The plan to do that came from Alain Courtois, the former Secretary-General of the Belgian Football Association who, alongside with Merckx himself, had a meeting with Christian Prudhomme in 2014. And already back then, the Tour de France director was reportedly “pleasantly surprised” with the offer. Now everything looks a done deal according to the Belgian newspaper, and Brussels is to host the Grand Depart for the first time since 1958.
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That would mean that Copenhagen, another prime candidate for the 2019 Grand Depart, would be left empty-handed and would have to try again in 2021. Nowadays, the Tour de France starts abroad every other year with this year’s edition starting with a time trial in Dusseldorf. This year, Belgian fans will have their chance to see the pros during the third stage, which starts at Verviers.