The Grand Départ of the world’s best known cycle race, the Tour de France, took place in 2017 in the North Rhine-Westphalian capital of Düsseldorf. Over three weeks, riders will tackle 21 stages, with 53 leg-burning climbs, covering 3,540 kilometres across Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. There are 198 riders in 22 teams this year. credit: Günter Hentschel