Tour de France chief open to Grand Départ in Berlin in 2029

Article excerpt

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme remains receptive to the idea of the 2029 race starting in eastern Germany and Berlin. "I am very open-minded about this German bid," he told the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper on Thursday. The 113th Tour de France starts in Barcelona on Saturday, following a long tradition of the Grand Départ for the world's premier cycling race taking place outside France for marketing reasons. The backers for a start in eastern Germany in 2029 believe it would be symbolic, coming 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Prudhomme agrees, although a final decision has yet to be taken. "A bid that includes Berlin is a great bid for the 40th anniversary of the fall of the Wall," he said. "That is very important in our time. And for me, Europe begins with