Tour de France 2007

Hold on to your handle bars because the world’s most famous cycle race is coming to a street near you soon!

Stage 1: Sunday 8th July - London to Canterbury

Great Britain has previously hosted stages of the Tour in 1974 and 1994 and will host the Grand Départ in 2007.

The three-day extravaganza begins with the opening ceremony in Trafalgar Square on Friday 6th July and continues with the prologue time trial around the streets of London on the Saturday. But it’s on Sunday that things get serious with almost 200 competitors hitting the streets of Kent in an all-out fight to the finish on Rheims Way in Canterbury.

Essential Maps / Times

Below you'll find links to our street-by-street descriptions, maps and schedule information:

Preceding the racers will be a 200-vehicle long travelling circus of publicity and merchandising fluff, designed to whip those lining the route into a froth of excitement in time for the all-too-short-lived blur of bicycles to follow. Further events are also planned for the finish.

The Route

The 2007 Stage One route begins in London and goes through Westminster, Greenwich, Woolwich, Erith, Dartford and Gravesend. It then goes through Medway, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tenterden, Ashford, Stone Street and into Canterbury for the finish.

Listen to our interviews with the people in charge or organising the Tour in Kent:

Organisers in Britain anticipate over 3 million people will line the streets to enjoy the first leg of the Tour de France, so if you’re not a cycling fan, then be warned! The affected roads will stay closed for several hours on 8th July. Alternative routes will be signed and Canterbury City Council will be providing detailed advice and information to people and businesses along the route.

Parking

For details of where you can park, and where you can't click on the following links [pdf files].

For a detailed route description, click the 'NEXT' link...

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