Tour de France coming to town

3:07pm Wednesday 1st November 2006

LONDON and Kent are set to receive a £115m tourism boost when the Tour de France starts in the UK for the first time next year.

An estimated two million visitors are expected to visit London and Kent during the three days the tour will spend in the UK.

The Tour de France's opening ceremony will be held in Trafalgar Square on July 6 next year.

A five-mile individual race around the streets of central London - the prologue - will be held the following day.

Stage One of the race will start in central London on July 8.

The route will take in some of the capital's most historic and contemporary sites including Big Ben, the London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral and the Gherkin.

It will then travel through Deptford and Greenwich before travelling into Kent.

It will pass through Erith, Dartford, Gravesend, Medway, Tunbridge Wells and Ashford before the stage finish in the shadow of Canterbury Cathedral.

More details of the route will be announced in January or February.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "I am proud London will play a part in the long history of the Tour de France.

"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 of racing."

Around 200 of the world's best cyclists will battle for the race's coveted yellow jersey.

They will ride 3,500km before reaching the finish in Paris.

Every year between 12 and 15 million spectators watch the race from the roadside.

This makes it the largest annual sporting event in the world.

For more information about the Tour de France, and a full route map, visit the website tourdefrancelondon.com