As I already announced in my article on 19 June 2007, the Tour de France 2009 will start in Monaco ...

On the website www.letour.fr the organisor of the Tour de France (A.S.O.) has officially announced on 22 November 2007 that the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2009 will take place in Monaco!

In the press release in which this was announced we read:

After the phenomenal success of the start of the Tour from London in 2007 and before the immense celebration promised in Brittany in 2008, the organisers of the Tour de France confirm that Monaco will host the Start of the 2009 Tour de France.

In the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II an official presentation will take place at 2.00 pm on Friday the 14th of December at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
On this occasion, His Excellency the Senior Minister, Jean-Paul Proust, Patrice Clerc, Chairman of Amaury Sport Organisation and Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France, will reveal all details concerning this Start in Monaco.
The presentation will be followed by a press conference.

Accreditation requests must be sent before the 10th of December to:
For Monaco : François Chantrait, fchantrait@gouv.mc – tel.+377.98.98.22.22
For A.S.O. : Matthieu Desplats, mdesplats@aso.fr – tel.+33.1.41.33.15.30

After the start from Brittany in 2008, this will thus be a start under the shining sun from the city state surrounded by French territory (close to Nice). For the French radio station RMC this means a start from the country where they're officially based ...

According to rumours the first stage would be a time trial with a length of about 15 kilometers which will partly follow the track of the Grand Prix Formula 1.

© Coat of arms of Monaco: www.vector-images.com.
photo Salvatore88 sur Flickr

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