The southern French city of Nimes will host the start of the 2017 Vuelta a Espana, organisers confirmed on Friday. Speaking at a press conference, race director Javier Guillen emphasized the cultural links between Nimes and Spain, given Nîmes has a strong tradition of flamenco and bullfighting.

"I liked this city and I made contact with city officials in Nimes, with whom there was an instant rapport because they love Spanish culture. We’ve been working on this project for several years now", Guillen explained.

The 72nd edition of the Vuelta will get underway on August 19, 2017, and will have at least two stages on French soil. The first stage will be a 27.8 km team time trial.

It will be just the third time that the race has started outside of Spain — it started in the Portuguese capital Lisbon in 1997 and from Assen in the Netherlands in 2009.