2014 TdF to start in Yorkshire

[jan19]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/20724621

This is wonderful news. Having attended all the events connected to the 2007 start in London, I'd urge anyone who possibly can to get to see this.Having also gone to see the Men's Road Race at the Olympics, I've no doubt it will be well supported.

2007 was a fabulous experience - ignore those bah humbugs who say its all over in a few seconds - and it will yet again raise the profile of cycling in this country. 2007 was a good opportunity for Kent to show off its beauties, and I'm sure Yorkshire will do the same.

While its too far for us to get to, I'm glad another part of the country will host this rather than the south-east. We've had our turn with 2007 and the Olympics, so its good for somewhere else to show cycling isn't just for the south-east.

Jan

I've just seen that the third day will end in London, so we'll go to that for sure

[thirdcrank]

More to the point - I see it's starting here in Leeds.

I'd always assumed that it would be cut-and-dried for the Scotland bid so it's a nice surprise.

I'm just off to find my camp bed

[Audax67]

More to the point - I see it's starting here in Leeds.

I'd always assumed that it would be cut-and-dried for the Scotland bid so it's a nice surprise.

Aye, well, you only got it because Cockbridge to Tomintoul would probably still be blocked by snow.

[thirdcrank]

I don't really care how we got it, so long as it doesn't involve a doubling of the poll tax to pay for it.

[rjb]

E Ba Gum

No prizes for recognising this rider - dishing it out on the first visit of the tour to the uk

Plympton Bypass 1974

[thirdcrank]

We've just had a news item about this on the local BBC News. One of the studio guests was Brian Robinson, the pioneer of British riders going to Europe. One of the most modest people you could ever meet. He was praising the work of the people who had worked on the successful bid when the head honcho of the publicity tean assured him a position on the start line.

For anybody who's never heard of him, he won two stages of the Tour (1958 and 1959) in the days when British riders were unknown. Things have come on a bit since then but somebody had to tahe that first step and that was Brian Robinson. He's not a young man but I hope he will get full rtecognition when the TDeF comes to Yorkshire. It would be a nice touch if the race passed through Mirfield.

[BertYardbrush]

Excellent news, like Jan19 I went to the 2007 London Grand Depart. I have one of the posters from the Underground on my wall.
It will be great to see the French Police motorcycle riders in the Yorkshire Dales and hopefully in Sheffield. Maybe they could dip into Derbyshire for a turn up Winnats. And the caravan with its promise of free samples of French washing powder - can't wait!

[timmitchell]

+1 for Mirfield. Then over into Saddleworth (West Riding but now Gtr Manchester) Past my house on the 'Isle of Skye' climb to Holmfirth.

This leads to the 150 mile question...what should the route be? All we know is it starts in Leeds....

For me it has to get in Holme Moss, Isle of Skye, Mirfield

[Mark1978]

We don't even know If there is a prologue in Leeds or straight to the first stage as is the case next year.

Really hope I get to see this. The Tour de France within a couple of hours of home

[garybaldy]

Last time it was here I could have watched it from my garden. Problem was I was in Canada! When I got home I tried to get one of the signs for a memento. I looked around and the only one left was out of reach high up on a lamp post.

That night I was working. I was, then an HGV driver, so at 2am armed with scissors, I went to get it.

The plan was to park beside it, then stand on the passenger seat to cut it down. Problem was the road was a well known haunt for the local ladies to ply their trade.

As I approached the post there was two of these ladies right underneath it. I hadn't got the nerve to stop, and by the following night it had gone! Drat!!

[Brucey]

As I approached the post there was two of these ladies right underneath it. I hadn't got the nerve to stop, and by the following night it had gone! Drat!!

-should have asked 'em if they were good at taking things down and if they might give you a hand.....

-I'll get me coat...

cheers

[Mick F]

Plympton Bypass 1974.

Before my time down this neck of the woods - we moved to Plymstock in Jan1980 but I remember the new bypass from when I was first driving down here in 1972.

However, two things:
1. That photo isn't actually of the Plympton Bypass - it's on a roundabout, and probably Marshmills, or the other end of Plympton at Langage.

2. I remember being told that there was a cock-up. The riders should have gone through Plympton town but they ended up on the bypass by mistake.

[thirdcrank]

That visit to the UK was not well received by the press. "Bore de France" was a typical headline. IIRC, the main problem was that the UK authorities were very reluctant (ie wouldn't entertain) a total road closure along a normal route so the by-pass (newly built?) was able to be closed off and that's what happened.

Again IIRC, the spectator turnout was relatively poor. That pic has Eddy Mercx leading and I suspect part of the reason for it being published was that there are no spectators.

People may question today why such a relatively remote part of the country was chosen as a venue. In those days, most stage towns hosted the finish one day and a start the next. Transfers between towns were difficult to organise and the riders always protested when they were included in the route. (Again IIRC, the riders didn't try too hard during this stage, partly to express disapproval, partly because it wasn't worth bothering in the absence of any real British interest.) So, as well as having a bit of road that could be closed, the location was convenient for the race iin the context of coming to England, but I think the general agreement was that the experiment was a disaster.

[Mick F]

That visit to the UK was not well received by the press. ............... a total road closure along a normal route so the by-pass (newly built?) was able to be closed off and that's what happened.

That's not what "local knowledge" says. Ask anyone round here if they can remember it, they will all tell you that there was a cock-up. I don't know anyone in Plympton specifically, so I can't ask to confirm it.

Plympton Bypass was built in 1971. It was extremely necessary back then because of the horrendous traffic bottlenecks. The Tamar Bridge opened in 1962 and relieved the traffic congestion through Gunnislake - the next crossing of the Tamar - and the very slow chain-link Torpoint Ferry. People think that traffic jams are a modern phenomenon, but the 1950s and 60s down here in the SW was gridlock every summer.

Plympton, before the bypass was a clogged and a divided town - unable to cross the road! - so no doubt the bypass relieved it. Therefore, I reckon with Plympton being so quiet, the Tdf could well have been planned to go through, and the "through traffic" could go down the bypass unhindered.

[Mick F]

Sorry, this is OT really, and I don't wish to divert the thread from Yorkshire.
However, I've done a bit of research about the Plympton Bypass.

Depending on where you look, it either opened in 1971 or 1974. Also, it seems that the Tdf went down the bypass before it was opened to traffic! These two dates/facts are at odds with each other.

I have a 1972/73 AA handbook which I've owned since back then, and I seem to remember driving my Minivan down the bypass in early 1972 - but memories can be wrong, but the bypass is clearly shown as open and not "projected". By all accounts, the bypass is shown on the 1971 edition of the OS maps but as I don't have one, I cannot confirm this.

Anyone better at searching please?