Stars past and present in Paris for Tour de France 2019 presentation - Gallery

The route for the 2019 Tour de France was officially unveiled in Paris on Thursday and, as is customary, a number of riders were invited along to attend the big reveal. 

2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas was present and correct, as was his compatriot, Team Sky teammate, and winner of the three previous editions, Chris Froome. 30-time stage winner Mark Cavendish and 2018 King of the Mountains Julian Alaphilippe were also among the big names invited onto the stage. 

The 2019 Tour marks the 100th anniversary of the race leader's yellow jersey, and some of the legends of the race were in attendance. Chief among them was Eddy Merckx, a five-time winner whose first victory will be commemorated on its 50th anniversary with the Grand Départ in his native Brussels, Belgium.

Merckx was joined on stage by Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, the two other living riders who hold the joint record of five victories. Jacques Anquetil is the only other rider to have won the Tour de France five times.

Raymond Poulidor, the 'eternal second' who never managed to wear the yellow jersey, was also called up and joked that the four of them had won 15 Tours between them. 

After short addresses by ASO President, Jean-Etienne Amaury, and Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, the Tour's race director, Christian Prudhomme, took to the stage and unveiled the parcours for the 2019 Tour de France - the 106th edition of the race. 

Click or swipe through the gallery above for a selection of the best photos from the event. 

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