UKC

News just in! Yorkshire's bid to host the start of the 2014 Tour was successful. Does this mean all the potholed roads will be resurfaced?

In reply to Tall Clare:

Only those on the route

ALC

In reply to a lakeland climber:

It's a start!

In reply to Tall Clare:

A good stepping stone for the Tour, maybe if they work really hard we will let them hold part of it in Lancashire sometime soon

More seriously, great news and I believe it is going to pass within a short (15-20 mile) cycle of me.

In reply to Tall Clare:

The Grand Depart is Leeds with a stage in Londres too - whoop whoop.

In reply to Tall Clare:

>"Yorkshire's bid to host the start of the 2014 Tour was successful."

Good news for Bradley Wiggins. He be able to cycle over the day before with his good wheels strapped to his handle bars. Where about in Leeds is the Youth Hostel? Is it near the start?

In reply to Tall Clare:
woo hoo !!

Hopefully a stage finish in Sheffield

I think they'll fill in the potholes but they should leave the speed bumps - that would make the flat stages more interesting !

In reply to Tall Clare:

Brilliant news - that's ace.

Wonder if the route will come past our respective front doors?

In reply to John Rushby:

I doubt they'll get the whole shebang up the lane past my house - some moron in a spangly new 4x4 will no doubt want to come the other way and will refuse to pull over...

I'm going to start a campaign for it to go through Silsden though.

In reply to Tall Clare: cue lots of flat-capped spectators watching the riders dance up any hills, while muttering 'I were right about that saddle'!

In reply to ripper:

Cue the rerun of a Hovis advert with the kid cycling on the cobbled streets.

In reply to Tall Clare: just to clarify.....are we talkin tour de france here or tour of britain

In reply to GrahamD:

except that was filmed in Dorset !!

Wonder if they'll include Rosedale Chimney ?

In reply to Removed Userlfenbo:

Hope this helps: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/20724621

In reply to Tall Clare:
I'm looking forward to the special addition Yorkshire dialect voice over to Belleville Rendesvous, with brass band music instead of Burlesque

In reply to Tall Clare:

Guess I'm the only one disappointed it's NOT Edinburgh then?

In reply to Tall Clare:


Surely Cringles moor is the biggest challenge in these parts and as such Silsden is a must!

In reply to Padraig:

Sounds like Edinburgh will get it in a year or two though... would be great to see it head into the highlands for a few days

In reply to John Rushby:

Talk of Pateley and up Greenhow Hill,

In reply to A Nidderdale boulderer.:

That would be awesome!

In reply to Tall Clare:

yea thanks clare

In reply to papashango:


ooh yes it would! I've been wanting to do Greenhow Hill myself for ages, but I'm deterred by the traffic volumes--if I tuck in at the back of the peloton will anyone notice??

Mind you, there are two Yorkshires, aren't there?

Where do listeners think the TdF route would go, if the aim was to go through all the very worst bits?

I'm putting in an early bid for (a) Hull and (b) Wath upon Dearne

In reply to Tim Chappell:
Is this like Mornington Crescent? In which case -
Grimethorpe

In reply to 999thAndy:


What a great name that is, eh? "Grimethorpe." No one can deny that Grimethorpe does exactly what it says on the tin.

If only to incite a spate of road-sign theft/ amusing rude alteration, I think we really must have Penistone, if I can sneak it past the filter

In reply to Tim Chappell:


It's just as well that Sc*nthorpe is in Lincolnshire!

In reply to Tall Clare:

By ekk, they'd have to ride past Monk Bretton Priory and West Bretton a little bit of France in Yorshur!

In reply to Tim Chappell:

This from someone who's location is Dundee & Milton Keynes. You ever heard that expression about people in glass houses? What about the one about pots & kettles.

In reply to jcharles:

Maybe the TDF could go through Glasshouses.

In reply to Tall Clare: no Wiggo, no Sutton in Team Sky- it's as if they don't want to win..

In reply to subalpine:

Eh? http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21189201

In reply to Tall Clare:

Some cracking country the published route is passing through. Will have to ride it ahead of the tour and work out a favourite vantage point. Be great for tourism and Yorkshire. Bet the b&b start getting booked up quickly once 2014 is approaching.

In reply to A Game of Chance:

It comes within about half a mile of our house on both days - think we'll watch it go through Skipton then baz over to Harrogate to watch Cav take the yellow jersey, then pop up to the top of Kex Gill the following day to watch them come up from Blubberhouses.

In reply to Tall Clare: i shall definitely be going to watch it on the 2nd stage but dont know where.the crowds and traffic are going to be immense

In reply to andy:

I've already had a couple of requests from people wanting to come and stay. Embsay, centre of the known universe...

In reply to andy: I expect Keighley will have never known it so busy. I imagine the drag up to Haworth will throng like it's never thronged before!

Sir Bradley says he's concentrating on the Giro - let's hope that means we get the Giro on TV as well as the Tour.

In reply to Liam M:

It's not often people look forward to going to Keighley...

In reply to andy: sorry, i meant Wiggins will not be defending his title

In reply to andy:

I'm already taking bookings for the campsite( that used to be the lawns) at my house

In reply to subalpine:

Why do you have a problem with that ?

He has said he intends to start the race, but will work for the team in assisting the guy with the best chance. Who knows, it might even be a bluff. However, gIven the routes of the Giro and the TDF this year, it is logical and hardly unexpected.

Indeed.

Anyone know the specific route they'll be taking?

Think I'll set this as a date I MUST get myself to living somewhere better before, to avoid all the hassle, as well as the roads for a few weeks either side getting clogged up with lycra .

Apparently this, but it's obviously not quite right, though it does use some way points so some thought has gone in to it...
http://goo.gl/maps/jFlbX

In reply to geebus:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/9808671...

These are the best I've found.

There are higher resolutions versions of the Yorkshire maps at http://letour.yorkshire.com/the-route

I don't think the Cambridge to London route is fully decided yet.

In reply to Mad Tommy:


It isn't, but it HAS to come within a few miles of our house. Looking forward to it already !

The 'official' maps can be downloaded as PDFs from the 'route' tab at http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2013/us/grand-depart-2014.html

In reply to Tall Clare: I assume there'll be some big ceremony jobby on the Friday in Leeds - introducing the teams and stuff? Our mates who live in the city centre have already announced they'll be holding "Le Grand De-Party" that night!

In reply to Tall Clare: Looks like Kilnsey is out on that day

Andy F

In reply to andy farnell:

Or the top of a route may provide the best view in the house

In reply to Liam M:

Exactly my thought. You'll just have to walk in from Malham Tarn...

In reply to andy farnell:

Good way to get yourself on the telly

Is Tetley on the list of permitted substances?

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Not brewed in Yorkshire any more, I don't think. They'll all be on be Black Sheep, Tim Taylor's and Copper Dragon.

I saw the route on the first day passed through Masham. Presumably after that, all bets are off

In reply to Stone Muppet:

That's be interesting - mandatory drink stop in Masham, each rider has to down a pint of Old Peculiar!

ALC

Cheers. Nothing particularly excising. "Over the tops" to Hebden Bridge, then towards littleborough are pretty decent climbs, but suspect will be made easy work of by them.

A few bits it'd be nice to get some new tarmac on - there's one bit after Oxenhope that I always get terrible understear in the car/van if I try to take it any speed, so hopefully that'll be rejuvenated (and if not, might go and wait there with the camera .)