BIENVENUE AU JARDIN......

Tomorrow the Tour de France will make its way through the county of Kent, marking the first stage of the 2007 Tour by travelling from London to Canterbury on what can only be described as a circuitous route. Part of the route passes very close to where I live, so I`m expecting some restrictions on the local roads, some of which will be closed to all traffic except those connected with and taking part in Le Tour.

This is quite a big deal for us here in the Garden of England (Le Jardin d`Angleterre) and it seems most people are enthused by the prospect of standing at the roadside for hours on end in order to catch a fleeting glance of the competitors as they `speed` by (a word I use advisedly.)

It seems that 150 miles of Kent roads will be closed for much of the day, the Police and other services will be severely stretched and all in all a deal of inconvenience, not to say expense for the local taxpayers, is pretty certain.

For all that, however, the event will - we are told - bring huge benefits to the county in terms of exposure, tourism potential and expenditure by visitors staying to witness the race; Kent County Council have estimated the total financial benefit to be in the region of £37million....which I find hard to believe, but there is no doubt that benefits will accrue as well as the opportunity for local people to be involved in the biggest single sporting event in the world. So you won`t hear me complain. Well, not much anyway. Maybe just a bit. We`ll see what the morning brings.

So, welcome to Kent to the competitors, their support , the spectators from far and wide, the press, television and everyone else who comes to visit our lovely county and all it has to offer. Normally it looks like this:-

(click to enlarge)

Part of the route will be through the town of Tonbridge, which reminds me of the cycling tale that has become legend, for it seems that during the mid-1950s when the Tour of Britain cycle race came through the town, the leading rider, one Bernard Pusey, was stopped in the High Street and accused of exceeding the speed limit.

I imagine that cycle racing and indeed the town of Tonbridge have come a long way since those days.....and I`m quite certain that the Tonbridge Constabulary will be understanding of any such transgressions tomorrow. Won`t they? Sacre bleu!!