British stages of 2007 Tour unveiled

The 2007 Tour de France will start in London's Whitehall on 7 July, the event's organisers have announced.

The capital will host the 8km prologue, the route of which will pass the Houses of Parliament and go through Hyde Park before finishing on The Mall.

London will also host the start of the first full stage – a 200km route which ends in Canterbury in Kent.

It is the first time since 1994 that Le Tour has returned to British shores – when the race was held along the south coast – but it has never visited London before.

London mayor Ken Livingstone said that the start of the race on 7 July would have a symbolic significance, paying tribute to the victims of the 7 July 2005 bombings. "Having the Grand Depart on the seventh of July will broadcast to the world that terrorism does not shake our city," he said.

The event could have substantial benefits for London's tourism industry – it is expected to generate as much as £70m in revenue.