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Tour de France 2014 - traveller’s guide
01 Jul 2014 at 14:46
The 2014 Tour de France kicks off this Thursday 3 July, with an opening ceremony being held in Leeds.
Yes,
Leeds. Although the majority of Tour de France stages are held in mainland France, it’s becoming increasingly common for the bicycle race to start in nearby countries. The UK kicked off the race in London, back in 2007, and now it’s returning for a number of stages in Yorkshire and the South East.
Many spectator areas are expected to be very busy, and the nature of the tour means some others will be remote. It’s thus a very good idea to make detailed plans of where you’re headed before you set off - tools such as the RAC Route Planner can give you an excellent overview of how to seek out the best spots to watch the cyclists in action.
Tour de France 2014 - Saturday 5 July
The first stage, being held on Saturday 5
th July, is a 119-mile sprint from Leeds to Harrogate – passing through Skipton, before heading into the Yorkshire Dales and over the Buttertubs Pass.
Tour de France 2014 - Sunday 6 July
Sunday will see the 180 competitors cover 124 miles from York to Sheffield, passing through towns including Holmfirth, Hebden Bridge and Huddersfield. The route includes a climb over the 524m Holme Moss, and a descent along the Woodhead Pass where it clips the edge of Derbyshire’s Peak District.
Tour de France 2014 - Monday 7 July
The third and final UK stage before the race crosses the channel into France sees the cyclists departing from Cambridge, heading down through Essex and the town of Chelmsford, and into central London. There, they’ll travel down the Embankment, pass the Houses of Parliament, skirt Buckingham Palace and finish on The Mall.
Will the Tour de France UK lead to any road closures?
Of course, as a result of the race some roads will be closed to cater for the cyclists and the large contingency of support crew and spectators, keen to get a glimpse. The closures vary – many will start from early in the morning, while others will only happen later on in the day.
Organisers say that local residents should expect roads to be closed for a minimum period of eight hours, while the start and finish locations will experience greater disruption. Local authorities are warning that cars left on the route will be removed, and delays are likely if you close to the race (although main routes in London should not be affected).
What facilities will local authorities lay on to help Tour de France spectators?
If you’re planning on watching the race and travelling by car, the best advice is to plan well in advance. Authorities have allocated car parks close to the route, but some will involve a walk of over three miles. Some are also running park and ride schemes – to find out more, visit http://letour.yorkshire.com/.
Alternatively, additional trains will be running in the areas the route passes through. Cycling to the event is also encouraged – you can even take your bike on the route itself, as long as it’s cleared approximately two hours before the race passes through. Many spectator hubs will have dedicated cycle parking, and you can even cycle the closed roads before they reopen to normal traffic.
Of course, the three stages in the UK are only a small part of this year’s Tour de France. Once arriving on French soil at Le Touquet, near Calais, the route heads east to Lille, Belgium, before heading back into France.
It’ll then loosely follow France’s eastern border as it heads south, before following the south coast through Nimes and towards the Spanish border.
Competitors will then head north, where they’ll cross the finish line on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Just as in the UK, the RAC
Route Planner will allow you to plot a route to follow all the action - and if you’re travelling over there and want to make sure you don’t risk getting stuck, why not consider taking out
European breakdown cover? It can cost less than £10 and will ensure you don’t get stranded on a remote French backroad with the cyclists long since departed…