Yorkshire bid for 2016 Tour de France start

[la.margna]

French President backs Yorkshire bid for 2016 Tour de France start

As if this guy from Loft Story had any say about this!!!

would be cool, nevertheless!

 

[pugdog]

Does Hollande know where Yorkshire is? Or is it the pudding that interests him?

 

[armchairclimber]

It would be brilliant to see them ride up Cragg Vale.

Even better if they took in the Shibden Wall...last time the Tour of Britain went up there, several riders got off and carried their bikes

http://youtu.be/TB_8B3aZAGA

 

[la.margna]

@armchairclimber BRILLIANT! AWESOME! that would be cool.

or also Constitution Hill, Swansea (have no clue if that's Yorkshire, but somewhere in England), epic Tour of Britain 2010:
http://youtu.be/BswlXBX6SRA

wish the olympic road race had one of these walls on the program

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Swansea's in Wales, so actually not England at all, but Yorkshire does have this:

(that's about 1,5km at 12%, with a max of something around 30%!)

Hard to find anywhere big enough to host the Tour close enough to it to make a difference, mind. I'm sure you could make a really good Ardennes-type stage there.

 

[Caruut]

The Dales could make a great Ardennaise stage, for sure. Where is that LS?

Heard on Twitter that McQuaid has been making crazy demands from London 2012 in return for brining the Tour to Yorkshire. Would make a nice difference from the limp départs in Belgium and Denmark this year.

 

[armchairclimber]

Cragg Vale is a shade over 300 metres of ascent in just under 10K. Not exactly the Angliru but the longest continuous ascent in England.

There are some better hills nearby though.

 

[Caruut]

@armchairclimber BRILLIANT! AWESOME! that would be cool.

or also Constitution Hill, Swansea (have no clue if that's Yorkshire, but somewhere in England), epic Tour of Britain 2010:
http://youtu.be/BswlXBX6SRA

wish the olympic road race had one of these walls on the program

Sadly that's in Swansea, a long way away from London. The finish for the road race has been designed to make a great picture for the papers, not a great race.

 

[will10]

The Dales could make a great Ardennaise stage, for sure. Where is that LS?

Heard on Twitter that McQuaid has been making crazy demands from London 2012 in return for brining the Tour to Yorkshire. Would make a nice difference from the limp départs in Belgium and Denmark this year.

LS's picture is Rosedale Chimney. I know of someone who got up that beast on the big ring....

A Yorkshire start sure would be interesting, should be able to conjure up a hilly couple of stages, if they wanted to.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Yorkshire would be nice.

Having a really hilly/medium mountain stage as 2nd or 3rd stage, would maybe help against the nervousness a bit in the first week, if it's difficult enough to create some time differences.

Looking at Climbbybike it should be perfectly possible to make a difficult and entertaining stage over there.

 

[will10]

Yorkshire would be nice.

Having a really hilly/medium mountain stage as 2nd or 3rd stage, would maybe help against the nervousness a bit in the first week, if it's difficult enough to create some time differences.

Looking at Climbbybike it should be perfectly possible to make a difficult and entertaining stage over there.

Unfortunately everything depends on where they want to finish. I fear a Pau-type finish

 

[Froome19]

Dont see much chance of it going elsewhere due to the publicity it has created so far, it would be a much needed injection for the local economy and would make for a great race considering the terrain.

 

[Caruut]

Unfortunately everything depends on where they want to finish. I fear a Pau-type finish

York is quite hilly, perhaps an uphill finish into there after a meander around the area that Rosedale Chimney is in?

 

[Frosty]

From what i understand both Scotland and Yorkshire have put in a bid and are competing against each other? Maybe they could try to marry the two together with a prologue in Edinburgh, a stage in Scotland looping round north into Perthshire before finishing in Glasgow. Then the next stage is a lumpy one south to finish somewhere in the Borders (county on the Scottish side of the England/Scotland border) or maybe Newcastle? Then the next day sees another lumpy day to finish in Leeds/Sheffield or something?

Then an easy transfer via plane to wherever in France.

 

[AngusW]

Swansea's in Wales, so actually not England at all, but Yorkshire does have this:

(that's about 1,5km at 12%, with a max of something around 30%!)

Hard to find anywhere big enough to host the Tour close enough to it to make a difference, mind. I'm sure you could make a really good Ardennes-type stage there.

Maybe have the prologue finish at the top, after 6km before the climb. Get a climber in the maillot jaune early on.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

How about something like York to somewhere up at the north of the county over climbs like Sutton Bank and RCB, then a second stage to loop around the west of Leeds and down to Sheffield over the types of climbs from the old Tour of Britain stages there, then an ITT of circa 20-25km (like Cholet '08) in Leeds, so that the riders are close to an airport for the transfer down to France?

 

[Konfronto]

Yeah, Leeds, Leeds, Leeds!!! LEEDS MOT!!! We are Leeds United!!!

Awesome news!!!

 

[mscaviy2601]

How about something like York to somewhere up at the north of the county over climbs like Sutton Bank and RCB, then a second stage to loop around the west of Leeds and down to Sheffield over the types of climbs from the old Tour of Britain stages there, then an ITT of circa 20-25km (like Cholet '08) in Leeds, so that the riders are close to an airport for the transfer down to France?

My memory from the discussion on Eurosport during the tour was a start in Leeds for the first stage with a finish on the coast in Scarborough (scenic castle for the 'coptor shots) via the Dales or Moors (don't remember which) and a second stage starting in York and finishing in the south of the county (Sheffield, Hull are the two names I've seen mentioned) which sounds like a pure sprint stage too me.

Although perhaps the starts are the other way round as a prologue around York makes a lot of visual sense.

anyways, the route has already been planned apparently.

 

[MartinGT]

Was told the other day that a certain person from Leeds Council passed over a nice cheque of £4m to ASO the other day for their bid of the Tour.

 

[MartinGT]

How about something like York to somewhere up at the north of the county over climbs like Sutton Bank and RCB, then a second stage to loop around the west of Leeds and down to Sheffield over the types of climbs from the old Tour of Britain stages there, then an ITT of circa 20-25km (like Cholet '08) in Leeds, so that the riders are close to an airport for the transfer down to France?

Yes please, I live near the Airport

 

[Wobbly knees]

It would be a shame if they missed out a stage in the Dales.

Some stunning countryside and some great climbs, some of those used in the Etap du Dales would be good along with Park Rash out of Kettlewell - an absolute beastie.

 

[armchairclimber]

I'd hear that there would be one stage in North Yorkshire...maybe taking in Sutton/Rosedale with a seaside finish in Scarborough. Another stage heading into West Yorkshire.

If I were planing it (with Heli-shots in mind), there would be a prologue around Leeds.

Then a Bradford start, out to Skipton (big cycling territory) looping around Malham Cove down Wharfedale, across to York, Pickering and into the North York Moors...Dalby Forest, Rosedale Chimney, Filingdales and a Scarborough finish.

Then a stage that starts in East Yorks, took in Halifax (Shibden Wall, Piece Hall), Cragg Vale, over to Huddersfield and over Holme Moss then down into Sheffield....or a Holme Moss finish. That would be fun.

 

[MartinGT]

Some of them climbs are just too steep for the Tour, were talking 22%+ man for the first few stages in the Tour, thats not going to happen.

 

[armchairclimber]

I know...it would be fun though.

To be honest, if it comes to Yorkshire, anywhere will do.

 

[the asian]

Yorkshire seems to have the terrain for some interesting stages. But I'm sure the ASO will screw things up. If Cav is still in top form in 2016, it will be three nice flat stages.