A possible Tour de France start in East Germany should not take place without Berlin, according to Tour boss Christian Prudhomme. In an interview with "Sportschau", he pointed out that the bid is also linked to the political signal of reunification.
"For me as a Frenchman and for many other Europeans, this event is primarily linked to the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. That would be a very strong signal for me: Berlin 2029 and the fall of the Wall in 1989," said Prudhomme. The German organizers had preferred the year 2030, as there are already strong contenders for 2029 with the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Remembering the start of the Tour in Berlin in 1987
With Berlin alongside Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the German bid would probably have a better chance. "Let's put it this way: if Berlin joined the bid, it wouldn't hurt. Especially as the Tour de France has a strong connection to Berlin. After all, Berlin already hosted the Grand Départ in 1987, two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall," said the Tour boss.
Prudhomme is generally very open to the German bid, especially because of the ties between Germany and France. "For me, this Franco-German friendship continues to be the engine of Europe. In this respect, a German candidacy is one that we will take very close note of. Not least because ASO already organizes races in Germany: the Tour of Germany, the race in Frankfurt on 1 May and the one in Hamburg in mid-August." The organizer ASO also organizes the Tour de France.
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