2024 Tour de France to start in Italy

The Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time in 2024 and the opening three stages will be held there, race organisers said on Wednesday.

Italy gets the honour of hosting the Grand Depart 100 years after Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian to win cycling's most prestigious event.

The Tour will start on June 29, with the opening stage from Florence to Rimini on the Adriatic coast. The second stage will be from Cesenatico to Bologna and the third will start in Piacenza and end in Turin.

The final stage of the Tour, traditionally held on the Champs Elysees in Paris, will be moved to the southern city of Nice in 2024 when the French capital is hosting the Olympic Games.

The Tour is due to end on July 21, five days before the start of the Olympics.