Information on the 2017 Tour de France is being given out in dribs and drabs. Back in January, the announcement of the Grande Boucle's return to German soil, set against a background of renewed public interest and the wave of success of Teutonic sprinters, shed some light on what the race will look like. The 13 km time trial through the streets of Düsseldorf makes it all but certain that the first yellow jersey will end up in the hands of a power rider, providing yet another incentive for the home crowds to turn out and cheer for their three-time World ITT Champion Tony Martin. 

The organisers, who came on a preparatory visit, unveiled part of the following stage's programme this morning together with Thomas Geisel, mayor of Düsseldorf, and Hans Wilhelm Reiners, mayor of Mönchengladbach. Sprinters such as Kittel, Degenkolb and Greipel could be called to action quite early in the second stage, which will start with a 50 km loop taking the peloton through Düsseldorf a second time. The location of the first intermediate sprint of the 2017 Tour is a nod to the achievements of German athletes, with points being awarded in Mönchengladbach, not far from the home stadium of Borussia Mönchengladbach, one of the most successful clubs in the history of German football.