Düsseldorf is where the heart of bicycle racing beats in 2017: 30 years after the Tour-de-France start in the divided city of Berlin in 1987, the world’s most important bicycle race is finally set to start again in Germany and Düsseldorf awaits the start of the legendary French race.
The Grand Départ kicks off with the presentation of the teams on Thursday, 29 June, at 6 pm (scheduled time). On Friday, the Lichterfest (festival of lights) at Schloss Benrath offers the audience classical music under open skies, a romantic illuminated palace and breath-taking fireworks. At the same time, the official reception of the Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017 is to be held there.
On Saturday, the 1st stage starts as an individual time trial – planned start time: 3.15 pm (publicity caravan from 1.45 pm). On the evening of the 1st of July, the KRAFTWERK 3-D Open Air Concert for the start of the Tour de France with special guest AIR is to be held in Ehrenhof. On Sunday the second stage is set to start in Düsseldorf – scheduled start time: 12 am (publicity caravan from 10 am).
In addition, the hosting of the Grand Départ includes many further bicycle events in 2017. The big start of the event programme will be “Bonjour le Tour” on Saturday, 25th March at the Town Hall from 12 am on – with culinary delights from Café Velo, live music and an Eiffel Tower made of Lego bricks. The day concludes with the Nacht der Museen (museums night). There’s also to be a new addition to the RADschlag app: alongside the existing, recommended bike routes, the official 1st stage of the Tour de France 2017 will be added as a special expedition.
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