Le Grand Depart from Leeds

[Robh]

A nice article about how Yorkshire plans to celebrate le grand depart:

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/27/cycling-art-yorkshire-festival-tour-de-france

Apologies if this has been posted before (I looked, couldn't find it) or if this is the wrong place (so sue me).

[hatler]

Right place. Great article. Thank you. (And by Tim Moore so it probably was going to be good.) I wonder if his account of cycling the Giro route will match up to French Revolutions.

[Tewdric]

So is Cookson from Yorkshire then?

I'd rather see the ToB upgraded to 2.HC but the more top line racing we get in the UK the better I guess.

[mcshroom]

ToB has been

http://road.cc/content/news/110275-tour-britain-upgraded-2hc

[Tewdric]

ToB has been

http://road.cc/content/news/110275-tour-britain-upgraded-2hc

Ah I missed that - great news!

[Hot Flatus]

I'll probably be in Hebden Bridge for the second stage

[red marley]

Just discovered that the Cambridge to London^* stage goes within walking distance of home (reverses part of the DunRun route). It would be rude not to take the day off work and cheer them on.


^*Apologies for dragging this thread in a London direction, but I assume we don't necessarily want a separate thread for each stage.

[jane]

I had been planning to bring my tent up a few days beforehand, find a good fairly central place to camp, ride the routes beforehand and then pick a good place to watch.  However, all the talk of massive crowds, extortionate camping charges, etc, is really putting me off...at 5'2", crowds for me tend to wipe out all possibility of seing anything anyway and they are extra intimidating when you're short.  So, contemplating abandoning my plans.  Sadly, because watching the peloton zoom up and down roads in England that I have ridden myself holds a special attaction, as I'm sure it does for many here.  Anybody still got plans to be there? 

[tiermat]

Being, as we are, not too far from the action on both Saturday and Sunday, my plans are:

Saturday ride out to Ripon (although the corner at Wormald Green might be a better bet), watch the caravan, then the peleton zoom past, then return home (possibly via a pub or two to see what transpires in Harrogate)

Sunday, jump on a train and head to York to watch the start of that day's racing, heading home to watch the finish.

Anyone wanting to use the THoFC camp ground is more than welcome

ETA: This site seems pretty comprehensive in details of road closures etc http://hedgehogcycling.co.uk/road-closures-tour-de-france-2014.html

[TimC]

I had been planning to bring my tent up a few days beforehand, find a good fairly central place to camp, ride the routes beforehand and then pick a good place to watch.  However, all the talk of massive crowds, extortionate camping charges, etc, is really putting me off...at 5'2", crowds for me tend to wipe out all possibility of seing anything anyway and they are extra intimidating when you're short.  So, contemplating abandoning my plans.  Sadly, because watching the peloton zoom up and down roads in England that I have ridden myself holds a special attaction, as I'm sure it does for many here.  Anybody still got plans to be there? 

The hype surrounding the Yorkshire stages, and the profiteering that's been widely reported, makes the idea of attending quite unattractive to me. However the third stage goes within 20 miles of home, so if I have the day off I will ride to Finchingfield or Bocking to watch the circus flash past if only to say 'I was there'. Of course, if I want to actually keep tabs on what's happening in the race I'll stay at home and watch it on TV!

[Rainmaker]

Posted by: TimC  Today at 09:01:22 AM

The hype surrounding the Yorkshire stages, and the profiteering that's been widely reported, makes the idea of attending quite unattractive to me

+1   The latest info is that to see the Team Presentation Ceremony at the First Direct Arena on Thurs 3 July the tickets are now available at prices of £45, £55, £65 and £85.

[fuzzy]

Posted by: TimC  Today at 09:01:22 AM

The hype surrounding the Yorkshire stages, and the profiteering that's been widely reported, makes the idea of attending quite unattractive to me

+1   The latest info is that to see the Team Presentation Ceremony at the First Direct Arena on Thurs 3 July the tickets are now available at prices of £45, £55, £65 and £85.

What? Charge to see what is a free show everywhere else?

Mind you, rumour has it that Yorkshire folk are a bit thrifty

[Deano]

Yeah, the overly corporate atmosphere went a long way towards putting me off from volunteering.

Little bit of fall-out from one of the training videos:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/tour-de-france-organisers-hit-back-at-ban-on-traditional-yorkshire-greetings-9274936.html

Anyway, I plan to bivvy above Grinton for stage 1, and maybe wander down to York for the start of stage 2.

