Devon's bid to host start of the Tour de France
AMBITIOUS plans to cash in on a glorious year in cycling could bring the start of the Tour de France to Devon.
Business leaders are exploring how to raise the £2million said to be required to host the Grand Départ of the iconic cycle race – attracting the cream of world cycling for two to three days of competition.
The move would attempt to build on Britain's emergence as a major power in road cycling after a momentous 12 months saw Bradley Wiggins claim Olympic gold and become the first Briton to wear the coveted yellow jersey on Paris' Champs-Élysées.
Ron Keegan, vice president of Mid Devon Cycling Club – home to Tour of Britain winner and team mate of Wiggins at Sky Jonathan Tiernan-Locke – said he would "love to see" the race back.
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Plymouth-born Tiernan-Locke triumphed to become the first British rider to win the Tour of Britain in 19 years. He went on to scoop an accolade at the Herald's Sports Personality of the Year Awards last month.
Thousands of people lined the route through Okehampton, Tavistock and across Dartmoor in what was described as the most thrilling leg of the competition.
The talks come after Yorkshire successfully won the right to kick off the 2014 Tour de France last month, the first British region to stage the start since London in 2007.
Tim Jones, chairman of the heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said there had "never been a better time" to talk about a bid.
"We have proved we can do it with the Tour of Britain – which generated an estimated £700,000 for Devon and pulled crowds as large as the Tour de France," he added.
"We need to decide whether the investment required to host the premier event in world cycling would be justified and whether we could get the benefits.
The talks also come just months after The Herald reported the possibility of a Plymouth bid to host the Turner Prize in 2015 and to become City of Culture in 2017 which, if successful, could see the city hosting events like the Brit Awards and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.
Comments
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 9:07PM
“..Raglanron said- 'if you guys dig back into your history the first leg took place c.1974. The whole 'cast' came over on the Roscoff and essentially cycled up and down the Plympton by-pass in circuits'..
Yes I never saw it but followed it in the papers, basically the 1974 Plymouth stage was just a mickey-mouse publicity stunt for Roscoff ferries. And Eddy Merckx was at the height of his powers, everybody knew he'd dominate the tour and his eventual victory was a foregone conclusion which added to the lack of interest.”
by NakedWithGoat
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 7:05PM
“Perhaps Tom Daley could host the event and teach them all how to cycle?”
by NakedWithGoat
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 7:03PM
“Perhaps Tom Daley could host the event and teach them all to cycle?”
by raglanron1
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 6:59PM
“Well its not the first time Plymouth has hosted the first leg of the Tour de France, if you guys dig back into your history the first leg took place c.1974. The whole 'cast' came over on the Roscoff and essentially cycled up and down the Plympton by-pass in circuits, as it was then. it was an interesting spectacle. To improve it, I'd have a lot more information and explanation of what people were doing, (eg. the French motor-cycle outriders), really beef up the publicity; (the crowds were keen but modest in size), and maybe have a sprint style race or some added variety. I didn't think the by-pass in itself offered much challenge. But I'm getting more enthusiastic as I write, because it was a great innovation for everyone.”
by shakehead
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 5:47PM
“Le Tour 20??, Turner Prize in 2015 and to become City of Culture in 2017, all very nice but not much will be made if there is no audience, how are they proposing to ship the vast amounts of visitors in. (Maybe I answered my own question - by sea) If the transport links are allowed to degrade any more then Plymouth wont be on anyone's destination list. No airport, do they have any idea how much team managers sponsors etc etc rely on air travel when the tour is on. The owners of Le Tour will surprise me if they even consider Plymouth as a candidate. What wont surprise me if we as a city do win it is the council will try and play it off as "Won on merits - the best city won" rather than actually revealing at the time of awarding just how much they paid over the top of £2mill to win it.”
by pogle63a
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 11:24AM
“Yorkshire OK down the M1 clockwise M25, Chunnel and you are in Calais and off. Plymouth A38 - closed due to an accident - race over.”
by pogle63a
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 11:14AM
“Isn`t it called the Tour de France for a reason? That takes place in France. What are the competitors going to do cycle around the upper deck of the cross channel ferry till it reaches France?
What`s next? I know the Paris to Dakar Rally starting from Royal Parade!
Remember Raleigh Bicycles - still made, but not here in Britain says it all really
BONKERS BRITAIN.”
by MissAnthrope
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 7:18AM
“We already have more than enough druggies in Plymouth without openly encouraging more thank you very much.”