In reply to Doug:
> Does anyone know how much the tour charges towns/villages either to be the start/finish or to pass through ? And how does that compare with other tours such as the TdF ?
I think it's around 100k to be a finish town and a bit less for a start, in both TdF and ToB. It's a lot more for a TdF Grand Depart.
In the UK the organisers have to find around 100k a day for the police, which I don't think they have to in Europe, but alleged fees of 1 million a day is the reason US races are moving from road to gravel.
The Welsh Government have made commitments in addition to local authorities which is a reason for the number of stages in Wales. Probably usually similar in Scotland, although they had the World Champs instead this year