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PROLOGUE: PARIS -- PARIS

Published: Jul. 5, 2003

Only 6.5km long, the course for this time trial through the heart of Paris is in the shape of a squashed question mark. It starts at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, crosses the Seine River to make a short climb around the Chaillot Palace and then drops back to the river at the Place de l’Alma, just across the street from the Crazy Horse nightclub. The course then parallels the river to the Place de la Concorde, crosses the bridge and heads back on the Left Bank before heading south to the finish on the Avenue de la Motte- Picquet — across the Champ de Mars Park from the Eiffel Tower.

7/5/2003 Start Time: 3:50:00 pm
7/5/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 7:15:00 pm

HISTORY
This is the first time the Tour has started in the French capital since the 50th edition in 1963, and the first time a prologue has been staged here. The only similar stage was in 1976, on the final day prior to the traditional circuit race around the Champs-Élysées. That 6km time trial was won by the Belgian Freddy Maertens, who beat runner-up Joop Zoetemelk by 11 seconds.