2017 Vuelta to start in French city of Nimes

BILBAO, Spain: The southern French city of Nimes will host the start of the 2017 Vuelta a Espana, organisers confirmed on Friday.

Race director Javier Guillen told a press conference ahead of the 13th stage of this year’s event here that the idea came to him when he attended a bullfight in the southern French city in 2012.

“I liked this city and I made contact with city officials in Nimes, with whom there was an instant rapport because they love Spanish culture. We’ve been working on this project for several years now,” said Guillen, who was accompanied by Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.

The 72nd edition of the Vuelta will get underway on August 19, 2017, and will have at least two stages on French soil.

It will be just the third time that the race has started outside of Spain — it started in the Portuguese capital Lisbon in 1997 and from Assen in the Netherlands in 2009.