London Rejects Tour De France Start
London has turned down the opportunity to host the start of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2017, with Germany now reportedly set to assume the hosting rights to the opening rounds of the cycling showpiece.
The English capital previously beat bids from Edinburgh, Manchester and several German regions to stage the Grand Depart but reportedly – just a day before contracts were due to be signed – Transport for London (TfL) said it was withdrawing from contention.
Leon Daniels, managing director of surface transport at TfL, told BBC Sport: “To ensure value for money we must make difficult choices. We have always said that the return of the Tour was subject to funding.”
As the organisation responsible for all transport policy in the city, TfL would have provided the funding for hosting the opening stages of the 2017 Tour.
London hosted the Grand Depart in 2007 and the finish of the 2014 Tour’s third stage.
The first two stages of last year’s Tour were held in Yorkshire, attracting an estimated four million spectators and boosting the economy by £100m, according to local organisers.
The Manche region of Normandy will host next year’s Grand Depart, when Britain’s Chris Froome will start as defending champion.
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