Tour de France News for June 6, 2003 Edited by Chris Henry London wants to host 2006 Tour start The city of London has expressed interest in hosting the start of the Tour de France in 2006, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper. Mayor Ken Livingstone has contacted the organisers about the possibility, which would involve hosting the prologue, the start/finish of the first stage and the start of the second stage in Britain's capital. The last time that the Tour visited Britain was in 1994 when stages were run between Dover, Brighton and Portsmouth. The Tour caravan used the Channel Tunnel to make the trip across to Britain, taking the ferry back to France for the return trip. The Tour de France is well known for starting outside France, with Luxembourg playing host to the Grand Depart last year, and the Belgian city of Liege on the agenda for 2004. New York, Utrecht and Quebec have all expressed interest in hosting the start of the event in coming years. Tour organisers A.S.O. have not ruled out the London bid, which would likely be a great occasion for the city. A.S.O. will likely discuss the project in September this year. Bianchi refines its look Bianchi's newest champion Photo: © AFP At this week's Tour of Germany, much attention has been paid to Jan Ullrich and Team Bianchi. No doubt the former Tour winner commands attention at any race, but also because of the team's emergence from the ashes of the failed Team Coast. Besides the story behind Team Coast, the financial woes and the suspensions from competition, Bianchi presents the image of a proud sponsor with a rich heritage in the sport. For that reason, the team uniforms are destined to reflect this history, which most notably harkens back to the era of Fausto Coppi. If Bianchi's uniforms look a bit drab now, they are still to undergo some modifications before the Tour de France. Partly for business reasons, partly to redefine the classic Bianchi look. "Not all of the contracts with our sponsors have been signed, and we have to exchange all of the clothing to add the new team logos," team manager Jacques Hanegraaf explained, quoted in Thursday's l'Equipe. "There's also the jersey. It's not yet finalised; we're going to shrink the white band in the middle and also change the blue to better match Fausto Coppi's jersey." Bianchi is certainly looking for Ullrich to once again pen his name among the greats of the sport, having first stepped in to guarantee his salary at Team Coast, then assuming the responsibility of crafting a new team in the wake of Coast's implosion. (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2003)

Recently on Cyclingnews.com Mt Hood Classic Photo ©: Swift

Cyclingnews' live coverage of the 90th Tour de France is powered by