The Tour de France comes to Yorkshire

You don’t have to head for the Champs Elysees to witness the Tour de France. This year the world’s top cycle race is coming to the hills and dales of Yorkshire, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy this historic sporting occasion in the region.

On July 5^th Le Tour will arrive in the North of England for the first time, with hundreds of riders taking part in Le Grand Depart from Leeds. July 6^th will see the cycle race visit York and Sheffield, before moving on to Cambridgeshire and Essex on the 7^th. The UK leg of the race will finish in London on the Mall. The race will then resume across the channel in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, and finish almost three weeks later in Paris.

Stage 1 – Leeds to Harrogate (Saturday 5^th July)

The race will begin on the Headrow in Leeds at 11:10am. If you want to get a good view be sure to get there early. Two hours before the start the publicity ‘caravan’ of 180 decorated floats will set off, and souvenir merchandise will be thrown into the crowd.

After leaving Leeds the peloton will roll across the Yorkshire Dales and finish the day with a sprint to Harrogate in the late afternoon.

Stage 2 –York to Sheffield (Sunday 6^th July)

Day 2 of Le Tour begins at York Racecourse and sees the riders pass the city’s castle. The race will then pass through Harrogate once more and take a route to Huddersfield, then through part of the Peak District to Sheffield.

Where to watch

In addition to the starting and end points on each stage, there will be a series of spectator hubs along the route.  The Fan Park at West Park in Harrogate will feature live coverage of the race throughout, as well as stalls and entertainment.