It’s time to pick your spot to see the world’s top cyclists

NEW signs to mark out the route of the Tour de France’s first stage in Yorkshire are being installed and will give cycling enthusiasts a permanent reminder of the race’s historic visit to the region.
The announcement of the Tour de France route in ParisThe announcement of the Tour de France route in Paris
The announcement of the Tour de France route in Paris

As the countdown gets underway in earnest, new details released by tourism bosses mean fans hoping to see the drama of next summer’s race live will know exactly where they need to be as the world’s leading riders stream past.

Race organisers the Amaury Sport Organisation yesterday unveiled details of all 21 stages of the 101st edition of the race, which will include five mountain finishes and just one individual time-trial before concluding in Paris.

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Shortly afterwards, Welcome to Yorkshire, which successfully bid for the rights to host the race’s Grand Départ, published new online maps showing the precise route it will take through Yorkshire’s cities, villages and countryside.

Welcome To Yorkshire chief Gary Verity in Paris for today's announcementWelcome To Yorkshire chief Gary Verity in Paris for today's announcement
Welcome To Yorkshire chief Gary Verity in Paris for today's announcement

Anyone planning to attend can zoom in on the route to see exactly where they should be standing on the first stage of the race from Leeds to Harrogate on July 5 and stage two, starting in York and ending in Sheffield, the next day.

Bosses at two of the region’s major tourist attractions, Harewood House and York Racecourse, both of which will play host to part of the race, also took the opportunity to unveil details of the Tour-themed events they are planning.

At the racecourse, which will host the start of the second day of the Grand Départ, visitors can watch both the pre-event caravan of race and sponsors’ vehicles, and then the cyclists themselves as they set off. The leading riders will be presented to the crowds before they head into the city and start competitive racing.

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Giant screens and hundreds of televisions around the site will allow visitors to follow all the action from the Tour.

Today's announcement in ParisToday's announcement in Paris
Today's announcement in Paris

At Harewood House, events to mark the occasion include a three-day festival from July 4 to 6 with camping, big screens, participation events and entertainment focusing on a central stage.

With a third successive British win in the race possible next summer, hotel rooms in the region are said to be filling up fast.

Coinciding with the announcements, the first signs were being installed along the route of Stage One yesterday and will allow cyclists and motorists to follow the path of the Grand Départ for years to come. The first of 50 waymarkers were unveiled at Middleham in North Yorkshire, and most will be in place by early next year.

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“The Grand Départ is the beginning, not the end, of our ambition for a great legacy for North Yorkshire and these signs will allow cyclists and motorists to enjoy the route for years to come,” said North Yorkshire County Council leader John Weighell. “They are part of this great opportunity to enhance the region’s reputation as a top-rate tourist destination, with all the economic and cultural benefits that that will bring.”

More than 680,000 spectators are expected to line the route of the first stage alone, many standing for five hours to see the 200 riders preceded by the “caravan”.

In Leeds, after completing the official signing-in ceremony in front of Leeds Town Hall on July 5, the peloton will line up on The Headrow for the ceremonial start of the race.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme spoke warmly of Leeds and Yorkshire as he revealed details of the 21 stages at yesterday’s Paris press conference.

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He described Leeds Arena, where the cyclists presentation will take place on July 3, as a “magnificent, brand new auditorium seating 13,500 spectators”. He added that Leeds had been the home of French footballing icon Eric Cantona, adding: “After Leeds’ league title Eric Cantona said ‘I love you, I don’t know why I love you but I love you’.”

Mr Prudhomme told how the race would set off from the “heart of Leeds” to the “prestigious” Harewood Hall, where “the real start of the 101st edition of the Tour will take place”.

He added: “The Yorkshire Dales National Park will be an exceptional backdrop, rolling in its first part but flat and straight afterwards until Harrogate, where [top sprinter] Mark Cavendish’s mother lives. The second stage from York to Sheffield has been a hot topic for the last few months. It will be tough compared to the day before.”

The stage will include an “intense” finale and nine inclines.

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A delegation from Yorkshire travelled to Paris yesterday, including some of the region’s most famous cyclists such as Brian Robinson and Barry Hoban, and ten students from Carr Manor Community School in Leeds who attended as guests of the race hosts, wearing T-shirts spelling out “Yorkshire!”

View the route in detail