Three UK cities in running to host Tour de France 2017 Grand Départ

Looks like Manchester has withdrawn itself from the running, which is a bonus as the local authorities would have turned it in to a shattered cock and balls of an event.

I think Germany is due a crack at it but to be honest as it doesn't end up in Qatar I'm not too fussed.

Although if anywhere other than Scotland gets it we can all continue to witness GKams hissy fits for another couple of years.

Edinburgh would be an excellent event but given the amount of problems cyclists have had with the tram lines, it could be more crashtastic than yesterday's stage.

I think spending 24 hours on a ferry might be a bit too long for the mechanics, drivers, etc?

shall I moan about the complete incompetence of Brum council over this ??

It would be nice if Liverpool Council and their creative office Liverpool Vision had the er, vision. They successfully hosted the start of the TOB last year and a stage finish in 2008 but the city's cycling policy is still way behind other cities and every sport takes second place to those that kick a bladder back and forth for a living. I know they don't have the cash to attract ASO but if they asked every footballer for LFC and EFC to donate a week's wages...

Last years' TOB start was right outside the Liverpool Echo offices but the editor of Liverpool's tiny organ wasn't considering covering it as a news item until one of their snappers (who's a club rider ) encouraged him to look out of the window at the thousands of people gathered below.

Meanwhile the city waits for it's council to wake up and realise it has an easy city (250k pop. no main roads on two sides and one hill) to convert to cycling.

Mersey Travel has put in bike racks at every station yet they are still building new car parks for the quieter stations to 'generate growth'. It's the kind of contrary planning that is still far too common.

Edinburgh for me, only cos I'd love to see a stage though Northumberland and Durham. Of something that gets a TDF stage though the Lakes

Grand Depart in Manchester outside the Town Hall, fix some of my roads on the way, up into the peak district over Buxton and down to a finish in Stoke. Off to that London and then France and no Tour for Edinburgh, just to keep Gkam entertaining us grinding his teeth for another couple of years.

What happened to Newcastle's bid then? Have they lumped all their interest and funds on that new, shite cafe at the end of the new, shite, proposed 'cycling superhighway' next to the library?

Edinburgh for me with the 2nd / 3rd stage finishing in Newcastle. Quick hop on the plane to France for the riders and the cars can drive straight down to the tunnel.

Before people say it's to long a journey the cars have an 8 hour trip from one part of France to the other in this years tour.

I think it's the length that reduces it's effectiveness as a climb, although you could have the stage finish outside the Hare and Hounds in Holcombe Brook....

I think you should move house in a South Westerly direction until you find a village that begins with a vowel...

...and half the width, so maybe not such a good idea for 200 odd riders to hit at 30 mph. It's also only a 2 minute or so climb and wouldn't have the impact I assume you're expecting.

There are other much more impressive climbs in the North West.

( I know it was used in the ToB, but don't recall any fireworks...)

Logistics will be important; easy to fly riders and VIPs across to the next European stage, not so easy to transport cars, vans, coaches, without access to a ferry port within reach of mainland Europe.

Dover or Hull would seem to be obvious ports, which may well influence the route chosen.

A start in Edinburgh would need 2 or 3 stages to head south to make it work, Edinburgh to the Lakes, Lakes to Manchester, Manchester to Hull?

London gets everything, so they can just wait, Manchester gets it's fair share of cycling with British Cycling having an HQ there, it is Scotlands time, after being pipped by Yorkshire with them not having a proper plan and funding in place.....

Please send it to Manchester, plenty of hills to the north and a flat stage to the south too.

"an unnamed city in Scotland, most likely Edinburgh"

Rubbish, everyone knows it's Auchtermuchty.