Team presentation to be held today in Düsseldorf at Burgplatz

All set for the big team presentation of the Tour de France 2017 at Burgplatz in Düsseldorf: the stage of the tour organiser A.S.O. is standing. The 22 teams with their 198 cyclists will be officially presented on the podium today, Thursday, 29 June, within the framework of a three-hour programme starting at 6 pm. The team presentation traditionally marks the beginning of the Grand Depart, which is taking place this time from 29 June to 2 July in Düsseldorf. Several thousand spectators are expected in the heart of the state capital. After their presentation, the pros will also ride a 1.4-kilometre route through the old town and thus get right up close to the many fans on the riders parade. The team presentation will be shown on TV by One and at ARD Sportschau Livestream.

"The state capital of Düsseldorf is well prepared and offers a great stage for the Tour de France. After the intensive preparation time, we are glad that it’s now getting underway – and the focus is now on the world’s best cyclists. The Grand Depart Düsseldorf 2017 is to be a festival of cycling, in which the state capital presents itself as it is: warm-hearted, globally minded and friendly", explains Lord Mayor Thomas Geisel.

"The team presentation is the first highlight of the Grand Depart Düsseldorf 2017. The 198 cycling pros will be welcomed to the state capital and accompanied onto the stage at Burgplatz by some of Düsseldorf’s great personalities such as "Heinrich Heine", "Clara" and "Robert Schumann" and "Joseph Beuys". While the Düsseldorf celebrities are portrayed by so-called "living sculptures", i.e. actors, the nine cyclists of the 22 teams appear in person and stand on the stage at the castle tower.

The team presentation will be presented by the former German cycling stars Marcel Wüst and Jens Voigt. Primary school children from SingPause of the Düsseldorf Matthias-Claudius school will sing the European anthem with two sopranos. The programme also includes performances by cycling artists, dance groups from tanzhaus nrw, the band Fresh Music Live and musicians from the Clara-Schumann- Music-School.

The presentation of the tour participants is set to start at 6.30 pm. Through interviews with the team captains and other cyclists, the spectators will learn details about the teams and get an insight into their chances in the Grand Tour.

After appearing on the stage, the teams will ride from Burgplatz over Marktplatz, through Rheinstraße and then along Rheinufer to Johannes-Rau-Platz to greet the fans in Düsseldorf. At Marktplatz, Grabbeplatz, Johannes-Rau-Platz and Kö-Bogen, anyone interested can follow the team presentation live on LED screens. The Rheinufer is also a good place for onlookers as the cyclists will be seen here for a long time, and the sports ground of the German armed forces will provide for additional entertainment. Catering stands will also be set up.

Alongside representatives of Düsseldorf’s urban society, the following celebrities are also expected at the team presentation: Prinz Albert II of Monaco, Alfons Hörmann, President of the German Olympic Sports Federation, Dr. Simone Bagel-Trah, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Harald Christ, Chairman of the Board of ERGO Beratung und Vertrieb AG, Peter Frymuth, Vice-President of the German Football Association, the photographic artist Andreas Gursky, the Olympic track cyclist Udo Hempel, Joop Zoetemelk, Dutch winner of the Tour in 1980, Vincent Muller, Consul General of the French Republic, Gisela Walsken, Chief Administrator in Cologne, Düsseldorf’s citizen of honour Albrecht Woeste and former racing cyclist Marcel Wüst, wearer of the green jersey, among others.

All the press releases on the Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017: 2017:www.duesseldorf.de/letour/medienportal/alle-meldungen.html

Photos and event maps for editorial reporting are available here: www.duesseldorf.de/letour/medienportal/bildarchiv.html

Programme:
www.duesseldorf.de/fileadmin/Amt13/grand_depart/pdf/GD17_Tourguide_D_O nline.pdf Press releases of A.S.O. are also available at: www.letour.fr/le-tour/2017/us/press-release.htmlPhotos and videos: www.letour.fr/le-tour/2017/us/gallery.html

Text version:
www.duesseldorf.de/fileadmin/Amt13/pld/txt/20170629-255_07.txt

Contact: Frisch, Michael
presse@duesseldorf.de, Telephone +49.211.89-93131