London was in the race for the start as well but it pulled the plug in September just days before the initial announcement because of the excessive fees of roughly 10 million US dollars that go with such a big event. Officials announced they prefer to spend this kind of money on a permanent cycling infrastructure rather than a one-time affair.
The 2017 Tour will begin outside French borders for the 22nd time. Germany hosted the Tour`s start four times in total with the last time being in West Berlin in 1987. The 13-kilometre stage will start from the Messe fairgrounds in Düsseldorf and lead the peloton along the banks of the Rhine, down the Königsalee and back to the Messe fairgrounds.
It is not known yet where the second stage will take the riders but first mountain points will be on offer after just 6 kilometres on top of Grafenberg.
You can see the 2016 Tour de France route in the video below.
