Tour de France to start in the Netherlands
The most exciting bike race in the world, the Tour de France, will start in the Netherlands in 2015.
The city of Utrecht will host the Grand Depart of the race, which has been won by Brits for the past two years with Bradley Wiggins coming first in 2012 followed by Chris Froome earlier this year.
The opening time trial will be held in the Netherland’s city on July 4.
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, said: "The Netherlands is a cycling nation, one which has written quite a few remarkable chapters of the history of the Tour de France."
Utrecht’s main attraction, he said, "is the way it has integrated cycling into its day-to-day life."
Next year the Grand Depart will take place in Yorkshire. The first stage on July 5 will travel from Leeds to Harrogate, followed by York to Sheffield on July 6.
The third stage over 170km will see the riders race from Cambridge to London.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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