Four days after Bradley Wiggins’ win in the Tour de France and one day after French president François Hollande was reported as backing an attempt by Yorkshire to host the Grand Depart of the 2016 edition, a similar bid to begin that year’s race in Scotland has been pledged support.
The Chairman of VisitScotland Mike Cantlay has said that hosting the start of the Tour would be perfectly timed, coming four years after the Games and two after other top sporting contests.
“We are currently in the midst of 'The Winning Years' and we are all looking forward to three incredible sporting events in the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and The 2014 Ryder Cup,” he stated.
“Hosting the Tour de France would be a wonderful way to continue our momentum, and it would certainly provide a fantastic opportunity to grow the visitor economy. The partners currently involved in developing a proposal are well positioned to maximise the benefits for the whole of Britain, and what better legacy from the incredible achievements of Team Sky this year than to bring the Tour back?”
Yorkshire, Barcelona, Venice and Berlin are the other rivals for the 2016 Grand Depart.
Cantlay said that the plan would involved the race starting in Edinburgh, with the city’s castle used to present the riders. He said that the cities various facilities including hotels and restaurants would provide some of the infrastructure needed for visiting fans, and that hosting the world’s top riders will follow on from the city’s previous success with the Edinburgh Festivals.
EventScotland, which is VisitScotland’s events arm, is developing the proposal with British Cycling, UK Sport and the City of Edinburgh Council.
Under the plans, the Grand Depart would take place in Edinburgh while up to three stages would be held at other locations in Britain, thus keeping the race in the country for as long as possible.
The race most recently visited Britain in 2007, starting with a prologue in London. An estimated two million spectators watched the opening stages and, according to VisitScotland, the Tour generated an estimated £88m for London and Kent, with an additional £35m in media exposure. That dwarfs the cost of hosting the race.
Meanwhile the national VisitBritain body has also backed the notion of hosting the race in the country. Its chief executive Sandie Dawe said that Wiggins’ success would help bring huge numbers of spectators and ensure major media coverage.
“When London hosted the Grand Depart in 2007 it was a huge success, and there is no doubt that the current level of British passion and excitement for the sport would make the event unmissable if it was to return,” she stated.
The Tour de France tends to start outside France every two years. This year’s edition began in Liège, while next year the event will begin in Corsica for the first time.