Yorkshire to host the opening stages of the Tour de France
17/01/2013
It has been announced that Yorkshire will host the 2014 Grand Depart, the opening stages of the Tour de France.
The opening stage of the 2014 Tour de France will take the riders north from Leeds through the towns of Otley, Ilkley and Skipton before heading into the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and ending in Harrogate.
Stage one - Saturday, 5 July
Leeds - Harewood - Otley - Ilkley - Skipton - Kettlewell - Aysgarth - Hawes - Reeth - Leyburn - Ripon - Harrogate
Stage two heads west from the historic city of York towards Haworth - the village that was home to the Bronte family - and also passes through Holmfirth, the filming location for long-running BBC sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine, before reaching Sheffield.
Stage two - Sunday, 6 July
York - Knaresborough - Silsden - Keighley - Haworth - Hebden Bridge - Elland - Huddersfield - Holmfirth - Sheffield
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the agency behind the successful bid, added: "The routes of the Grand Depart will showcase some of Yorkshire's iconic cycling climbs and the county's stunning land and cityscapes.
"The peloton will be technically tested as they tackle some challenging terrain in what are sure to be two exhilarating days of racing in the county."
Yorkshire's Tour de France bid had the support of Team Sky's Ben Swift, double Olympic track champion Ed Clancy, Barry Hoban, winner of eight stages of the Tour de France, and Malcolm Elliott, the first British rider to win a points jersey in a Grand Tour.
Prolific Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish, whose mother lives in Harrogate, also backed the bid. Former Team Sky rider Cavendish, who joined Belgian team Omega Pharma QuickStep last October, has 23 Tour de France stage victories, the fourth-highest total of all time.
Visiting the Tour de France
Why not extend your visit to Yorkshire with a visit to the beautiful Yorkshire Coast. Crows Nest Caravan Park have a range of luxury holiday homes for hire, as well as touring caravan pitches and tent pitches. Our camping field offers fantastic sea views towards Scarborough and its iconic castle.
More Details about the Tour de France
Further details about all aspects of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart can be found on the Welcome to Yorkshire website.