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.

Nutty idea, but do you think there's any way we could ask MNHQ to give us little jerseys next to our names, like the World Cup flags, for the teams we support in the TDF? Maybe starting once the World Cup finishes.

Great idea llj in the meantime I shall change my flag to Belgium.
Exciting finish, and a bit emotional. Also Kwiatko came 3rd, so that makes up a bit for losing Cav.

I was just outside Leeds yesterday and on Cote d'Oxenhope Moor today. Just got back to watch the last bits on TV. Totally amazing experience and soooo thankful for two days of good weather. Got piles of Caravane freebies too!

I've watched Le tour loads on TV and in the main, the spectators have behaved as they always do. Some people near me got shoulder nudged by the peleton today.

Ah thread confusion. Random comment about spectator behaviour was because I'm also looking at an AIBU about spectator behaviour started by someone who has never watched road racing before.

Yes OnIlkley this is the non pearl clutching thread for people who are aware that there is more than one road race a year.

Rats, random visitors arrived just as the peloton hit Sheffield!
Thank goodness for rewind TV

I'd love to see some photos, if any of you spectating folks would like to share them

It's me Lostinwales - my son got the kittel selfie.

We are just back from Yorkshire - amazing crowds. Great atmosphere where we were watching.

Watched it from the Cover Bridge Inn in Wensleydale - it was fantastic!
Massive giant party on the verges, basically. I've never known an atmosphere like it. Oh, and a great view of the cycling as well.

Not much loot thrown out from the caravan, unfortunately, because they'd mostly run out by the time they got to us! DS was mostly fascinated by the people who were sitting on roofs, chimneys and roadsigns to watch.

We've been watching from the sofa - really impressive atmosphere in Yorkshire. I'm not sure we're going to keep the side up down south, but my neighbours have already left (????) to make the 14 mile jouney down to the place they have decided is optimal viewing location.

I did mention the spectators Ilkley, which might be why you got muddled.

Sorry and all that

Well, there are a lot more people to the mile in the south east, so the Cambridge-London leg might get a bit crowded, even on a Monday.

"Have been watching all morning to see it go through my village and they went through on a flipping ad break.....damn you ITV."

IMO ITV shouldn't have the rights to film events where advert breaks interrupt at the wrong point.

We had a great day on Woodhead Pass. The police bikers were high fiving the spectators. There were 5 helicopters filming. It was a miracle they didn't collide. And it didn't start raining until we were almost back at the car.

Just watched the ITV and Eurosport coverage but didn't see us, could see where we were but ITV cut to an ad break and Eurosport to a helicopter shot of an Abbey, at just the wrong time.

I have some pics to add but MN won't let me put them on yet!

This has been the best weekend. To see our lovely county in the sunshine, great crowds, amazing atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and the best sporting event in the world taking part right through it, on the roads that I use every day. It's the sort of thing that my children will remember for the rest of their lives, I hope.

They need to come back again.

Endo.

It was more fun than it had any right to be. Totally memorable and brilliant.

Next time couldn't be QUITE as fabulous though - it was partly the whole bizarre 'The Tour de FRANCE? In YORKSHIRE?' feeling that made it amazing.

That looks great, Bunbaker

Tour has had 2.5 million spectators in Yorkshire! (BBC link)

Just caught up on the highlights - Holme Moss was spectacular, and loved the racing up Jenkin Road at the end, even Contador looked like he wanted to get off and push at one point.

You lucky lucky people (addressed to Yorkshire folk on thread) what a gorgeous county!
I'm inclined to think Cambridgeshire may deliver crowds but the yellow bikes, bunting, scenery and (especially) inclines will undoubtedly show Yorkshire's superiority as a bike race venue.
We saw the start in Leeds yesterday and prior to heading back south today took a drive out to Otley along the stage 1 route, playing decorated bike spotting games.
Just caught up on the brilliant racing of today's stage on the highlights show.
This is probably my favourite 3 weeks of each year

Thank you Selks

I shall watch today's race on catch up tomorrow.

One day today's stage will be seen as a classic amongst classic TdF stages. For the 2nd stage of the race to engage so many GC contenders, to get them to ensure they were at the front, even at the expense of their team mates shows this. I can't remember a year where so many GC contenders finished so close together as part of a breakaway group. So in a sense it was a one day classic wrapped inside Le Tour. Brilliant trolling Yorkshire.

Given the level of support shown Le Tour will be back, and sooner rather than later. I bet the organisers are creaming their pants at the numbers involved this weekend. Roll on tomorrow and the stage from Cambridge to London. The high street in Saffron Walden was resurfaced a coupl of weeks back. I only know as I spent the weekend there. Lovely place, but holy Geoff it's expensive!

Wow. Just a big wow. Had a super fabby wonderful day and just caught up on tv recorded. Some piccies and tales.
But the really best bit was riding away on the trunk road A628 with no cars. Just trillions and millions of bikes.

Had a fantastic day.

Got a great spot halfway up cote du bradfield, on the steep, narrow bit. Gt there at 8:30 am and it was nearly 4pm when they came through. So long, long wait but worth it.

We were 7 miles from the finish and the Sky boys were leading a breakaway sprint.

Doctor there are no potholes on the tour route in Yorkshire, they've been smoothing it out for months.

The rest of the roads are still as lumpy as ever.