Düsseldorf / Düsseldorf

Stage 1 - Saturday, July 1st - 14 km

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The Stage

Welcome to Germany, start of a 23 day campaign, which team will have the best strategy? Interesting how we are starting here twenty years after Jan Ullrich's victory in the Tour; the only German winner ever. Then years later he was mentioned in a doping scandal, Operación Puerto (quelle surprise). In 2013 he finally admited he doped (just like everyone else in his era). He has not been invited to the Tour's official events in Düsseldorf while other German ex-racers have been. Update: Der Jan told Dutch tv that he was invited but declined cause he promised to be at his daughter's birthday.

Is it a prologue or a short individual time trial (ITT)? You tell us. This would be the perfect stage for Rohan Dennis just like in Utrecht, 2015. However, he's not starting this Tour. Team LottoNL–Jumbo doesn't have too many chances at succes this Tour but they did bring Jos van Emden (winner of the final stage of the Giro this year, an ITT over 29.3 km) and Primoz Roglic who both have a good shot at this one.

Tony Martin will be riding on home soil, will this give him an extra boost? He is certainly a top favorite for today.

Expect the GC riders to all give their best; Froome and Richie Porte will both want to make a difference here and show who is best. Also expect over a hundred riders to finish more than a minute behind the winner.

Trivia: Van Emden made international headlines when he proposed to his girlfriend during a time-trial stage of the 2014 Giro d'Italia. After she accepted, he got back on his bike and finished the stage as 120th out of 156.

Winner: Geraint Thomas

Tour Touristique

The Schloss Benrath (Benrath Castle) is one of the greatest baroque castles in Germany. The castle contains a museum. The park of the castle is very famous, too.

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