Tour de France 2007:
For the first time in its 100 year history, the Tour de France will be starting in London. The Grand Départ - Stage One of the race - will be around central London and Kent, to the south of London. Over 1 million visitors are expected to come to London to enjoy this event.
Around 200 of the world’s best cyclists will battle it out for the legendary yellow jersey on the streets of London. They will then go on to cover around 3,500 kilometers over the Tour de France course during the next three weeks.
Dates:
6-8 July 2007
Friday 6 July 2007 - Opening Ceremony:
The opening ceremony will be a free public celebration of the Tour de France's arrival in London in Trafalgar Square.
Saturday 7 July 2007 - Prologue:
The Prologue is a 5 mile (8 kilometer) route around some of London's most famous landmarks.
- Start: Trafalgar Square
- Whitehall
- Houses of Parliament
- Buckingham Palace
- through Hyde Park and round the Serpentine Lake
- back to Buckingham Palace
- finishing on The Mall (the road between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace)
Sunday 8 July - Stage One:
Stage One of the Tour de France is from central London to Canterbury in Kent.
- Start: The Mall (the road between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace)
- along the Embankment next to the River Thames
- past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
- across Westminster Bridge and past the London Eye
- over Blackfriars Bridge and past St. Paul's Cathedral
- through the City of London
- across Tower Bridge close to City Hall.
- The race will then travel through south London (Bermondsey, Deptford, and Greenwich) before travelling into Kent. The route winds through the beautiful Kent countryside before the stage finish in Canterbury.
Sunday 8 July - Hyde Park Cycling Festival:
11am - 5.30pm
A free event with cycling activities on a 3.5km section of the Tour de France Prologue course within Hyde Park. The program includes over 300 elite, international athletes competing in a wide variety of races, from the London Youth Games finalists, to national level youth and women races, showcasing the best British talent.
