Yes
Grands départs can be a very powerful and successful way of promoting cycling as a sport and pastime, while also providing a wonderful celebratory event that millions of people enjoy. However, it does seem to be getting a little bit out of hand.
The Tour de France grands départs in London (2007) and Yorkshire/London (2014) in recent years were absolutely amazing events that I was proud to have a small part in during my time as, first, president of British Cycling, and later as president of the UCI.
Anyone who was present will remember how brilliant they were.
I’m sure most British cycling fans, like me, would love to see the Tour back in the UK as soon as possible.
There is little doubt that these kinds of mega-events are successful in terms of raising the profile of the sport and pastime of cycling. And they are a great excuse for a party!
Grand Tours are very expensive things to organise and the companies that do so are commercial entities that need to cover their costs and make profits. The host towns, cities and regions, even national governments, pay substantial fees for these events to come to them.
The downside in environmental terms is these events require massive amounts of equipment and people to be moved substantial distances. The impacts of their carbon footprints in doing that are therefore equally substantial, particularly where large distances between each part of the race are involved.
No
When you tell people that the Tour de France begins in Italy this year, it flummoxes them. Surely, this French totem, as French as strings of onions and a Gauloise with a terrible coffee, is always in France? But no. Foreign grands départs are nothing new, happening as long ago
