Recently, it was announced that the 2015 Tour de France will start in the Dutch city of Utrecht and now another start in the Benelux may be on the cards. Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever has sent a letter to Tour race director Christian Prudhomme, proposing both a passage through his city in the near future and a Grand Depart from his city in 2020.

The Belgian city of Antwerp hasn't been visited by the Tour de France 2001 when it both hosted a stage start and finish but the mayor Bart De Wever is now trying to get the world's biggest bike race back to his city. In a letter to race director Christian Prudhomme, De Wever suggests that it is about time that the race returns to the biggest Flemish city.

According to the Gazet van Antwerpen, De Wever has asked for the race to pass through the city in the near future. However, the big plan is for the city to host the Grand Depart in 2020. That would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1920 Olympics that were held in the Belgian city.

Recently, Antwerp has had good relations with Tour de France organizers ASO. For the past two years, the French company has held the two-day World Ports Classic which travels between the major ports in the Dutch city of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Building on those relations, the city hopes to attract an even bigger cycling race in the future.

The Tour de France has traditionally started abroad every other year, with the 2012 race taking off from the Belgian city Liege and the 2010 race starting in Rotterdam. However, there have been several exemptions from the rule, with the two next editions both starting outside the race's main country. In 2014, the race will depart from Leeds while the 2015 Grand Depart will be hosted by the Dutch city of Utrecht.

When Antwerp last welcomed the Tour, Marc Wauters denied the sprinters their chance by winning the race's second stage and earned the yellow jersey in the process.