# Yorkshire to host 2014 TDF start



## DCLane (14 Dec 2012)

The Yorkshire bid won the TDF Grand Depart: http://roadcyclinguk.com/news/racing-news/yorkshire-to-host-2014-tour-de-france-grand-depart.html

July 5 & 6 2014 - Yorkshire
Then London


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## davefb (14 Dec 2012)

*brilliant* .. absolutely brilliant..

two days based round leeds, then down south for that there laaahndon?


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## Andrew_Culture (14 Dec 2012)

Somewhat hilarious and pointless quote from Geoffrey Boycott on 6music news!

_"It'll be 'ard work on 'em 'ills"_


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## PpPete (14 Dec 2012)

Cost them £4M
Worth it ?


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## davefb (14 Dec 2012)

PpPete said:


> Cost them £4M
> Worth it ?


thats like 40million in t'southern money where they just give it away (etc)..

I will now talk about the race as "t'tour" in honour of this..


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## deptfordmarmoset (14 Dec 2012)

Excellent!

Though having now read about it, bad news for the Scottish bid. Hope your chance comes soon - it sounds like the Edinburgh bid is still live but for a later year.


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## carolonabike (14 Dec 2012)

Fantastic! We'll definitely be there. I wonder if they'll go up Rosedale Chimney


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## Cubist (14 Dec 2012)

Fantastic. Hope they do Holme Moss. Used to love it when the Milk Race came that way... spend duty time watching cyclists?


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## thom (14 Dec 2012)

Yorkshire's ambassadorial entourage:







Apparently in a visit after the Olympics, the ASO president asked Yorkshire if they could bring forward their 2016 application to 2014. They are keen to see a repeat of the heady days of road racing support during the Olympics, so in some way this is a reward for all the people who lined the streets in pouring rain last August.

Congratulations everyone !


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## johnr (14 Dec 2012)

Anyone wants to stay at my house?
etc


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## johnr (14 Dec 2012)

PpPete said:


> Cost them £4M
> Worth it ?


 every penny


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## ColinJ (14 Dec 2012)

I wonder if they will do a 'Leeds Classic' on the Tour riders? They made that race so hard that only about 20% of the riders finished the race. Robert Millar said afterwards that with the 'heavy' road surfaces and relentless steep Yorkshire hills, the race organisers were "taking the p*ss" and he wasn't exactly a poor climber!


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## Minotier (14 Dec 2012)

Cubist said:


> Fantastic. Hope they do Holme Moss. Used to love it when the Milk Race came that way... spend duty time watching cyclists?


 
That would be good, I remember the long queues at the ice cream sellers, they had sold out by 11 o'clock and of course they couldn't drive down to stock up.
Am chuffed to have t'chance to see this in our own backyard sithee!


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## phil_hg_uk (14 Dec 2012)

ColinJ said:


> I wonder if they will do a 'Leeds Classic' on the Tour riders? They made that race so hard that only about 20% of the riders finished the race. Robert Millar said afterwards that with the 'heavy' road surfaces and relentless steep Yorkshire hills, the race organisers were "taking the p*ss" and he wasn't exactly a poor climber!


 
You had better get a ride organized colin


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## Hilldodger (14 Dec 2012)

I'm trying to think of a famous cyclist from Leeds. Oh, hang on, Jimmy Saville


Seriously though, well done to everyone involved but note that I won't be available to help host the opening ceremony again. Once was enough for me.


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## ColinJ (14 Dec 2012)

phil_hg_uk said:


> You had better get a ride organized colin


It's a nice idea to ride over to watch the first stage but there will be an awful lot of traffic and a lot of closed roads. When I went to watch the Kelloggs Tour go over Holme Moss, the roads were clogged solid all around so my mate parked his car and we ran 2 miles to Holme village, getting there just as Sean Yates and Robert Millar were riding past!

I think a better alternative would be a commemorative TdF stage CycleChat forum ride the following weekend. None of this _'Étape du Tour'_ nonsense - _'Stage of t' Tour'! _It would be the longest and hardest of my forum rides ever, so we had better get into training now!


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## gavroche (14 Dec 2012)

I wonder if the riders will get a chance to drink the world famous, home grown Yorkshire tea?


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## Christopher (14 Dec 2012)

Send 'em north from Leeds - over Buttertubs and south over Fleet Moss. The latter would be fantasic as you can see all the north part of the climb at once and there's plenty of parking on the top. Going north they could do Park Rash as a warm-up! Well they are pros after all.

