Nice to host Grand Depart of 2020 Tour de France

Nice has been announced today as the host city of the 2020 Tour de France. 

The city's mayor, Christian Estrosi,said: "It is a source of immense pride to welcome the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2020 to Nice for a second time following 1981.

"Le Tour is the third biggest international sporting event and consequently ensures considerable economic benefits for our entire area.

"Seven years after welcoming the 100th edition in 2013 which attracted almost 100,000 spectators, this is a further step which strengthens my desire to make Nice an essential city for hosting major sporting events.

"As a result, we will have our heart set on offering optimal conditions to the organisers and teams," he continued.

"Nice boasts an exceptional playground for cyclists, from the Promenade des Anglais up to the high passes of the Mercantour national park.

"This rich relief will make it possible to launch the 107th edition of the Tour de France in the finest way possible "

To date, the city has hosted the Tour de France on 36 occasions, the first in 1906. It staged the Grand Depart in 1981.

The race last visited the Cote d'Azur city on Stage 4 of the 100th edition in 2013 after three days on the island of Corsica.

Nice played host to a team time trial, won by Orica-GreenEdge, which put the team's South African rider Daryl Impey into the race leader's yellow jersey.

> Route of 2018 Tour de France unveiled in Paris (+ video)

Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme commented: "The most recent editions of Paris-Nice (including the one that just finished yesterday) have shown us that the variety of landscapes and relief in this region are conducive to suspense, attacking and a thrilling spectacle!

"This is exactly what we want in order to give the Tour de France 2020 a dynamic tone.

"In Nice, we know that the pack and its support staff will be immersed for almost a week in a friendly atmosphere brimming with enthusiasm for cycling."

This year's Tour de France begins in the country's Vendee region, while the 2019 edition will start in Brussels, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the first of Eddy Merckx's five overall victories.

Other cities which had been bidding for the opening days of the 2020 race included the Danish capital Copenhagen, which has said it wants to host the Grand Depart some time between 2019 and 2021 - only the last of which is now an option after today's announcement.

> Copenhagen bidding for Tour de France Grand Départ