100 Days Left until the 1st Stage of the Tour de France in the State Capital

100 days left- the countdown to the kick-off of the Tour de France – the Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017 - from June 29 until July 2, 2017. Today Düsseldorf’s Lord Mayor Thomas Geisel and Tour Director Christian Prudhomme will unveil a pillar with a countdown tallying the last 100 days until the 1st stage. Visitors from near and far will be arriving in the capital of the state of Northrhine Westphalia for the Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017, the run-up to the Tour de France, on the first weekend in July. They can expect an international sports event, a “folk fete” along the route and a pleasant metropolis on the Rhine river with tourist highlights. At several locations in the expanded inner city the visitors will be able to watch live broadcasts of the Tour de France on large LED screens, there will be additional join-in activities, talks or music and lots of info. Lord Mayor Thomas Geisel: "The state capital as well as the entire region is feverishly anticipating the kick-off of the Tour de France in Düsseldorf –and the excitement will heighten even further in the last 100 days until the 1st stage. We look forward to celebrating the sport of cycling, the bicycle and Franco-German friendship together with fans from all over the world starting on June 29."Tour-Director Christian Prudhomme: "There are still 100 days left to go before the 104th Tour de France kicks off. 30 years after the kick-off at the Berlin Wall a new era in the history of the Tour de France Grand Départ in Germany will commence. We look forward to the kick-off in the city of Düsseldorf, which has become an important city in Germany. Moreover, the hosting of the Grand Départ in the first half of 2017 comprises many different activities in Düsseldorf for the kick-off of the tour such as on the topics of “Promotion of Cycling” and “Development into a Cycling City”. The big run-up to the event related to the tour will take place on Saturday, March 25 at the Market Square. Under the title "Bonjour le Tour" it will be all about the cycling event after the kick-off at noon at the Düsseldorf City Hall, with numerous activities, lots of information and plenty of French flair. In addition, the starting shot will be fired on March 25 for the children’s competition “Petit Départ” with 100 kids on the university sports grounds. Fitting for "Bonjour le Tour", the booklets for the supporting events program and free posters in DinA2 will be available as from Saturday, allowing everyone to show their enthusiasm for the world’s greatest cycling event in Düsseldorf. These can be collected, among other places, at the City Hall gate, the Citizen’s Office, the public libraries, Tourist Information Centers or also from the Project Office Grand Départ located in Kaistrasse 11, Düsseldorf.

Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)

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