Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017: Mönchengladbach Wins Bid for the First Sprint Classification

It has been decided: the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Düsseldorf, taking place from June 29 to July 2, 2017, will also pass through Mönchengladbach.

The 2nd stage, which starts in Düsseldorf on July 2 before going through the Neander Valley and passing back through Düsseldorf, will also go through Mönchengladbach as the race continues. This is where the first sprint classification of the Tour de France 2017 will also take place.

Tour Director Christian Prudhomme, from French Tour organizer Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), will be announcing this in person at a press conference at Düsseldorf City Hall, along with Düsseldorf Mayor Thomas Geisel and Mayor Hans Wilhelm Reiners from Mönchengladbach.

After 30 years, the state capital is only the fourth German city to host the world's most famous bicycle race, and Mönchengladbach will be a part of it!

"I am incredibly excited about this. It is a great opportunity for our sports-loving city, for the region and for Germany as a nation of sports enthusiasts because of the worldwide media presence that comes with the Tour de France. The Grand Départ 2017 will do great credit to Mönchengladbach as a sports city. It continues our series of major sporting events," says Mayor Hans Wilhelm Reiners, referring to the hockey world championships in 2006, the women's soccer world championships in 2011, and the upcoming freestyle world cups for snowboarders and skiers next December in Mönchengladbach.

"I want to warmly congratulate Mönchengladbach. The Grand Départ 2017 is a wonderful opportunity for Düsseldorf - for our city marketing, for the sports-loving city of Düsseldorf and for Düsseldorf as a city of bicycle riders. But it is also a great opportunity for the region and for Germany as a nation of sports enthusiasts. I am confident that Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach will present themselves from their best side," says Düsseldorf Mayor Thomas Geisel.

By implementing the Council's order in December 2015 to work with the municipal marketing company (MGMG), to position itself accordingly and help Düsseldorf win its bid for the "Grand Départ," Mönchengladbach has achieved a precision landing. As early as January, Mayor Hans Wilhelm Reiners let Tour Director Christian Prudhomme know about the city's strong interest in having the Tour de France route continue through Mönchengladbach. While the exact route has not yet been finalized, the "loop" will definitely be going through downtown Mönchengladbach.

"We are expecting a large number of spectators who will not want to miss this mega event," says Mayor Hans Wilhelm Reiners. "The Tour is not just an image victory for the cities that participate - it is also a great economic opportunity in terms of retail, gastronomy and hotel turnover," continues the mayor.

The Grand Départ in Düsseldorf will officially begin with the presentation of the teams on Thursday, June 29, 2017. The official team training, which has also been a spectator magnet in past years, follows on Friday. The 1st stage will take place in Düsseldorf on Saturday, July 1, as an individual time trial. Finally, on Sunday, the end of the "Grand Départ" marks the start of the 2nd stage. This stage begins in Düsseldorf and goes through the Grafenberg district, where the first points will be awarded for the King of the Mountains classification. The riders will then leave the city and head east to cross the Neander Valley, the prehistoric site where the bones of the Neanderthal people were found. The course then turns northward, toward Mettmann, before continuing to the west and then coming back through Düsseldorf.

The ASO will announce the final route on October 18, 2016.

In 2017, the Grand Départ will be taking place in Germany for the fourth time. Previously, the Tour started in Cologne in 1965, Frankfurt am Main in 1980, and West Berlin in 1987.

Düsseldorf was chosen at the end of last year to host the start of the Tour.