said of the multi-state plan.

Prague And Slovenia Also In Running For Tour Start

The major rivals to the German proposal include the Czech capital Prague as well as Slovenia, the home country of four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar.

The Berlin bid would also mark the 40th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"We have the better story, it has to be said," Hofmann said.

The final decision is expected in the summer of 2027.

The start of cycling's most famous race, known as the Grand Départ, has increasingly taken place outside France in recent years.

If selected, it would mark the fifth time the Tour de France has started in Germany.

The most recent German Grand Départ took place in Düsseldorf in 2017, while West Berlin hosted the start in 1987 before German reunification. Frankfurt hosted the race start in 1980 and Cologne in 1965.

The 2026 Tour de France will begin in Barcelona, while the 2027 edition is scheduled to start in Edinburgh.