Hosts Bilbao ready as 'Tour de France' 100-day countdown starts
The 21-stage cycling race frequently embarks outside France. It started in nearby San Sebastian in 1992. This year's race gets underway with three days of racing in the green hills and seaside towns of one of cycling's heartlands. "Cycling is in our DNA," said Juan Mari Aburto, Mayor of Bilbao in the autonomous Basque region of Spain. Aburto said the Basque Country was ready to "show the world that we can host an event of this magnitude." He said the Tour would put Bilbao in the global spotlight. Читать дальше...