Tour de France stage 1. Copenhagen - Copenhagen

Stage 1 takes place in Copenhagen, the world's best cycling city. The Tour de France now starts further north than it ever has before. So with the large number of Danes who every year brave the distance to follow the race from the sidelines in France, it’s easy to imagine the red-and-white folk festival when the cycling race in 2022 zooms through the Tour-loving Danes' own capital.
Along the way, the riders will pass iconic landmarks such as The Little Mermaid and Amalienborg Palace Square, which cycling fans will remember from the World Championships in 2011. In addition, the riders will cross the world's busiest cycling stretch, Dronning Louises Bro, which is crossed by approximately 40,000 cyclists every day.
The time trial in Copenhagen will be breathtaking action. The stage is short and fast. 13km through wide streets in Copenhagen with only a few sharp turns.
The world's largest cycling race starts in the world's best cycling city. The people of Copenhagen love cycling, and the Danes love the Tour de France. It will be a warm popular welcome on a route filled with landmarks that in their own way celebrate Danish everyday cycling, architecture, history, and culture.
Alex Pedersen, spokesperson for Grand Départ Copenhagen Denmark
This means high speed and minimal time differences. A couple of good turns can determine whether one is close to the yellow jersey or far from the podium. Suddenly, there are many riders in the field who see a unique opportunity to start in yellow. Riders who otherwise have to look far after the favorites when the gradients in the Alps and Pyrenees rise.
It also means that the time trial specialists and the favorites for the overall classification cannot be certain of beating the outsiders who may line up among sprinters and strong riders – rider types who can produce watts with even the best if they hit the day.
One does not win the Tour de France on the first stage, but already from the first day some will have lost time and confidence to the biggest competitors in the overall classification.