- Title: CYCLING-TOUR/PREPS Utrecht ready for Tour de France's Grand Depart
- Date: 2nd July 2015
- Summary: UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS (JULY 2, 2015) (REUTERS) VIEW OVER UTRECHT CATHEDRAL WITH TOUR DE FRANCE BIKE SCULPTURE TOUR DE FRANCE FLAGS IN CATHEDRAL TOWER DUTCH FLAG IN BIKE SCULPTURE VARIOUS OF TOUR DE FRANCE SHOP VARIOUS OF WOMAN WITH BABY ON BIKE OVERLOOKING CANAL VIEW OVER CANAL WOMAN MOUNTING BIKE / CYLISTS IN STREET BIKE MOUNTED ON WALL OF HOUSE UTRECHT RESIDENT, KEES,
- Embargoed: 17th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Netherlands
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVABO514N0FNXXS5M12COOSEVF5C
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Dutch university town of Utrecht geared up on Thursday (July 2) to welcome the Grand Start of the Tour de France, the world's most prestigious cycling race.
The city of 322,000 residents is preparing to host top international cyclists for the start of the 21-day race which concludes 3,360 kilometres (2088 miles) later on Paris' Champs-Elysees.
Saturday's (July 4) contest will be the sixth time the Netherlands has hosted the opening of the tour, with the last Grand Start taking place in Rotterdam in 2010.
Local Kees joked he had prepared his very own bike for the contest.
"I have this special bike (zimmerframe) and I'm not going to participate in the Tour de France. But the Tour de France is an enormous spectacle in Utrecht," he told Reuters Television.
23-year-old Karein, who is looking for a job in sports, said it was a "big party" in the student town.
American tourist James Smull had travelled to Utrecht from Philadelphia to witness the great event.
"I'm American so I came here just to see the tour. I love the Netherlands' biking so the two things seemed perfect. When I found out it was going to be here, I guess two years ago, I decided I was going to come and have been planning it ever since," Smull, who hoped Spaniard Alberto Contador would win, told Reuters Television.
Contador, Britain's Chris Froome, Italian defending champion Vincenzo Nibali and Colombian Nairo Quintana are the four pre-race favourites.
Bikes are the preferred mode of transport for Utrecht's inhabitants, and the Netherlands itself boasts more bikes than residents.
24-year-old Lisa said the Dutch town, being full of cycling enthusiasts, was the perfect host to the event, although admitted she herself wouldn't be watching.
"It's very interesting, we are stuck in a really big flow of bikes here and it feels like you're in a tour. But yes, absolutely, it's amazing they're going to cycle. Honestly, I'm not going to watch it," she said.
The tournament begins on Saturday with an individual time trial, during which the riders will course through the winding streets of Utrecht at full speed for 13.7 kilometres. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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