FILE PHOTO: The pack of riders cross the finish line after the final stage of the 93rd Tour de France cycling race between Sceaux-Antony and the Champs-Elysees in Paris, July 23, 2006.
(Reuters) – The 2021 Tour de France will start in Brittany after Copenhagen’s staging of the ‘Grand Depart’ was pushed back by a year due to a potential clash with soccer’s postponed European Championship, race organisers said on Monday.
Brittany will also host the first four full stages of the race.
“Delighted to announce with Christian Prudhomme that we will start in Brest, pass through Finistere, Cotes d’Armor, Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine. It will be a great celebration and a boost for the economy,” said the region’s president Loig Chesnais-Girard.
The start of next year’s Tour was brought forward by six days to avoid clashing with the men’s road race at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
The new June 26 start date, however, created a clash for Denmark with the European Championship, which runs from June 11-July 11.
Denmark is due to host three group matches as well as a last-16 match, all taking place at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen in June.
The Danish start to the Tour will be held from July 1-3, 2022.
Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford