Cyclist’s town hall video ambush helps city appeal move up a gear

As he stood with Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity on one of many reconnaissance trips, images of gymnastics and swimming flashed up on the big screen.

Suddenly, a particularly famous cyclist appeared on the screen – a larger-than-life Mark Cavendish, the Manx sprinter, former BBC Sports Personality of the Year and winner of 23 stages of the Tour de France.

Mr Cavendish, whose maternal family hail from Yorkshire, appeared to almost address Mr Prudhomme directly as he began talking.

“Mark Cavendish was on the screen and talking about the Tour. Mark Cavendish was talking to me. He was saying the Grand Depart must be in Yorkshire,” said Mr Prudhomme. “It was made on purpose – everybody knew but me.

“I thought, ‘These people know what they are doing and if they can do that they can do anything’.”

The 101st Tour de France will begin in that very spot on Saturday, July 5, 2014, outside the 19th century Town Hall in the heart of Leeds.

Mr Cavendish, whose mother Adele was brought up in Harrogate, was enlisted by Welcome to Yorkshire for its Back Le Bid campaign.

Mr Prudhomme, director of race organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), said he was impressed by the region’s commitment, and also its natural beauty.

“I think that Yorkshire can be very proud,” he said. “There are beautiful landscapes in Yorkshire. I knew that it’s a beautiful place, but I did not imagine it to be so beautiful.

“There are landscapes for all types of cyclist. It’s very hilly – the second stage will be very difficult.

“It’s going to go up and down all the time, like in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.”

Mr Prudhomme said the success of London 2012 convinced them to bring the Grand Depart to Yorkshire sooner than expected.

Initially the county was interested in 2016 but he said: “That amazing summer convinced us to come back as soon as possible. And I didn’t realise Yorkshire was so gorgeous.”