@ Colin: Having done a few of these climbs I have had some scary moments on the descents as you fly onto bad tarmac - had a near miss descending Buttertubs to the south. It would have been a fearsome stack as I was going fairly quick. And topping out you think: this is bleak! What I am _doing_ up here?

edit: Article liked to in OP's post has a beautiful picture of the Buttertubs: the Northern Pennines at their bleak, beautiful best.


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## ColinJ (14 Dec 2012)

Christopher said:


> @ Colin: Having done a few of these climbs I have had some scary moments on the descents as you fly onto bad tarmac - had a near miss descending Buttertubs to the south. It would have been a fearsome stack as I was going fairly quick.


I got 'big air' on the descent of Fleet Moss towards Hawes, where the road abruptly ramps down at about 25%! I managed to stay on the bike but someone else was not so lucky and ended up in hospital ... 

Some of the North Yorkshire roads which are great for cycling in small groups might not really be suitable for the full Tour experience!


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## 7onagrifter (14 Dec 2012)

Happy to be a newbie here with a 1st post but I wonder how happy BW will be in "God`s Country" under the White Rose`s 
Fantastic news for all of us Tho!


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## 400bhp (14 Dec 2012)

ColinJ said:


> It's a nice idea to ride over to watch the first stage but there will be an awful lot of traffic and a lot of closed roads. When I went to watch the Kelloggs Tour go over Holme Moss, the roads were clogged solid all around so my mate parked his car and we ran 2 miles to Holme village, getting there just as Sean Yates and Robert Millar were riding past!
> 
> I think a better alternative would be a commemorative TdF stage CycleChat forum ride the following weekend. None of this _'Étape du Tour'_ nonsense - _'Stage of t' Tour'! _It would be the longest and hardest of my forum rides ever, so we had better get into training now!


 
Isn't it Sunday likely to be Leeds out then south to Laahdan (init). So misses out any proper hilly stuff.

Sat is prologue day so Leeds city centre.


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## Get In The Van (14 Dec 2012)

Bahhhhhh! was hoping for Edinburgh as its just down the road or should that be t'road! 
Looking at heading down to Leeds or wherever the tour prologue will be, although said to the mrs that a trip to France to watch a stage or 2 could be on and she was up for that.
Result!


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## Nearly there (14 Dec 2012)

First thing my wife said to me when I got out of bed from doing my night shift was "We are going to Yorkshire in 2014"Having not woken up properly I asked why she said Tdf is coming


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## oldfatfool (14 Dec 2012)

ColinJ said:


> It's a nice idea to ride over to watch the first stage but there will be an awful lot of traffic and a lot of closed roads.


 
It will certainly be interesting to see how it is policed, no doubt with an extremely heavy hand and lots of threats. Unfortunately I doubt it will be like France where despite having big guns the rozzers let cyclist ride along the route anything upto 10 mins before the leaders are due (inbetween the caravan and the race) or indeed to follow the route 5 mins after the last rider as passed.


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## ColinJ (14 Dec 2012)

400bhp said:


> Isn't it Sunday likely to be Leeds out then south to Laahdan (init). So misses out any proper hilly stuff.
> 
> Sat is prologue day so Leeds city centre.


You could well be right! 

I was forgetting that stages don't tend to end up back where they started from. A forum ride from Leeds to 100+ miles south and then back again might be a bit too much! Leeds-Dales-Leeds would be fab, as would Leeds-N.York.Moors-Leeds. 

I reckon they will do a challenging stage ending in either Leeds or Sheffield and then catch a fast train to London for day 3.


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## johnr (14 Dec 2012)

Official jersey of t'Tour


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## laurence (14 Dec 2012)

Hilldodger said:


> I'm trying to think of a famous cyclist from Leeds. Oh, hang on, Jimmy Saville
> 
> 
> Seriously though, well done to everyone involved but note that I won't be available to help host the opening ceremony again. Once was enough for me.


 
spookily, i was talking about you hosting the presentation today, completely unaware of this news.

that's the 2014 holiday sorted then.


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## Chrisc (14 Dec 2012)

Nice to see a southern stage included to give them a recovery day from the real riding up here. :-)


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## oldroadman (14 Dec 2012)

Last time the TdF was in England, there was a local organisation partner who looked after routing, closures, and things more easily dealt with by someone who is fully immersed in top level organisation in UK. Step forward Sweetspot, perhaps?


