Grand depart

The first three days of this year's Tour de France were spent in London and Kent for what is known as the Grand Depart.

The Grand Depart consisted of three events and reached a climax with stage one of the race heading out from London to Kent, to the finish in Canterbury on Sunday 8 July.

On Friday 6 July, the start of the Tour was marked with an opening ceremony in London's Trafalgar Square when the teams and their riders were presented to the crowds.

The Tour opened on Saturday 7 July with a time trial to decide which cyclist would wear the famous yellow jersey on the first day of racing, which began on Sunday 8 July. Fabian Cancellara held onto the overall leader's yellow jersey this year following his prologue win.