Tour de Yorkshire, Cambridge...and oh yes France as well!!

[Panwearsjaune]

T minus 35 days and counting, to the Grand Depart from Leeds 5th July, with two stages in the White County, and then a third from Cambridge to the Mall in London. It's just soo exciting! It's the biggest biking event in the world, with approx 190 professional riders in about 20 teams racing across tarmac and cobbles, up mountains and down Dales and ending on 27th July on the Champs Elysee, Paris in the now traditional sprint finish there. So here's the thread to share in it all, swop info about accommodation for Tour watchers, road closures, the parcours (courses), peloton gossip, potential meet ups, tv coverage, who's got the nicest legs etc.. and everything to do with the thrills and occasional spills with the event that is a game of poker played out every day on 380 wheels. OF course if you are a newbie to all of this and are curious about the whys and hows of racing then ask and someone will pop up to answer questions. Hopefully.

So I'll depart here next with the routes of the UK 3 stages being taken so no-one gets lost and ends up in the dreaded broom wagon.

Pan your lunch sounds delicious! Weather forecast is great news too. Enjoy

How That post earns you the "Queen of the Posts" jersey, which you'll probably stay in for the rest of the Tour!

We will prob be on a bit of an exposed bit. They come down Holme Moss, and turn sharp left at Woodhead Reservoir about 60km to go, and we will be somewhere shortly up the road from there, where it climbs again. Phone charged. Recording set.

Have another fabulous day everybody!

I'm going to have to record it again today as I'm involved in this - if anyone is free this evening at 8pm there's a concert in the Victoria Quarter (yes, the shopping street) this evening for only £2.

BBC news saying Cav is out of the tour now.

Selks I was just coming on to post that too.

www.itv.com/tourdefrance/cavendish-ruled-out-of-tour

:(

Hope that OPQS can reform their tactics and maybe get behind Michael Kwiatkowski now for the GC, and they still have (the lovely) Tony Martin for the TT.

Oops meant to post this also

www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/mark-cavendish-update/1826

BBC linky. Knew it but still gutted for the poor bloke. Cav says it's his fault and he will be apologising to Gerrans. I still think it was a racing incident, Cav tried to spot the gap and Gerrans had nowhere to go.

Apparently the gas leak wasn't a gas leak: it was a mains power supply shorting underground. The "gas" was smoke - and the bangs were so loud it was making the houses shake. They had to dig up the road to sort it at midnight and get it resurfaced as it is part of the route! (just after the end of the cobbles in Haworth).

We've got a prone position by the barriers just after the cobbles start. Blue Riderz are draped on the barriers.

For "prone" read "prime"

Caravane came through an hour ago - much waiting happening here in York

It is nuts, NUTS I tell you, watching the tour go through York. Love the Minsters 'Allez Allelulia' yellow jersey on the roof.

Have recorded the start as I was at the farmers' market getting cheese and pate for today's tv watching extravaganza. Home in time for the real start and it's time for breakfast.

I am green with jealousy at those MN peloton members who are in prone prime places to watch today.

I'm watching on ITV4 - it's recording and I am rather behind, but will get caught up during the ad breaks. It is gloriously sunny here in Scotland - I hope it is as good in Yorkshire.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Oh - and as a side-note, please can someone BURN David Millar's hat - it is a fashion travesty!

I wish the commentators would STFU about dry-stone walls, local castles etc. I know they're paid to talk, but they just drivel on and on...

Apart from that, this is the first TDF I've made the effort to watch, and I'm loving it!

Pretty I'm disappointed you're not actually prone, but I guess it's still early

Rudy its 2 hours before, I believe!

Got to love Cote de Blubberhouses!

DP rang from his spot. Said they got nothing from the caravan as they were being tight

We missed the caravan one year in Paris as were having lunch. dS2 pulled his best sad face and some lovely American ladies gave him their PMU hands and other swag, he still has the hand on his wall.

I stole this pic from the cycling news thread on today's stage. I for one can't wait for Jenkin Road ... forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=22578&page=17

I think they have to talk about the scenery etc because there is only so much they can say about the racing, without repeating themselves all the time.

I am loving the frenchification of the place names, and the names of the sights - though Le Cathedrale de Sainte Pierre in York did confuse ds1 (age 21) - he was surprised that there was a cathedral named after a French Saint in York. I despair!

The commentary is all part of it, it's nearly as good as listening to the cricket on radio 4

For my lunch I am having Brie on a baguette I bake with my own fair Yorkshire woman hands accompanied by a dash if Henderson'a relish in a TdF commemorative bottle. Do I win a prize for most apt lunch?

When we were up the Alpe d'Huez (sneaks another mention of the Best Day of my Life™ in whilst Pan can't see) I actually had a tug of war battle with an old lady for a king of the mountains top! Then some lovely people gave us another one (DS 3 was tiny so we'd bought him a diddy spotty t-shirt) the boys looked awesome.