A history of foreign starts at the Tour de France

London UNITED KINGDOM Germanys Linus Gerdemann TMobileGer front rides pas Big Ben Tower during the first stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between London and Canterbury 08 July 2007 AFP PHOTO FRANCK FIFE Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFEAFP via Getty Images
(Image credit: FRANCK FIFEAFP via Getty Images)

Friday's Tour de France Grand Départ in the Danish capital of Copenhagen will mark the 24th time the race has kicked off with a start outside of its home country, a tradition dating back all the way to 1954.

The 2022 Tour start will be the most far-flung yet, even if it doesn't quite match up to the Giro d'Italia's starts in Greece and Israel over the years. It's the first time the race – or any Grand Tour – has started in Denmark.

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YearLocation
1954Amsterdam, Netherlands
1958Brussels, Belgium
1965Cologne, West Germany
1973Scheveningen, Netherlands
1975Charleroi, Belgium
1978Leiden, Netherlands
1980Frankfurt, West Germany
1982Basel, Switzerland
1987West Berlin, West Germany
1989Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
1992San Sebastián, Spain
1996's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
1998Dublin, Ireland
2002Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
2004Liège, Belgium
2007London, United Kingdom
2009Monaco, Monaco
2010Rotterdam, Netherlands
2012Liège, Belgium
2014Leeds, United Kingdom
2015Utrecht, Netherlands
2017Düsseldorf, Germany
2019Brussels, Belgium
2022Copenhagen, Denmark
2023Bilbao, Spain
Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.