The 2019 Tour de France had a great start on a very sunny Saturday in Brussels, Belgium. The Grand Départ in Brussels has been themed around the 50th anniversary of Eddy Merckx's first of five Tour victories in 1969. The words 'ARE YOU R'EDDY?' were chalked everywhere on the Brussels streets.
Organisers warned that traffic would be severe around Brussels during the four days that spanned the Grand Départ event, but that didn't keep the fans from showing up. Half a million people were said to have attended the start of La Grande Boucle on Saturday.
On Thursday, there was the team presentation at a packed Grand Place – the historic central square of Brussels, with its magnificent city hall. Eddy Merckx was celebrated on the podium there, with cycling fans cheering "Eddy, Eddy, Eddy". Organisers claimed that 75,000 people were present somewhere along the presentation route.
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Belgian start and reigning Olympic road race champion Greg Van Avermaet, in particular, enjoyed his ride through Brussels.
"I'm really happy to be here for the Grand Départ. I don't need extra motivation. There are a lot of family and friends here, and it's great to be able to ride through Brussels without traffic," Van Avermaet said, jokingly referring to the typical Brussels traffic problems.
The day before the actual Grand Départ, Merckx, his wife Claudine, their family, Merckx's former teammates and Tour organiser Christian Prudhomme were all received by King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde at their castle in Laeken, in the north of Brussels.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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