Cycling: Today, the Mayor of Düsseldorf, Thomas Geisel, invited to the Tour Summit in the Düsseldorf Castle Tower, which was attended by German representatives of the regions and municipalities involved in the 2017 Tour de France. Among other things, the provisional routing of the first two stages was finalized and published there.
Right at the beginning, Geisel again emphasized the importance of the Grand Départ for the region and for German cycling. “From now on, the eyes of the cycling world are on Düsseldorf as the organizer of the Grand Départ 2017. At the same time, the cities, municipalities and districts through which the professionals' route leads are in the spotlight of the world public. An excellent opportunity to promote the beauty of our region and the bicycle as an attractive means of transport," said the Düsseldorf mayor.
The 1st stage, an individual time trial through downtown Düsseldorf, will take place on July 1, 2017. The starting signal for the approximately 13 km is fired at the Messe Düsseldorf, from where it goes along the banks of the Rhine in the direction of the city center. Cross the Oberkasseler Bridge to Oberkassel on the left bank of the Rhine and return via the Rheinkniebrücke. The next step is the Königsallee shopping mile. Passing the German Opera, it goes back towards the banks of the Rhine, where the 3,3 km long home straight leads back to the exhibition center.
The day after, the starting shot will be fired again in the Rhine metropolis. From the bank of the Tonhallen it goes in the direction of Burgplatz, where the neutralized start will take place. It goes through the old town and past the media harbor before the racing action begins on Fischerstraße. The first points in the mountain classification are to be collected in the Grafenberg forest, then the route leads through Gerresheim to Erkath. From there it goes through the Neandertal through Ratingen and back to Düsseldorf. Incidentally, this has never happened in the more than 100 years of the Tour de France – never has a stage led back through the starting point during the course.
After another crossing of the Rhine, the drivers pass Meerbusch and the city center of Neuss. The first points for the green jersey can be scored in downtown Mönchengladbach. Via Jülich and Aachen it goes on the B264 and from there in the direction of Belgium, where the final 51km will lead to Liège.
Update June 2017: The entire route and all stages in detail
cycling: Tour de France 2017: The route and all stages in detail
Cycling: It won't be long before the Tour de France 2017 starts at the Grand Départ in Düsseldorf. We've put together all the information about this year's varied route in advance and taken a closer look at the individual stage profiles. The route of the Tour de France 2017 at a glance Riders and fans can look forward to […]