The Tour de France

More than two million people lined the streets as the Tour de France travelled out of London and across a large part of Kent en route to an exciting finish in Canterbury on 8 July 2007.

The combination of warm sunshine, world-class sport and free family entertainment made a fitting end to years of hard work by the organisations that brought the race to Kent. They included Kent County Council, the South East England Development Agency, local councils and the emergency services.

This exciting and colourful race, a French institution with a worldwide following, brought its own special brand to Kent at the climax of a three-day UK extravaganza – and the Kent crowds did the world-famous race proud.

The Tour de France is the biggest annual sporting event in the world, trailing only the World Cup and the Olympic Games in overall audience numbers – and the Tour scores by being completely free to watch.

Cheering spectators lined the streets as the 200 riders raced from London through Kent to a spectacular Stage One finish against the backdrop of Canterbury Cathedral.

Click here for a map of the complete route of Stage One of the Tour, together with the hill climbs and sprints that contributed to the day’s excitement.

See www.kent.gov.uk/tourdefrance or www.tourdefrancelondon.com for more on how this historic race captured the hearts of the people of England and Kent this July.