Cycling capital Copenhagen is to host the Grand Depart of the 2021 Tour de France as Denmark will become the 10th country to host the start of the race.
The 2021 edition will begin with an 18km time trial around the Danish capital - which is said to be home to more bicycles than people - before two more stages in the Scandinavian country, organisers ASO announced on Thursday.
Stage two will take the riders on a 190km route from Roskilde to Nyborg on the island of Funen, including a crossing of the 18km Great Belt Bridge, while stage three will cover 170km between Vejle and Sonderborg on the Jutland peninsula.
No details of any further stages have yet been revealed, though the stage three finish in Sonderborg will leave the riders still around 800km - and several countries - from the French border following the northernmost Grand Depart in the Tour's history.
Cycling's most prestigious race started in Ireland in 1998, with a time trial around Dublin City Centre followed by Dublin to Wicklow and Enniscorthy to Cork stages.