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## Peteaud (14 Dec 2012)

Brilliant, have not been to Leeds for many years. 

Last time i was there i ate yorkshire puds every day at a local pub.

well done Yorkshire.


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## rich p (14 Dec 2012)

I think having the tour anywhere outside France, apart from an unadvoiable section through a bordering country maybe, is a nonsense.


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## Chris-H (14 Dec 2012)

I was out in my shed when my Mrs came out to break the news to me that we will be going to Leeds in 2014,we have family in Bradford so happy days


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## johnr (14 Dec 2012)

According to Look North, Day One may be over the moors to Scarborough and day two - York, round the Leeds-Bradford conurbation to Halifax/Huddersfield then down to Sheffield. We'll see.


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## I like Skol (14 Dec 2012)

I can forsee a great weekend of camping, booze and maybe watching t'Tour with fellow CC'rs. It's also my 40th on 3rd July so what better way to celebrate?


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## DCLane (14 Dec 2012)

johnr said:


> According to Look North, Day One may be over the moors to Scarborough and day two - York, round the Leeds-Bradford conurbation to Halifax/Huddersfield then down to Sheffield. We'll see.


 
That's up Holme Moss then for day 2


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## fossyant (14 Dec 2012)

I like Skol said:


> I can forsee a great weekend of camping, booze and maybe watching t'Tour with fellow CC'rs. It's also my 40th on 3rd July so what better way to celebrate?


I'll get the beers in


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## I like Skol (14 Dec 2012)

fossyant said:


> I'll get the beers in


 
I like Skol


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## simon.r (14 Dec 2012)

It's all down to me...well, I've had a nice email from 'Welcome To Yorkshire' saying thank you (I'm assuming because I signed their petition online a while ago).

*THANK YOU!*​​*Yorkshire to host the 2014 Tour de France *​Yorkshire has beaten worldwide competition to bring the world’s largest annual sporting event - the Tour de France - to the county, and we would like to thank you for your support.
Yorkshire will host the Grand Départ, the huge and prestigious opening few days racing, of the 2014 event, bringing the iconic race to the north of England for the first time.

The county will host the first two days racing on the *5th and 6th July* before the Tour moves south for a third stage in southern England, with a finish in London. The host city of the Grand Départ will be Leeds which will host a festival of cycling and the arts to coincide with the arrival of the Tour.

To keep up to date with the latest news, follow @LeTourYorkshire and Facebook.com/LeTourYorkshire or visit our website.

*Allez Yorkshire!*


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## deptfordmarmoset (14 Dec 2012)

> Yorkshire has beaten worldwide competition to bring the world’s largest annual sporting event - the Tour de France - to the county, and we would like to thank you for your support.


 
Worldwide? They could have said ''international'' but ''worldwide'' is over-egging it, isn't it?


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## growingvegetables (14 Dec 2012)

Hmmm - looking on the bright side, lots of potholes filled in come spring 2014? 

Aye, and b****r-all done before then


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## johnr (14 Dec 2012)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/dec/14/yorkshire-start-tour-de-france-2014
Bit more on route and sly dig at British Cycling for backing wrong horse and not knowing which way wind was blowing


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## ColinJ (14 Dec 2012)

johnr said:


> http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/dec/14/yorkshire-start-tour-de-france-2014
> Bit more on route and sly dig at British Cycling for backing wrong horse and not knowing which way wind was blowing


Yes, I saw something a few weeks ago that seemed to imply that Yorkshire had lost and Edinburgh was going to get it!


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## johnr (15 Dec 2012)

Peteaud said:


> Brilliant, have not been to Leeds for many years.
> .


 SHAME ON YOU!


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## thom (15 Dec 2012)

deptfordmarmoset said:


> Worldwide? They could have said ''international'' but ''worldwide'' is over-egging it, isn't it?


The idea to start the TdF in Japan has been suggested in the past...


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## rich p (15 Dec 2012)

thom said:


> The idea to start the TdF in Japan has been suggested in the past...


and the Giro in New York FFS!


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## johnr (15 Dec 2012)

There was even some talk of their starting a tour in Scotland...


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## Paul_L (15 Dec 2012)

PpPete said:


> Cost them £4M
> Worth it ?


