Düsseldorf "will submit an official application to host the start of the 2017 Tour de France after a vote on the matter was won by a slim margin," according to CYCLING NEWS. Düsseldorf Sports Department Head Burkhard Hintzsche said, "This is an event with worldwide appeal. We got great response to our application from the Tour organizers and all cycling associations, we are probably in a nearly unrivaled situation." It was believed that London was about to be awarded the 2017 Grand Départ at the end of September, which would have been the second visit to the U.K. capital, but Transport For London -- which had submitted the proposal -- "pulled out at the last minute." Hosting the Grand Départ would cost around €11M ($11.8M) according to the reports, "part of which would be a fee paid to ASO and the remainder would be related to infrastructure." In contrast, Düsseldorf "projects that the event, plus the build-up," could bring in as much as €57M ($61M), an amount the council claims is a conservative estimate (CYCLING NEWS, 11/6). CYCLING WEEKLY's Gregor Brown reported if successful, "it would be the first time for Germany to see off the race since West Berlin in 1987." Mayor Thomas Geisel "campaigned hard for the event." He met with Race Dir Christian Prudhomme "at the Tour this July to express his interest." Prudhomme said, "Germany is a very important country in Europe. There is a lot of enthusiasm. We are working with several different cities on a return to Germany and I hope that it will become reality." Prudhomme "previously named cities Münster and Mannheim, and the Saarland state." The Grand Départ "typically runs four to five days with the teams arriving on Wednesday" (CYCLING WEEKLY, 11/6).
