London mayor promises Tour to remember
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone vowed the city will give the 2007 Tour de France its greatest ever send-off as the full route of the race was unveiled in Paris.
An estimated two million spectators will descend on London and Kent between July 6 and 8 next year for the first three stages of the iconic Tour.
It is being billed as the biggest sporting event to hit London before the 2012 Olympics and is expected to inject £115m (€171.3m) into the tourism industy.
Livingstone, in Paris for the ceremonial announcement, said: “I am proud that London will play a part in the long history of the Tour de France and the London Grand Depart underlines the capital’s status as a venue for world sporting events ahead of the Olympics in 2012.
“The Tour de France is so much more than just a cycle race, creating a carnival atmosphere wherever it visits.
“We want 2007 to be the greatest Grand Depart the Tour has ever seen, giving the riders a fantastic send-off as they start a gruelling three weeks racing.
“The Tour will be great for London, showcasing the UK capital to the world, bringing huge amounts of visitors to London and encouraging more Londoners to take to two wheels.”
London will host the opening ceremony before the racing starts with the prologue on July 7, a five-mile lap of London starting at Whitehall and taking in some of London’s most famous landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park before finishing on the Mall.
Stage one of the race starts the following day with the route taking riders through central London and out into Kent with the finish in the shadows of Canterbury Cathedral.
The Tour has visisted England twice before, most recently in 1994, but has never included London.
Bradley Wiggins, Great Britain’s triple Olympic medallist, is a time-trial specialist and will target victory in the prologue on home soil.
“I am delighted the Tour de France is coming to the city I grew up in and where I used to cycle around as a boy,” he said.
“I was inspired to take up cycling by the Tour’s last visit to the UK in 1994 and I am sure next year’s race will inspire many more people to take to two wheels.
“I rode the Tour for the first time last year and it was a tough three weeks, but I can’t wait to ride the prologue in the city where I grew up.”
The riders will cover a total of 3,547 kilometres in 20 stages through to the finish on the Champs Elyseés on July 29.
