Scotland in frame to host Tour de France

THE Tour de France could be coming to Scotland, The Scotsman can reveal. It has been confirmed that an initial meeting has been held with the organisers to discuss the possibility of the country hosting the 'Grand Départ' of the world's biggest cycle race, possibly as early as 2011.

That could mean the first two days of the race would be on Scottish soil, with a short 'prologue' time trial followed by a first road race stage of around 100 miles.

"We've had early conversations about the possibility of hosting the Grand Dpart in Scotland," said Leon Thompson of EventScotland, the national events agency that has initiated discussions with the Tour's Paris-based organising company, ASO.

Thompson confirmed the idea was inspired by this year's visit of the Tour to London and the south-east of England. "We looked at the success of London and all the economic data from that," said Thompson.

According to independent research published last month, the two days in England attracted three-million spectators and generated 120m, against a cost of 7m. "It's an iconic world-class event, and the kind of event that would sit very well within our portfolio of major events," said Thompson.

"We haven't discussed possible years yet, or where it might happen. But all conversations are at a very early stage and we're really just looking at what the possibilities might be. It's not something we were seeking to publicise."

The approach from Scotland was revealed by the Tour director, Christian Prudhomme, in announcing Monaco would host the 2009 start through an open letter on the Tour website.