 
According to Visit Yorkshire, the projected income is in excess of £100m so definitely worth it.


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## Winnershsaint (15 Dec 2012)

Great news for you lot up north. Only been to Yorkshire once and that was to Bradford for a cup quarter final in March 1976. Bet it's changed a bit since then!


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## Rob500 (15 Dec 2012)

rich p said:


> and the Giro in New York FFS!


 
Aye in Little Italy.


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## fossyant (15 Dec 2012)

Went to see the Tour in Dublin, that was awesome !


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## Peteaud (15 Dec 2012)

johnr said:


> SHAME ON YOU!


 
But here in Somerset anything north of Bristol is the north. 

I think it was about 1993 and i went to a pub in leeds.

So 2014 holiday will be starting in Yorkshire to make amends.


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## paxterg (15 Dec 2012)

Does anyone know of any good self catering hotels in Leeds, suitable for a young family and reasonably priced of course!


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## Paul_L (18 Dec 2012)

Is the consensus that there won't be a prologue but two full Yorkshire stages?


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## Noodley (18 Dec 2012)

There should be a ban on any nobbers from the south being allowed to view it, unless they have a reference from someone living in the midlands or northwards....


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## Minotier (19 Dec 2012)

Winnershsaint said:


> Great news for you lot up north. Only been to Yorkshire once and that was to Bradford for a cup quarter final in March 1976. Bet it's changed a bit since then!


Yes fella, there are less pits,mills and steel plants and more call centres and take-aways!


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## oldroadman (19 Dec 2012)

Noodley said:


> There should be a ban on any nobbers from the south being allowed to view it, unless they have a reference from someone living in the midlands or northwards....


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## Peteaud (19 Dec 2012)

Noodley said:


> There should be a ban on any nobbers from the south being allowed to view it, unless they have a reference from someone living in the midlands or northwards....


 
Thats ok ive got a mate who lives in Bristol, and that is well up north from me.


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## johnr (20 Dec 2012)

Paul_L said:


> Is the consensus that there won't be a prologue but two full Yorkshire stages?


 Seems to be, yes. The routes due to be announced on 17 January 2013 if memory serves.


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## johnr (20 Dec 2012)

Peteaud said:


> Thats ok ive got a mate who lives in Bristol, and that is well up north from me.


 Not too exercised by the whole N-S stuff myself. Much more worried that a convoy of Lancastrian white vans will evade security procedures in an attempts to take out Wiggins again.


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## bicyclos (23 Dec 2012)

Does not matter where it starts in the UK, if it was down south or Scotland or wales I would have made the journey but this time its on mi doorstep!!!! I will be defo be someplace on the route for both days..... embrace and enjoy


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## DCLane (14 Jan 2013)

La Nuit du Tour - Thursday 17th January 2013 - anyone going?

The announcement of T'Tour de France Yorkshire route is on Thursday 6-7pm in Leeds.

I'm planning to be there, partly because several members of Ravensthorpe Cycling Club, which I'm now in, will be on the stage as part of the announcement and partly because my university's Velocampus has suggested we go to make up numbers.


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## johnr (14 Jan 2013)

Unfortunately, I'll be at work


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## Steve H (14 Jan 2013)

I might go depending on work commitments.


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## davefb (17 Jan 2013)

basic route announced..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21056721


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## Alien8 (17 Jan 2013)

Stage three - Monday, 7 July, 2014
Cambridge - Epping Forest - the Olympic Park - the Mall

Whilst I find this slightly ironic - Cambridge: big on cyclist numbers, poor on support of cyclists
I guess it might mean a pothole filling frenzy.


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## musa (17 Jan 2013)

I might do a reccee of the to-London leg ---- can imagine for it to be chocker block in London


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## DCLane (17 Jan 2013)

The Day 2 leg; a good chunk of it's my Saturday ride


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## ColinJ (17 Jan 2013)

We are discussing the actual routes of the 2 Yorkshire stages in this thread.

I don't know whether that should remain as a separate thread or be merged in here - *MODS*?


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## ColinJ (25 Dec 2013)

ColinJ said:


> I got 'big air' on the descent of Fleet Moss towards Hawes, where the road abruptly ramps down at about 25%! I managed to stay on the bike but someone else was not so lucky and ended up in hospital ...


