Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:08 pm  

I for one can't wait for this and shall be booking a few days leave to watch this spectacle when it arrives in Yorkshire. I must admit I'd read that Welcome to Yorkshire had put a bid in and were battling with places like Barcelona, Florence and Edinburgh. Initially I thought they had no chance and recalled Manchester bidding to host the Olympics a few years ago (yes, it may sound bizarre but for those too young to know otherwise it's true!)...I thought this was a no hoper of a bid but I guess it just goes to show if you don't ask you don't get!

I'm sure there will be plenty of nay Sayers moaning about the fact roads are closed etc but I'm sure the crowds will be immense for what is one of sports great free shows.

Apparently it’s due to start in Leeds but I’ll be hoping to see it head through York where I live.

I’ve watched the tour on TV for 20 years and was fortunate enough to witness it live in France when on holiday a few years ago so to see it on my doorstep (literally if I’m really lucky!) will be something to look forward to.

Bring it on…I can’t wait!

PS…I did look on other sports and disappointingly saw no mention of it there and indulge me mods but maybe this news deserves a thread in the limelight of the sin bin!

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:25 pm  

The route is to be announced 17th Jan (I think) but I'd be surprised if it didn't go through York on one day given that Welcome to Yorkshire is the county's tourism promoter (and yesterday won an international award for their work) and will be using the event as a huge promotional tool, then you can bet that the likes of Harrogate and York will be on the agenda, a sure bet is the climb up the Cow and Calf in Ilkley and then you've got the whole of the west of the county with as many hill climbs as you want to shake a fist at - problem with heading out to York is that you're on very flat countryside, not that Le Tour is all about hill climbing of course.

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:46 pm  

Up Sutton Bank. in and out of the Yorkshire Moors and ice-creams in Scarborough?
Lovely.

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:47 pm  

Up Sutton Bank. in and out of the Yorkshire Moors and ice-creams in Scarborough?
Lovely.

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:48 pm  

Given something like 50% of the daytime French TV viewers watch it for the scenery I expect nothing less than three laps of Bradford.

Off to the Alps next year, and possibly Ventoux if I can figure out how to get there. Will be nice to see both start and finish the following year,

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:54 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

The route is to be announced 17th Jan (I think) but I'd be surprised if it didn't go through York on one day given that Welcome to Yorkshire is the county's tourism promoter (and yesterday won an international award for their work) and will be using the event as a huge promotional tool, then you can bet that the likes of Harrogate and York will be on the agenda, a sure bet is the climb up the Cow and Calf in Ilkley and then you've got the whole of the west of the county with as many hill climbs as you want to shake a fist at - problem with heading out to York is that you're on very flat countryside, not that Le Tour is all about hill climbing of course.

As you say it's not all about hill climbs but I'm sure they could keep them occupied with a nice ride out from Leeds to York then head for the Wolds or Moors and maybe even the coast and then head back to Leeds for a great bunch sprint! Having said that I can just imagine a bunch sprint on a glorious sun kissed day on the seafront at Scarborough beneath the castle which would be a great spectacle with the sea on one side, castle and cliffs on the other and gulls crapping from above! I'd even settle for a nice breakaway that get's hunted down though they often start with a time trial...whichever they go for I'll be there and enjoying not only the race itself but the atmosphere. Looking forward to the route announcement and firming up my plans...hopefully a quick wizz through York and then exit via Hull Rd would do me very nicely so I can rather selfishly nip put and watch it from my doorstep !

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:01 pm  

Stand-Offish wrote:

Up Sutton Bank. in and out of the Yorkshire Moors and ice-creams in Scarborough?
Lovely.

LOL...maybe fish chips and peas followed by knickerbocker glories at The Harbour Bar..they'll have earned it!

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:33 pm  

We can get all them lazy unemployed out of their beds, and from behind their curtains, and make them clean up all the road grafitti after Le Tour has passed through.

Let them earn their dole money, lazy northern scroungers?

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:06 pm  

the exile wrote:

As you say it's not all about hill climbs but I'm sure they could keep them occupied with a nice ride out from Leeds to York then head for the Wolds or Moors and maybe even the coast and then head back to Leeds for a great bunch sprint! Having said that I can just imagine a bunch sprint on a glorious sun kissed day on the seafront at Scarborough beneath the castle which would be a great spectacle with the sea on one side, castle and cliffs on the other and gulls crapping from above! I'd even settle for a nice breakaway that get's hunted down though they often start with a time trial...whichever they go for I'll be there and enjoying not only the race itself but the atmosphere. Looking forward to the route announcement and firming up my plans...hopefully a quick wizz through York and then exit via Hull Rd would do me very nicely so I can rather selfishly nip put and watch it from my doorstep !

I used to do the Wetherby to Filey ride every year, me and 1500 other idiots up at stupid o'clock in the morning queueing at the start at Wetherby racecourse, took me all day to do the 70 miles at a leaisurely pace and frequent stops for coffee and lashings of chocolate cake.

We thought we did quite well to do it in 7 hours every year and then catch the provided transport back to Wetherby.

But every year the cycle clubs of gaunt boney-arsed lycra clad gawky kids would just take the gloss off it by passing us going back the other way before we'd even got to the second stop (about 20 miles) having set off at the crack of dawn and already been to Scarborough, what a set of barstards.

Re: Le Tour de France 2014 comes to Yorkshire! : Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:36 am  

the exile wrote:

LOL...maybe fish chips and peas followed by knickerbocker glories at The Harbour Bar..they'll have earned it!

You must be a nipper. You always have Jaconellis ice cream after Fish n chips in Scarborough.