Rows upon rows of bikes are stacked together along pavements, leaving riders looking hard to find a single bike rack available outside Nørreport Station.

With bike lanes big enough to fit a car through and even footrests specially designed for riders to stop at traffic lights, Denmark could not be more accommodating for cyclists. It is the perfect role model for any Government looking to make its city bike-friendly.

As someone who unashamedly prefers to get behind a steering wheel than handle bars, I found it hard to comprehend that nine out of 10 Danes own a bike and the thought that bikes outnumber cars by more than five to one in Copenhagen seemed crazy.

But after four days in Denmark, spending time in the picturesque town of Kolding before heading over the Great Belt Bridge to Copenhagen, I can see that those statistics stack up.

The Nordic nation’s love for cycling is so infectious that it is no surprise that Tour de France organisers were easily won over by Copenhagen’s bid to host the Grand Départ.

A "nirvana of cycling" was how Tour de France general director Christian Prudhomme described Denmark when addressing the press in front of a replica Eiffel Tower at Tivoli Gardens on Monday (June 27) and it is hard to argue against those words.

Denmark will be the 10th host of the Grand Départ outside of France, following in the footsteps - or should I say tyre marks - of countries, including Belgium, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

It is the northernmost start to the cycling spectacle with more than 1,000 kilometres separating Copenhagen from Paris, but Prudhomme said Denmark’s cycling passion alone was enough to bring the race here.

"Why are we here?" said Prudhomme.

"There are several reasons.

"Firstly, it is your cycling culture. I was really impressed in 2011 when I came here for the first time for the Road World Championships as there were so many people on their bikes. As a Frenchman it was so amazing to see.

"With three different Lord Mayors and two Prime Ministers, Denmark and Copenhagen always wanted their bid to become reality and it has.

"I remember saying to the press 'Denmark is very far away from France'. It is true, but it is a kind of nirvana of cycling.

"You are all on your bikes. You are an example."

After securing the hosting rights in 2019, Denmark was set to stage the Grand Départ in 2020 only for the COVID-19 pandemic to cause it to be pushed back by two years.

But it is set to be worth the wait as the country dresses up for an event it was born to stage.

Maps of the routes appear on signage boards around the city and a huge poster of the iconic yellow jersey is plastered on a building in Kongens Nytorv in the heart of Copenhagen’s old town before the opening stage on Friday (July 1).

Cities including Roskilde, Nyborg, Vejle and Sønderborg and many others along the route are expected to show their support, with hundreds of thousands of spectators poised to cheer on the riders.

The excitement feels palpable at times, but speaking to some cyclists next to Nørreport Station today, there are those that are unsure whether holding such an expensive sporting event is worth it.

Camilla Jorgensen, a nurse at the Rigshospitalet - the largest hospital in Denmark - said she and her colleagues were "a little bit sceptical" over the staging of the Tour de France.

"We used a lot of money for this and I don’t think we will get enough back from the Tour de France," she said. "They will be cycling around the hospital so it will be difficult for our patients to come."

Carsten, another keen cyclist who is a therapist from Copenhagen, said: "I am not very positive about it.

"I live and work here in the city and it’s a lot of inconvenience to me and my daily life.

"I think it’s a lot of money on sport which is okay but why do they have to do it in the centre of Copenhagen? It's not a big country but there is a lot of space around it where you could do lovely cycling."

According to the Tour de France Grand Départ Copenhagen 2022, the budget for 2020 was set at DKK88 million (£10.2 million/$12.4 million/€11.8 million) before increasing to DKK93.7 million (£10.9 million/$13.2 million/€12.6 million) two years later.

But Thomas Nygaard Hamann, chief executive of Copenhagen-based company a:gain, said he could see the benefits of hosting the first three stages of the Tour de France.

"It's a little bit strange as we are quite far from France but once it has been organised it is going to be a people's party in Copenhagen," he said.

"Everyone is talking about it and are super excited.

"Obviously there is a huge cost involved on bringing it here, but I think everyone recognises that this is also great marketing for Copenhagen."

Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Sophie Hæstorp Andersen said it was difficult to quantify at this stage the economic benefits, insisting there would be a "big evaluation" afterwards, but she was confident the Tour de France would be well received.

"Sometimes these things are very difficult to put in money alone, but I think if we have a big yellow party it is worth it," said Andersen after the opening of the fan park in Kongens Nytorv.

Andersen also wants to "inspire the rest of the world" to cycle and what she calls "Copenhagen-ise".

Stephen Burns, a copy writer from Atlanta in the United States has been in the Danish capital for one year and has already caught the biking bug.

"I was inspired by the accessibility here," he said.

"There are bike paths for everyone. It’s very car-heavy community in Atlanta and I lived in Los Angeles as well which is pretty much all cars.

"Here is bike-centric and cycling is really the best way to see the city and be a part of the city."

With a few more days left of soaking up the cycling culture of Denmark, there is a chance I might be fully "Copenhagen-ised" by the time I return and be ready to get on my bike again.