Peachtree City has put together a bid package to host the start of next year’s Tour de Georgia bike race.

If the bid is approved, the city would host a number of pre-race events and an estimated 350 hotel rooms will be full for at least one night if not more, said Lauren Yawn, executive director of the Peachtree CIty Tourism Association.

The tentative date for the start of the race is April 17. Although the route will be determined by race officials, the suggested route submitted with the city’s bid would have the bikers taking Ga. Highway 54 from Peachtree City to Fayetteville, then lapping around the old courthouse square in downtown Fayetteville before heading back to Peachtree City and later Tyrone on the same route as last year.

Peachtree City would be responsible for seeking sponsorship funds to pay for the hotel rooms and meals for the racers and support staff, Yawn said. The city would also handle necessary police, public works and waste collection; it also must provide a location for tour officials such as a press office and hospitality area, Yawn said.

Yawn said Peachtree City looks at the event as a chance to partner with the county and its cities including Fayetteville, which for the past two years has hosted the start of the second stage of the bike race. Famous cyclist and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong rode through Fayette the first year, and this year’s Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis, also won this year’s Tour de Georgia.

If selected, the event would be a great way to keep the city trucking toward its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration, Yawn added.

Officials estimated that last year’s race contributed $26.2 million to the local economies of areas that hosted segments of the race, Yawn said.