2013 Tour de France to start in Corsica

Criterium International 2010

Corsica will host the opening stages of the 2013 Tour de France, the race's organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) confirmed on Thursday.

The Mediterranean island will kick off the 100th edition of the Tour - the first time that Corsica has hosted the race in its history.

Corsica's involvement in the opening stages of the 2013 race came to light in December 2010 after Corsican Assembly documents were leaked to the press outlining the budget required to host the race.

Despite its omission from past editions of the Tour, it's not the first time that Corsica has hosted top-level racing. Another ASO race, the two-day Criterium International, has been held on the island for the past two years. In November 2010, ASO announced that the Criterium International would be held on Corsica until 2013.

Next year's Tour de France will start in Liege, Belgium, on Saturday June 30 with a 6.1km prologue time trial.

Related links

Corsica approves 2013 Tour de France start

Criterium International to stay in Corsica for three years

Tour de France 2012 route details

 

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.