Fourteen years ago, 'the world's biggest annual sporting event' weaved its way through Kent as the Tour de France arrived in the county.

Bringing with it a £40 million boost to the local economy, 189 riders set off from London and headed south towards the finishing line in Canterbury.

The first stage of the 2007 race was held on Sunday, July 8, in what was a momentous day for sport, with the Wimbledon final and British Grand Prix also taking place.

Despite not presenting the physical challenges of the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees, the Kent route threw up a dramatic spectacle with a number of upsets, crashes and an inspired comeback.

Race director Christian Prudhomme hailed the day as one of the most-watched stages in the tour’s 104-year history.

Billed as a dress rehearsal for the UK before the 2012 Olympics, the race through Kent drew in crowds of two million people as Aussie rider Robbie McEwen clinched a dramatic victory on the finishing straight along Rheims Way.

Coming into Kent via Dartford, the 126-mile route took in Greenhithe, Swanscombe and Gravesend before heading on to Medway.

After going beneath the river through the Medway Tunnel, the peloton headed through Chatham and on towards the fast descent of Blue Bell Hill and into Maidstone.

After passing the county town, Wateringbury and Hadlow on the A26 followed as the stage went west to Tonbridge, Southborough and Tunbridge Wells.

Then twisting east, riders climbed through Goudhurst and on towards Sissinghurst and Cranbrook, Benenden and Tenterden.

The A28 followed as the group sped past High Halden and Bethersden and into Ashford.

Going round part of the ring-road, the peloton made its way out of the town past Ashford Designer Outlet and on towards Kingsnorth, before heading back onto rural roads and on to Sellindge.

The most gruelling climb came at Farthing Common when the riders hit Stone Street and began the long drag to Canterbury.

Arriving into the city via Nackington Road, they turned left at the cricket ground and towards the ring-road, finishing on Rheims Way.

Brit hopeful Mark Cavendish - now an illustrious stage winner and considered one of the best sprinters of all time - crashed into a reckless spectator on Stone Street.

A furious Cavendish, then 22, needed to change bikes and was left stranded when his teammates failed to help him rejoin the leading pack.

His chase was further hindered when a race official warned him against riding in the slipstream of his team car and he rode the last few miles to Canterbury in tears.

He said: "All through the stage the spectators had been great. There had been only a few dangerous moments and this was one of them.

"There was a guy standing a little way out beyond the others in the road. I hit him and the next thing I knew I was on the floor."

Cavendish eventually finished third from last on the stage, almost three minutes behind McEwen.

Future winners of the Tour, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas, were also in the field.

Wiggins, then riding for French team Cofidis, said in 2006 that he would definitely test out the Kent route prior to the 2007 summer stage.

Fellow Brit rider David Millar mopped up the first time bonus in Gillingham, and he also grabbed the second mini sprint victory in Wateringbury.

The first King of the Mountains climb came at Quarry Hill, Tonbridge, and the second climb was in Goudhurst.

Aleksandr Kuschynski won the third intermediate sprint in Tenterden, just before a three-rider crash in Bethersden.

Stage victor McEwen even had a heavy fall when he flipped over the handlebars before the final climb at Farthing Common - about 12 miles before the finish.

"The fall was on a small road," he said.

"The first thing I thought was that I’d broken my wrist, because I couldn’t move. It was very sore.

"I thought that’s that. Even my Tour could have been over."

But with the help of teammates, the then 35-year-old recovered and got back into the peloton.

Despite the initial recovery, McEwen still had about 100 riders ahead of him with just three miles to go, yet he weaved his way into a solid position and begun focusing on victory.

"The last kilometres, with the roundabouts and the corners, I tried to be economical and conserve my energy," he said.

"I knew the sprint was difficult and uphill. You could only see the finish with about 160 metres to go.

"I saw the board of 200 metres, and that’s when I started to move.

"It’s about getting to the front at the finish line. When I came to the last few kilometres, I didn’t feel anything. I was just so focused on what I had to do.

"In the sprint itself nothing was hurting except my muscles. All in all, it was a fantastic day."

High Halden, near Ashford, was chosen as the county's French hospitality village - with the local green playing host to more than 300 guests watching a big screen.

Hosting the climax to the stage was a major coup for Canterbury, and the city rose to the challenge.

The city council organised a two-week programme of events under the banner Tour de Fun, and an estimated £17 million was injected into the local economy as a result of the summer spectacle.

Following the immense success of 2007, there was hope of bringing the Tour back to the county in subsequent years, however, this has yet to come to fruition.

Amanda Lumley, Kent’s Tour de France project manager, said: "The French were blown away by our organisation of the event and there’s every possibility of us doing it again.

"We have the template and we would be very supportive of making another bid. We learned some big lessons.

"Canterbury did exceptionally well. Their operation could not be faulted.

“They worked very hard to make the event such a success."

The 2007 Tour, which involved a number of doping controversies, was won by Spanish rider Alberto Contador.

The tour had previously made its way through in 1994.

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