Also the Tour was supported by the then transport commissioner Sir Peter Hendy, who has now left TfL to join Network Rail.
Lots of people do not understand why Transport for London (TfL) has decided against hosting the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2017.
Clearly pulling out at the last minute has considerably angered the organisers the Amaury Sport Organisation. It does not look professional and it could damage London's reputation for hosting sporting events.
But there other factors at play.
The first is cities and towns have to pay for the privilege to host the Tour.
Yorkshire in 2014 paid £10m mainly through local councils, with central government putting in another £10m.
TfL has paid £6m to host the finish of the Tour's third stage.
The controversial point for London was this money came out of the cycling safety budget and that angered cycling campaigners.