I just watched an episode of the BBC's '_Helicopter Heroes_' in which the HeliMed crew were sent out to deal with an injured cyclist. I immediately recognised that the accident had happened at the steep part of the Fleet Moss descent mentioned above! The cyclist had some very painful injuries.

* IF YOU EVER TACKLE THAT DESCENT - TAKE EXTREME CARE! *


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## I like Skol (25 Dec 2013)

ColinJ said:


> I just watched an episode of the BBC's '_Helicopter Heroes_' in which the HeliMed crew were sent out to deal with an injured cyclist. I immediately recognised that the accident had happened at the steep part of the Fleet Moss descent mentioned above! The cyclist had some very painful injuries.
> 
> * IF YOU EVER TACKLE THAT DESCENT - TAKE EXTREME CARE! *


Where is this reputed 'dangerous' descent then?


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## ColinJ (25 Dec 2013)

I like Skol said:


> Where is this reputed 'dangerous' descent then?


It is at the top of Fleet Moss, heading towards Hawes. The road leading to the problem is steep enough to get up a lot of speed very quickly and then after a short flatter section there is an abrupt increase of gradient which you can't see until it is too late. (Er, yes, there _are_ signs at the top warning of the steepness of the road!)

I just did not see the problem coming and launched into the air over the lip of the road. I must have been 3 or 4 feet off the road and doing about 30 or 40 mph. I had long enough to feel the fear in the pit of my stomach about what was going to happen when I landed. Fortunately, I kept my weight far enough back not to land front wheel first, and my tyres did not explode.

As I mentioned above - the same day that I had my near miss, someone else ended up in hospital, and I have heard of other accidents on that descent, as well as the one in the TV show.

I'm sure that if you knew what you were doing and were on the right bike, you could probably do something spectacular in relative safety. The problem is that it is really deceptive and is a dangerous trap for the unwary.

Here it is in StreetView. You can't get a proper idea of the problem from that because the camera is so much higher above the road than a rider's head would be.

This profile should give you a clearer picture of the problem ...


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## F70100 (1 Jan 2014)

Looks like the route planners have been reading this thread and are going from Buckden to Hawes via Aysgarth.


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## Pale Rider (1 Jan 2014)

I wonder if the route will be deemed to be closed for the use of tour riders/entourage, or closed for the use of cyclists.

Probably the former, but it might be relevant to me as I will be on the Brompton and might want to use a short stretch of the route to get to a vantage point.


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## steveindenmark (1 Jan 2014)

Hill dodger......Beryl Burton OBE, famous Leeds cyclist.

Colin " taking the pxss" in Yorkshire was better than taking it in Spain for Robert Millar. They didn't find testosterone in Yorkshire.

The worst thing about Yorkshire is that we named those furry, yappy, rats, Yorkshire Terriers. We have loads of whippets, they are far nicer.

Tdf starting in Yorkshire. Well there is the language barrier, the food and the hills to contend with, and that's just for the English riders. It sounds like fun.

But I certainly want the jersey.

Steve


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## oldroadman (2 Jan 2014)

I like Skol said:


> Where is this reputed 'dangerous' descent then?


 There are no "dangerous descents", only "technical descents". A few years ago the Giro was a good example. Descending at speed is a skill, and a good take-off spot on a technical descent can be seen in Belgium on the major classics routes, dropping off the berg just after the old Belvedere bar/restaurant, where the pave dips away then ramps up, the dips, instant take off. Still on pave. Always a good crowd at the cafe on the right just past the landing spot, I often wondered why, until the day came...smarts a bit when you land!


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## thom (9 Jan 2014)

Looks like Yorkshire will host a bit more than this year's tour. ASO are trying to establish a long term 3 day event based in Yorkshire, similar to the Criterium International but in the summer and with the same UCI ranking.
Gotta be a good thing for UK road racing but I'm thinking it might be better to be more flexible on location; Scotland's Highlands don't get visited by the ToB for example.


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## SteCenturion (10 Jan 2014)

PpPete said:


> Cost them £4M
> Worth it ?


Every penny !

Think how much revenue will be created & also - post TdF - how many cycling fans will re visit Yorkshire.


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## SteCenturion (10 Jan 2014)

ColinJ said:


> It's a nice idea to ride over to watch the first stage but there will be an awful lot of traffic and a lot of closed roads. When I went to watch the Kelloggs Tour go over Holme Moss, the roads were clogged solid all around so my mate parked his car and we ran 2 miles to Holme village, getting there just as Sean Yates and Robert Millar were riding past!
> 
> I think a better alternative would be a commemorative TdF stage CycleChat forum ride the following weekend. None of this _'Étape du Tour'_ nonsense - _'Stage of t' Tour'! _It would be the longest and hardest of my forum rides ever, so we had better get into training now!


