The first stage of the 94th Tour de France gets underway with a 203km ride from London to Canterbury in Kent
The riders stroll through the London streets towards Tower Bridge, where the pre-race starts
Stage one actually begins at Greenwich - the pre-race is another chance to show off London's famous landmarks
Fabian Cancellara, wearing the yellow jersey having won Saturday's prologue, waits at Tower Bridge for the start
British guards play The Marseillaise followed by the British anthem before the procession to Greenwich begins
The riders set off from Tower Bridge - an awesome sight on a beautiful morning in the English capital
Interest in the race is huge and thousands of people line the streets to catch a glimpse of the action
After the stage begins at Greenwich, Britain's David Millar leads a breakaway group of five riders
Hopes are high for Mark Cavendish - but bike problems destroy the Briton's chances
The riders gradually make their way out of the city and into the greener surroundings of Kent
The locals turn out in force to cheer the riders on as the race passes through the picturesque village of Goudhurst in Kent
Others decide to lend their support while soaking up the hot sunshine in the countryside
Millar is desperate to win on British soil but begins to flounder with 50km to go and is overtaken
Australian Robbie McEwen comes from nowhere to win a thrilling sprint to the finish in Canterbury
The win is a sweet moment for McEwen, who now has 12 Tour stage victories to his name
McEwen, who looked out of contention just 5km from the end, gets his first green jersey of 2007
But Cancellara's triumph in London the previous day means he keeps the overall leader's yellow jersey
Millar is rewarded for his aggressive cycling with the polka dot jersey given to the King of Mountains leader
|
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~27~RS~){kind=small}
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~27~RS~)
E-mail this to a friend
