In this July 28, 2019 photo, (from left) Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski, Colombia's Egan Bernal, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey and Netherlands' Steven Kruijswijk ride during the 21st and last stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Rambouillet and Paris Champs-Elysees, in Paris. (MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)
COPENHAGEN - Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Frank Jensen announced on Monday that the start of the Tour de France in Denmark will be postponed by one year to 2022.
Originally scheduled to start in Denmark in 2021, the "Grand Depart" is now officially moved one year ahead, and will run from July 1 to 3, 2022
Originally scheduled to start in Denmark in 2021, the "Grand Depart" is now officially moved one year ahead, and will run from July 1 to 3, 2022.
"I am happy that we have succeeded in securing a Danish Tour start in 2022. We are many who have been looking forward to getting the Tour de France to Denmark next year, and now we, unfortunately, have to wait a little longer," said Frank Jensen, chairman of Grand Depart Copenhagen.
"On the other hand, the Danes can look forward to an even bigger celebration in 2022, when the start of the Tour will not be squeezed by the European Championships and Olympics," he added.
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In the wake of the decision, the Danish Tour organizers said they do not expect changes for the three Danish stages, and said that there is full support for the postponement from the five Danish cities involved.
The press release also clarifies that the deferral is associated with additional expenses of approximately 5.8 million Danish Kroner (just over US$0.9 million) for the national secretariat, which will be jointly covered by the state and the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) company that designs and organizes the tour.
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The announcement itself comes after intense negotiations, after the Tour de France organization, the ASO, and the Danish Tour delegation were unable to agree on the new start date in 2021.
The Danish capital was unable to comply because it has been scheduled to host a leg of the European Football Championship during the potential postponement time in 2021.