[Hot Flatus]

I'm going to a Tour party on Saturday night, then shambling up Cragg Vale on the Sunday.

[andyoxon]

Anyone know if seeing the finish in Harrogate on Saturday is doable without queuing for 24hrs, or having to get into some sort of grandstand enclosure?

I have family in Harrogate and may go up.  On the Sunday was thinking about somewhere on the Knaresborough Rd Harrogate/ Knaresborough itself, as they come through from York,

[peliroja]

We will be watching with some visiting cyclists from London, who will be bunking on our spare bits of floor that weekend. Woolly will probably be working in the bike shop but he and his boss will nip down the High Street to watch the peloton pass before going back to work.

[tiermat]

Anyone know if seeing the finish in Harrogate on Saturday is doable without queuing for 24hrs, or having to get into some sort of grandstand enclosure?

I have family in Harrogate and may go up.  On the Sunday was thinking about somewhere on the Knaresborough Rd Harrogate/ Knaresborough itself, as they come through from York,

From the route I have seen youwill be waiting a long time to see them on the Knaresborough Road. Unless I am mistaken they are coming in via the A61.

[andyoxon]

Anyone know if seeing the finish in Harrogate on Saturday is doable without queuing for 24hrs, or having to get into some sort of grandstand enclosure?

I have family in Harrogate and may go up.  On the Sunday was thinking about somewhere on the Knaresborough Rd Harrogate/ Knaresborough itself, as they come through from York,

From the route I have seen youwill be waiting a long time to see them on the Knaresborough Road. Unless I am mistaken they are coming in via the A61.

Yes, Saturday - Stage 1 is A61.  Sunday Dy2, from this: http://letour.yorkshire.com/stage-2  looks like A59 'Knaresborough' Harrogate Rd.   

[sojournermike]

Sunday I have to decide whether to walk 100yds up the road to see them go past on Skipton Road A59, or ride along Bilton Lane to see them coming up the hill from Knaresborough, or ride out to Blubberhouses to see them climb Kex Gill. Choices choices. I have have several friends camping for the weekend, so we'll land somewhere.

Mike

[andyoxon]

Sunday I have to decide whether to walk 100yds up the road to see them go past on Skipton Road A59, or ride along Bilton Lane to see them coming up the hill from Knaresborough, or ride out to Blubberhouses to see them climb Kex Gill. Choices choices. I have have several friends camping for the weekend, so we'll land somewhere.

Mike

Thoughts on Saturday's finish?  I'll be just off Wetherby Rd near the Stray (if I go up).

[sojournermike]

Sunday I have to decide whether to walk 100yds up the road to see them go past on Skipton Road A59, or ride along Bilton Lane to see them coming up the hill from Knaresborough, or ride out to Blubberhouses to see them climb Kex Gill. Choices choices. I have have several friends camping for the weekend, so we'll land somewhere.

Mike

Thoughts on Saturday's finish?  I'll be just off Wetherby Rd near the Stray (if I go up).

The finish is along West Park Stray - against the traffic;) -  set up as a great sprint for Cav in front of his mum. There will be grandstands in front of Beech Grove, big screens and loads of people! A mate is planning on spending the day on the Stray and I hope he'll find space for a picnic. I'm sure the atmosphere will be great, but you might struggle to get close enough to the front to see the bikes.

I'd just enjoy the atmosphere and count a view as a bonus.

[Wowbagger]

The weekend of 5th is out for me because of a niece getting married. I think I am supposed to be teaching on 7th, which is also a massive pain because that's when the Tour uses My Roads, from Cambridge into Chelmsford from the north via Felsted, and then does the Nud Nur through Fyfield and epping Forest.

They are going within a gnat's crotchet of the Littley green compasses. I thing they should be made to stop for a huffer and a couple of pints of Brewer's Gold if they want to see what the real Essex cyclist gets up to. Maybe even a pickled egg and a comedy reindeer costume. I suppose I ought to be out there with my spray can, painting "Allez Ouaobagguerre!" on the tarmac.

[tonyh]

4 days left to listen to this Radio 4 piece, on the Tour and cycling history:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0474wk2

[Ham]

It may have been around for some time but wasn't on the site a while back - road closure times http://letour.yorkshire.com/travel/travel-information-map

[Riggers]

Could I make an appeal to all those cycling chaps who will be going to watch the Tour In Yokshire, that they wear flat caps. I'd just like certain stereotypes to be reinforced for our foreign chums. And if you can, how about a pipe too! You don't have to actually smoke it, but it would be nice to see either cap or pipe being raised as the peloton pedals pass.