Dusseldorf wants to bring the 2017 Tour de France to their region. Yesterdat the Council of the North Rhine-Westphalian capital voted in favour of the bid for the prestigious opening of the biggest cycling event in the world.

The voting ended 40-39 but it was enough for the costly plans of Mayor Thomas Geisel (SPD) to go through. Geisel has already been in personal contact with Tour director Christian Prudhomme during the last edition of the race.

Critics had complained about the high cost. Reportedly, the city must pay about six million euros for the sport event. But the discussion about doping in cycling also played a role.

For the Grand Départ in 2017, Münster and Saarland had shown interest too. However, Münster has decided not to make any financial contribution to the project.