Tour de France 2007 coming to South Bank and Tower Bridge

The Tour will begin in The Mall on Sunday 8 July 2007. Crossing south over Westminster Bridge, the route takes in York Road, Chicheley Street, Belvedere Road, Upper Ground and Blackfriars Bridge.

After a ride through the City of London, past St Paul's Cathedral, the cyclists return to SE1 via Tower Bridge, turning east along Tooley Street and Jamaica Road heading out into Kent.

Stage 1 ends at Canterbury.

"The Tour de France will be a huge boost to cycling and I very much welcome it," says Green Party London Assembly member Darren Johnson.

"However we need to make sure that the streets of London can not only accommodate world class cyclists for an international sporting event but can also accommodate ordinary cyclists every day of the year safely and efficiently.

"While much has been achieved over the last seven years in cutting the number of people killed or injured cycling in the capital, the 340 pedal cycle casualties in 2004 shows there is much still to do. Completing the London cycle network as soon as possible must be the top priority."

Initiatives to promote leisure and commuter cycling in London are likely to be bolted on to the Tour de France, with local groups such as Southwark Cyclists at the forefront.

• Full details of the Grand Depart can be found on the Tour de France London website.