The Tour de France will start in Düsseldorf on July 1, 201, ith a 13-kilometer individual time trial on the Rhine and on the Königsallee. This was announced by director Christian Prudhomme on Thursday in Paris.

The flat course is tailor-made for three-time time trial champion Tony Martin-tailored and could allow him to take the yellow jersey. "Of course German Champions play a role in such a decision," Prudhomme said when asked about the nature of the 1st stage. After Cologne (1965), Frankfurt / Main (1980) and West Berlin (1987), Düsseldorf is the fourth Grand Départ in Germany. In 2017, the race will start abroad for the 22nd time.

The 2nd stage of the 104th edition has a first KOM sprint on the Grafenberg on and will also start in the North Rhine state capital. The rest of the stage and possible further stage finishes in Germany are still unkown. This will be announced on October 18 in Paris when the course of the entire Tour will be presented. As further stage finishes, Bad Homburg, Mannheim and the Nurburgring have already been mentioned.

Dusseldorf has a long sporting tradition, Prudhomme said. The city will certainly do everything to ensure that the Grand Départ of the biggest cycling race will be a success. "We are happy, we are proud," added the Frenchman during the presentation. The Tour is the biggest annual sporting event of the year, "3500 km of emotions".

The start in Dusseldorf is also thanks to the commitment of Mayor Thomas Geisel, Prudhomme said. For the decision, "we needed the contribution from a man like Thomas Geisel". The politician said: "The enthusiasm for sports in Dusseldorf is huge, people are cheering for all the riders in the prologue."  According to Giesel, the total cost of the city is around eleven million euros. "It is about attracting sponsors," he added. The Tour start is a great event for companies to show themselves. "We will receive very much support from the business community," Geisel said confidently. The deficit will be "manageable".

Recently there was talk of a funding gap of more than six million euros. In November, the Düsseldorf city council voted 40-39 in favour of the Tour start.