We could do T'tour that dun't T'tour - T'tour - wot dus't reckun ??


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## SteCenturion (10 Jan 2014)

Peteaud said:


> Thats ok ive got a mate who lives in Bristol, and that is well up north from me.


That's still Daarrnn Saaarf & not nearly Norrf - Enuff 



Peteaud said:


> Thats ok ive got a mate who lives in Bristol, and that is well up north from me.


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## RedRider (10 Jan 2014)

Well, me and my mate are planning on riding up from London - probably on singlespeed bikes! - it's ok tho, we're both northerners.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (14 Apr 2014)

I see there are to be 5 Fan Parks in "the UK" as follows:
. West Park Stray, Harrogate: July 3, 4, 5 and 6
. Green Park, London: July 4 (evening), 5, 6 and 7
. International Quarter, Olympic Park, London: July 5, 6, 7
. Trafalgar Square, London: July 5, 6, 7
. Canary Wharf, London: July 24, 25, 26 and 27

So not really "the UK" but the start location and then London. I wonder where the French got their idea of "the UK" from...?


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## raindog (24 Apr 2014)

John Degenkolb, Marcel Kittel recce Jenkin Road, Sheffield. TDF route Stage 2 
reckon they got caught out with standard gearing 


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYF5DnPpJQ4


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## ColinJ (24 Apr 2014)

Nice to see that they are doing their homework! 

(And I'm glad it's not just me that rides uphill like that ...)


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## I like Skol (24 Apr 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Nice to see that they are doing their homework!
> 
> (And I'm glad it's not just me that rides uphill like that ...)


Ha, went over Holme Moss today during a ride involving a big loop through Huddersfield and was amazed at the number of cyclists riding up the Moss then turning around at the top and going back the way they came. It has become THE destination of choice for all the Mamil racer wannabees'


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## Svendo (24 Apr 2014)

More on Giant Shimano's TDF recce on the BBC. I notice the picture is the top of Cragg Vale in the fog, and thought it was this morning as it was foggy enough for me to put lights back on for my commute to work (I'm just over the hill to the west of Cragg Vale.). But the video above was posted 2 days ago so it must have been another foggy day.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (24 Apr 2014)

Svendo said:


> More on Giant Shimano's TDF recce on the BBC.



If the organisers have made the route "too technical and testing" and it does result in some of the top riders being affected/injured then we can kiss goodbye to any repeat visits for a long time; the position of Yorkshire from the start has demonstrated a lack of awareness about Grand Tour racing, their focus being on "let's show this lot of Continentals what we've got, send them up hills and down dales and make it as hard as we can..." which I think will backfire big time.

I might be proved wrong. But I doubt it.


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## Svendo (24 Apr 2014)

I remember an interview (on a podcast, so probably one of the velocast ones, or the bike show.) with one of the organisers who was clear that the route was agreed with the ASO, and the french were saying they'd love to take the race up park rash etc. but the roads are just too small. Point being the route was actively decided with the race organisers and not given to them by Yorkshire, also they do have a limit on the quality of raod usable, albeit different to Marcel Kittels. And there's history of the early stages taking routes that make crashes seem inevitable, that wet causeway in Brittany(?) for instance.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (25 Apr 2014)

Svendo said:


> I remember an interview (on a podcast, so probably one of the velocast ones, or the bike show.) with one of the organisers who was clear that the route was agreed with the ASO, and the french were saying they'd love to take the race up park rash etc.



The organisers have shown themselves to be less than accurate in their presentation of facts in the past and present, and whilst the route would have been agreed by ASO it is doubtful that they will have agreed to every part of the route km by km. As for the French saying they'd "love to take the race up Park Rash etc" they'll never have heard of the bloody place and just gone with what they were told. This is the French who have the Alps and the Pyrenees...


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## raindog (25 Apr 2014)

A team of ASO guys will have gone over every kilometre with a fine tooth-comb and studied the area for months. 
They clearly love the place, as there will be a yearly ASO 3 day international race in the area starting next season.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/mar/27/yorkshire-tour-de-france-three-day


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