Yorkshire Tour leg thrills Armitstead

Olympic silver medallist Lizzie Armitstead has urged Tour de France organisers to make next year’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire as tough as possible.

The route for the two stages to be held on the roads of the White Rose will be announced on Thursday, with any number of options on the treacherous, yet breathtaking cycling trails of God’s Own Country.

Armitstead would love nothing more than to see her male counterparts racing through her home town of Otley, on the roads on which she honed the skills that led to her finest hour in London.

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But wherever Tour organisers decide to take Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and the best cyclists in the world next summer, Armitstead just hopes they do the illustrious event and county justice by presenting them with the ultimate test.

“They should definitely make it a tough stage. There could be a few changes in classification early on if they use the roads that we’ve got available wisely,” urged 24-year-old Armitstead.

“There’s a lot of technical climbs around here that could split the pack. It would be good fun to watch them go up Fleet Moss, but I don’t know whether they will because the descent’s a bit technical. Buttertubbs Pass (in the Yorkshire Dales) would also be a good test.

“Wherever it goes, the Tour coming to Yorkshire is amazing news.

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“I was kind of a bit down after the Olympics, thinking what gets better than a home Games? But there does seem to be things constantly on the horizon, like the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire, and the Commonwealth Games (in Glasgow) the same month, which is going to be pretty exciting.

“And for me, a Leeds Tour de France is just amazing.”

The intrigue over where the Tour could wind through has had cycling enthusiasts speculating, not least Armitstead. If she gets her wish, and Fleet Moss – which is 913 metres high with two category three climbs in Upper Wharfedale – is used, then that could mean a starting point in Leeds for a route that would head out towards Ilkley and into the Yorkshire Dales before weaving towards Richmond and a finish in York.

The county has any number of alternatives that could test the fastest sprinters and the strongest climbers in the world, such is the diversity of roads in Yorkshire.

And together with the accomplishments of Armitstead and track star Ed Clancy at London 2012, the Grand Depart will be another feather in the cap for Yorkshire cycling.

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Armitstead said: “If it’s a good weekend of weather and people come to Yorkshire they’ll be shocked, because I genuinely believe it’s the best place to ride in the world if the weather’s good.

“Fingers crossed we get the influx of tourists.

“The Commonwealth Games is in close proximity but hopefully I can get out there to watch the Tour when it comes through Yorkshire.”

Away from the Tour, Armitstead has her eyes fixed firmly on establishing herself as one of the best road racers in the world.

Twelve months ago she remained undecided whether her future lay on the road or the track, but after settling on the former and justifying that decision at the Olympics, there is no longer any divided priorities.

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“My life’s different now,” said Armitstead, who will ride for Dutch road team Dolmans-Boels this year.

“To come back and do half a year on the track in Manchester is a change I don’t know if I can make. I’m happy living in the south of France and concentrating on the road.

“I might not see the development I want to this year because I didn’t have an off-season due to how busy it’s been since the Olympics, but I’m sure in future years with a full road season behind me I can really push on.

“The Olympics was great but I want to be known for being more than a silver medallist.

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“I’m really looking forward to the nationals in June because that’s on the Commonwealth Games course, plus the world championships in Florence.

“The national title, though, would mean a lot. I’ve won it before but I’m very keen to get it back.

“There’s something very different about wearing a national jersey, it makes you stand out.”

Armitstead was back in Yorkshire yesterday, at Lister Park in Bradford, meeting cyclists from the local authority’s joint initiative with British Cycling to get more women and juniors on their bikes. Four hundred women have taken part in organised rides in the last 18 months in Bradford.

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Armitstead said: “Every time I’m home I see more women on their bikes, but a lot of the time I’m seeing women on their own. This is a social sport.

“If people have got access to more information on how to get properly involved then it’s a good thing.”

Armitstead was speaking in Bradford, where she was meeting cyclists from Breeze, the local authority’s joint initiative with British Cycling to get more women and juniors on their bikes. Four-hundred women took part in organised rides in the last 18 months in the city.