The 101st Tour de France is coming to Yorkshire for the first time in the race’s history.
The Yorkshire ‘Y’ at the 2013 tour. Image credited to Welcome to Yorkshire
The race kicks off in Leeds on July 5th with The Grand Départ. Stage One sees the riders tackle the terrain of the Yorkshire Dales, passing through towns and villages such as Skipton, Kettlewell and Ripon before they cross the finishing line in Harrogate.
Stage Two takes place on the next day, Sunday 6th July. Riders take to the saddle in York before passing through West Yorkshire and into the Peak District via Knaresborough, Huddersfield and Holme Firth before reaching the finishing line over 124 miles later on Attercliffe Common in Sheffield.
After Yorkshire, the race heads through London before returning home to France.
The Tour sees riders compete in teams over 21 stages and the leader throughout the competition is awarded a yellow jersey. Each team works together in order to help one of their riders be crowned the race winner.
The previous two Tour de France’s have been won by British riders. The 2012 race was won by Sir Bradley Wiggins; before he went on to win Olympic gold in London later that year. The 2013 race was won by Chris Froome. Both British riders won the event as part of Team Sky.
Sheffield is famous for its sport and has even been dubbed ‘The City of Sport’. The Tour joins the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible, the English Institute of Sport and the Sheffield Half Marathon to help maintain the city’s title.
The people of Sheffield have been getting involved while the city gears up for the event. Sheffrec Cycling Club celebrated the news that the Tour was coming to Sheffield by cycling both of the Yorkshire stages as their yearly charity fundraiser. The club have risen over £800 so far for The Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, and donations are still welcome here.
Image credited to Welcome to Yorkshire
Sheffield Hallam University is an official supporter of the 2014 Tour de France. They are arranging a number of events in the build up to the Grand Départ which include a virtual cycle race and lectures from famous sportspeople.
James Partridge is looking forward to the event. Despite not being part of a team, James is a keen cyclist. He called Sheffield an excellent base for cycling: “It’s great that the tour is coming to Sheffield as the city has a great number of cycling enthusiasts, groups and businesses.”
Earlier this year, Sheffield made the headlines when the Half Marathon was cancelled with thousands of runners waiting on the start line. James said the issue with the Half Marathon showed great community spirit but sees no such problems with the Tour. “The scale of organisation for the Tour will be huge and wouldn’t expect any issues like that so it will only enhance Sheffield’s existing strong reputation for sport.”
James said he hopes the event will be a boost to local companies and will encourage others to get on their bikes. “It might just inspire kids to get on their bikes to be the next Bradley Wiggins or Steve Peat.”
Chris Froome – 2013 Tour de France. Image credited to skysports.com
He said he plans to watch the Tour come into Sheffield and said he has found a perfect spot to watch the challenges. He said he is “keeping it [the location] to himself for now”. He has tipped Chris Froome for the Tour de France title.
James is taking part in the Peaks Mountain Bike Challenge in September to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The challenge covers 39 miles and riders will climb 2515m, which is Mount Snowden and Ben Nevis combined. You can donate to the Peaks Mountain Bike Challenge here.
You can keep up to date with the events leading up to and during the 2014 Tour de France on the Grand Départ official website and Sheffield Hallam University’s Tour website.
How are you planning to welcome the Tour to Sheffield? What plans do you have? Let us know below or tweet us @sharrowmail.
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