London and Manchester are among three British who have bid to stage the 2017 Tour de France Grand Depart.
An unnamed city in Scotland has also put in a bid for the Grand
Depart which will take place in Utrecht, Netherlands this year and
Mont-Saint-Michel on the north coast of France in 2016
Amaury Sport Organisation, the Tour’s owners,
are known to be big fans of the UK, which has emerged as one of
cycling’s most lucrative markets.
As
many as five million people turned out to watch the first three stages
of last year’s race following the grand départ in Leeds.
Prudhomme later described the three days as the “grandest of grand départs”, hailing it as the best in the Tour’s history.
In the wake of that success, the ASO signed a deal to co-promote the
Tour de Yorkshire, a three-day stage race which made its debut in May,
again attracting huge crowds. Prudhomme said the ASO was now considering
a third British grand départ since 2007 when London last hosted it. “We
have received bids from Scotland, London and Manchester,” he said.
Edinburgh lost out to Leeds last year.
Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish
[Etixx-Quick-Step] said his goal for this year’s race was not to equal
or break Bernard Hinault’s mark of 28 stage wins, so much as simply to
return to winning ways himself.
Cavendish crashed out of last
year’s Tour on the first stage into Harrogate and then had to watch as
Marcel Kittel, his heir apparent, won four times.
But the tables
have been turned this year. Cavendish arrives in excellent shape while
Kittel was not selected by Giant-Alpecin following an injury-ravaged
build-up.
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