As in previous years, the dominant feature of the race will be its "open" character, underlining the European Community's determination to be a Community with no frontiers, open to the world
. Competing for the leading rider's blue jersey with gold stars, on the men's side there will not j
ust be professional cycling groups and national teams from the Community (Belgium, Portugal, the FRG, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France) but also teams from Eastern Europe (the German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia), the Soviet U
...[+++]nion and the United States.
Der Wettbewerb der Herren um das blaue Sternentrikot steht wie in den Vorjahren sowohl Profi-Teams und Mannschaften aus den Mitgliedslaendern Belgien, Portugal, BRD, Irland, Luxemburg, Niederlande und Frankreich als auch Teams aus Osteuropa (DDR, CSSR, Sowjetunion) und den USA offen.