Vuelta start in Assen
A Dutch politician from the region (Drenthe) the vuelta started this year was a big fan of cycling. He had good contacts in Spain. It is ment as a promotion for the region. The choice for the Vuelta was simple. The TdF was probably too expensive and is already in the Netherlands (Rotterdam) next year. The Giro start was already organised by Groningen (just 25 km to the north of Assen) in 2002.