Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
Tour De France spending first three days in Italy next year

Finishing with a Monaco-Nice time trial, due to Paris hosting the Olympics.
The first half of the fourth day is in Italy too.

I've no idea why the biggest cycling race in the world, the Tour de France (which means the circuit of France), starts and then spends three and a half days in Italy. Personally, I think it makes it a laughing stock; La Vuelta rarely leaves Spain.

For what it's worth the 1998 Tour de France started in Dublin, although as the worthy winner was riding a Bianchi Graham will no doubt tell us what a magnificent race it was (and on this occasion he'd be right)