The announcement that the Tour de France will start in Düsseldorf in 2017 has created great excitement on the German cycling scene -especially for Ruben Zepuntke. The 22-year-old grew up in Düsseldorf and is already dreaming about the event 18 months before the start of the Tour de France. Of course Zepuntke hopes that he will present at the biggest cycling race in the world.

"It was very emotional for me when I heard about the Tour start in Düsseldorf. I cannot imagine anything bigger. It would be absolutely crazy to roll down the start ramp at the Grand Départ,” he told radsport-news.com.

Zepuntke knew more than most about the negotiations as his mother is mayor in Dusseldorf. "She is responsible for social issues and so has nothing concrete to do with the Tour. But her office is also at the town hall so she knows a lot," he explained.

Whether his dream will come true is impossible to say now as Zepuntke who is more of a classics specialist, is only in his second year as a pro and has not done a grand tour yet. Furthermore, his contract with Cannondale will expire at the end of 2016. And Zepuntke can only keep his dream alive if he stays at the American team or joins another WorldTour team or a team that will receive a wildcard.

Therefore Zepuntke refuses to think about next season. "I keep it in my mind that I am in a contract year. So 2016 is much more important than 2017 for me," he said." I even think that 2016 will be the year that decides whether I will be at the Tour in 2017 or not,” added Zepunkte who is currently in Girona to prepare for his start of the season at the Tour Down Under. "I hope to be able to already score important points there,” he said.