The Village of the 13th stage was the setting for the official announcement that the 72nd edition of the Vuelta will start in Nimes the following 19th of August and end in Madrid on the 10th of September. Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, as well as an ample delegation of the city of Nimes, were in attendance.
“For us it is a privilege, a source of great pride and further proof that the Vuelta is able to cross borders”, said Javier Guillén. The director of the Vuelta attended a bull fight featuring José Tomás during a private trip and ended up falling in love with a city that he, himself, describes as “extraordinary, with many aesthetic resources, tradition, heritage and a public that loves cycling, Spain and all things Spanish”, he added.
Julien Plantier pointed out that the Nimes authorities will do all they can to ensure that the event is “a success, in every aspect: sports, tourism and economically” and that the route that is being established is “simply spectacular”.
The first stage of the 2017 Vuelta will be a team time trial that will take place entirely within Nimes, highlighting the modern and traditional aspects of the city. “The Roman Amphitheatre – a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is the great icon that we would like to showcase”, explained Guillén. They also revealed that at least one more stage would take place on French soil. The rest is a surprise.
