NO..I’d a very casual fan..I didn’t even realize it, until you pointed it out...(g) Maybe the French were expecting more “car burnings” so they needed an alternative vbenue?
The TDF owners (ASO) choose a different city each year. One year, it was Dublin. Last year, it was Strasbourg. In the 100th anniversary of the Tour, the race also actually started in Paris (and ended, because it always does).
There are rumors that the future Grand Departs will be places like Monte Carlo in Monaco and Amsterdam in Holland.