Tour de France road closures disrupt Catalan towns as local castellers join celebrations

Road sections of the C‑17 and N‑260 in the Ripollès comarca will be closed for five hours on Monday as the Tour de France passes through the region, affecting traffic, workers’ commute and access to the Campdevànol hospital. Volunteers, including civil‑protectors, will help manage the route and advise motorists to use alternative roads. Local authorities report that some factories have adjusted work schedules, with one town treating the day as a holiday and another maintaining normal operations.

At the Tour’s presentation in Barcelona’s modernist Hospital de Sant Pau and during subsequent stages, several casteller groups have been invited to perform human towers. The Castellers of Vilafranca are slated to build a 4‑in‑8 tower and a pillar, while other local colles have either declined participation or limited their involvement, citing logistical constraints and local protests against gentrification. The cultural displays will accompany the race as it traverses towns such as Cubelles, Viladecans, Molins de Rei and Sant Feliu de Llobregat.