A Paris 2024 Flavor to the Tour de France

(ATR) The 104th edition of the Tour de France will have a definite Paris 2024 feel to it.

From the first stage on July 1 to the 21st and final stage on July 23, an athlete and ambassador for the Paris Olympic bid will be involved in presenting the yellow jersey to the overall leader of the race.

Laura Flessel, the French Minister for Sport and Olympic fencing champion, will be in charge of the legendary jersey after the opening stage on Saturday in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Tony Estanguet, the joint chairman of the Paris 2024 bid committee and Olympic canoeing champion, will do the honors in Paris for the final stage. He will present the yellow jersey to the overall winner on the Champs-Elysées.

The Tour de France says it has other plans to feature the Paris bid along the way from Dusseldorf to the French capital.

The stage between Pau and Peyragudes on July 13 will be marked as the riders complete 2,024 kilometers in the competition. The other co-chair of the bid, Bernard Lapasset, will be a guest for that stage.

The date of the stage will be exactly two months before IOC members are scheduled to vote in Lima, Peru on whether Paris or Los Angeles will be the host city for the 2024 Games.

Later on, the decisive time trial stage in Marseilles will start and finish at the Stade Velodrome. The stadium is set to be a venue for the Olympic football tournament should Paris win the hosting rights.

Part of the route of the time trial passes the site proposed to host the sailing events.

When the Tour de France reaches its final stage and the circuit around Paris, riders will have the unique and unprecedented opportunity to cross the nave of the Grand Palais. The venue is expected to host the fencing and taekwondo events in 2024.

Written by Gerard Farek

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