Mayor Thomas Geisel welcomes Tour Director Christian Prudhomme to. Düsseldorf

Bienvenu le Tour! Welcome to Düsseldorf!

Flanked by four volunteers in the official winner jerseys of the Tour de France, the Lord Mayor Thomas Geisel and the Airport Director Thomas Schnalke today welcomed the Director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, at Düsseldorf Airport.

The arrival of the officials of the Tour organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) marks the beginning of the last preparations for the Grand Depart, which kicks off with the team presentation on Thursday, 29 June at Burgplatz.

Both sides are looking forward to the coming days and a successful conclusion to the cooperation over the past one and a half years.

Mayor Thomas Geisel: "About 18 months ago, we won the bid for the start of the Tour de France in Düsseldorf, and since then we have worked to make this a great event for our city. The first Grand Depart in Germany for 30 years is a historic event that we Düsseldorfers will be celebrating with our guests from all over the world."

Tour Director Christian Prudhomme: "The entire organisation team of the Tour de France is very proud to arrive in Dusseldorf for the Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2017, thirty years after the Grand Depart of Berlin. We invite the public to Burgplatz and the surroundings on Thursday, 29 June from 6.00pm, for the presentation of the teams which will be taking part in the 104th edition of the Grande Boucle."

Thomas Schnalke, Chairman of the Board of Düsseldorf Airport: "Düsseldorf is ready for the Tour. And so are we. Together with the entire region, we are looking forward to the start of the Tour de France on Saturday. Our airport has ideal connections to cycling nations such as Italy, France, England, Spain and the USA. Monsieur Prudhomme is making the start today. In the coming days, we will welcome many guests to our terminal who are travelling to Düsseldorf especially for the Grand Depart. We are looking forward to each and every one of them."