Düsseldorf Says Nein to Hosting 2010 Tour Start

After numerous doping scandals surrounding the Tour de France in
recent years, the German city of Düsseldorf has withdrawn its bid to
host the start of the 2010 race, it was announced Thursday.

Düsseldorf mayor Dirk Elbers formally withdrew the city’s candidacy
after a meeting in the west German city on Wednesday night, saying it
would have cost 6 million euros (8.5 million US dollars) to host the
start.

"We had promised ourselves a raised positive profile all over the
world through the Tour's coverage, but that is not assured now," Elbers
told German sports agency SID.

Whether the 2010 Tour is screened here also remains to be seen. ARD
stopped broadcasting last year's Tour at mid-race after German rider
Patrick Sinkewitz failed a drugs test. ARD has yet to decide whether to
screen the 2009 race.

Düsseldorf would have been only the fourth German city to host the
start of the Tour in the event's 105-year history. The others were
Cologne (1965), Frankfurt (1980) and Berlin (1987).