Cycling battle for tour stage

London is facing competition from five other bids to host a stage in the 2005 Tour de France.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has made a proposal for the race to visit Britain for the second time but this bid faces competition from Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland (Lugano), Holland (Utrecht) and even Quebec, a French-speaking area of Canada.

It is thought that a successful London application would see the opening Tour prologue around Westminster and finishing on The Mall, a first stage proper around London and a second stage to the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone.