tour de france uk route 2014

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Tour de France 2014 route revealed

Published 23 October 2013

The route for the 2014 Tour de France, including the Yorkshire-based Grand Départ and the Cambridge-London stage, has been revealed today.

The tour starts in Leeds on the 5th July 2014 and takes riders on a trip around North and West Yorkshire finishing in Harrogate. The following day Stage 2 begins in York and riders will circle Leeds and Bradford ending up in Sheffield while Stage 3 – the final stage in Britain - starts in Cambridge and finishes in London on the 7th July.

The UK stages of the 2014 Tour de France form part of UK Sport's Gold Event Series which, building on the legacy of London 2012, aims to bring 70 world class events to this country by 2019.

Liz Nicholl, Chief Executive of UK Sport, said: “The Tour de France is one of the most famous events in the sporting calendar and the route that has been devised for 2014 takes in some of the most spectacular landscapes and iconic venues in Britain.

“This will give a huge number of people the opportunity to witness world class sport and see some of their British sporting heroes in action at close quarters. We are delighted it forms part of our Gold Event Series as it also provides another opportunity for the UK to demonstrate it has that combination of great infrastructure, outstanding technical ability and passionate fans and volunteers to make this a world class event.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “It was an honour to be able to represent Yorkshire at the presentation today and to showcase our proud county. Yorkshire’s will be the greatest Grand Départ in the history of the Tour de France. We will raise the bar for all future hosts with our Cultural Festival 100 days before the race, two stunning stages and a legacy that leaves a cycling imprint on the county which lasts for generations. The Grand Départ will put Yorkshire on the map as a destination capable of hosting world class events in a world class location, providing a springboard to greater things. We are excited, we are proud and we are ready to welcome the world.”

Christian Prudhomme, director of Le Tour, said: “We are excited to take Le Tour back to Britain again. I know the Grand Départ in Yorkshire will be visually stunning and technically challenging and the third stage from the cycling city of Cambridge to the historic heart of London will provide a fitting finale. The British cycling fans are passionate people and I am sure they will line the routes of the three stages cheering the teams and riders all the way from Yorkshire to London, providing an unforgettable start to the 2014 Tour.”

The first phase of new waymarked signs are being installed by North Yorkshire County Council along the route of Stage One. Approximately 50 will be used to guide people around the route with most of new signs in place by early 2014. Early plans are being drawn up for a sportive which would see cyclists riding the route of the Grand Départ in the weeks before the professional peloton. There are also plans to use the visit of the Tour de France as a catalyst to attract more international cycle races to Yorkshire as part of the Grand Départ Legacy programme.

For more information on the UK stages of the 2014 Tour de France visit www.letour.yorkshire.com  

View the route in full

Find out more about UK Sport's funding for Olympic and Paralympic cycling >

Find out more about UK Sport's Gold Event Series >

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Tour de France route 2014: Guide to British stages of Le Grand Tour

A guide to the tour de france route as it returns to britain for the first time in seven years, article bookmarked.

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Describing any sporting event as ‘intriguing’ risks damning it with faint praise- or slapping it around the face with the most backhanded of compliments. Yet the word is apt for this Tour de France route that takes in Pennine hills, hellish cobbles and three different mountain ranges.

This year is heavy on summit finishes but light on iconic climbs- there’s no Mont Ventoux or Alpe d’Huez, though the legendary Col du Tourmalet does make an appearance. But instead of limiting the excitement, the lack of big-name climbs could well make the racing more intriguing than usual.

The 2014 Tour promises to be a war of attrition from the moment the riders leave Leeds city centre on Saturday morning. There’s no traditional short prologue to give the riders an opportunity to ease into the race, rather a frenetic sprint stage that may prove too hilly for the peloton’s heavier fast men.

Things don’t get any easier on Stage 2, a Classics-style 198 kilometre slog through the Peak District that includes nine categorised climbs. The narrow Pennine roads will test the riders as much as the gradients of the hills- Jenkin Road in Sheffield where the stage finishes reaches 33 per cent at points.

The third and final British day should be the most sedate of the lot. It’s a bucolic 155km jaunt into London via the Olympic Park and ending on The Mall that should give the pure sprinters their first opportunity of a victory. There are no classified climbs and an awful lot of flat countryside, so there’s a good chance for a breakaway to go clear at some point too.

The Tour finally crosses the Channel for Stage 4 for a sprinters’ day from the beach resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage into metropolitan Lille. Look out though for crosswinds that could blow the race wide open.

Stage 5 is where things get really interesting. 15.4km of cobbled roads will test the mettle of the yellow jersey contenders- expect chaos on the Carrefour de l’Arbre, a particularly hellish section used by the particularly demonic Paris-Roubaix race.

The countryside around Reims is a sprinter’s paradise. Stage 6 through Champagne country is predominantly pancake-flat, with only two minor, 4 category climbs. Stage 7 passes through similarly level ground.

Next come three tough days in the Vosges Mountains- France’s unofficial third mountain range. Stage 10 looks like the biggest killer, ending in a summit finish at La Planche des Belles Filles where Chris Froome won in 2012. Before that the riders cross the climb of Petit Ballon- the first mountain ever used in the Tour, in 1905.

After a well-earned rest day come two transition stages that should favour breakaways, before Stage 13 which ends with a monster 18km climb to the Alpine ski station of Chamrousse. That’s followed by a second day in the Alps and another summit finish, this time to Risoul at 1,855m altitude.

Stage 16 begins all sweetly and innocently along the western edge of the French Riviera before a drawn-out fight up the irregular Pyrenean climb of Port de Balès, followed by a dangerous descent into the spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon.

Yet another summit finish looms at the end of Stage 17 which crosses into Spain and back in just 125km of racing. That makes it the shortest road stage of the Tour- and potentially the hardest, too.

Hautacam- even the name is brutal, conjuring up images of straining legs and heaving lungs. Stage 18 finishes atop this terrible Pyrenean mountain, the scene of the Dane Bjarne Riis’ astonishing attack on his way to winning the 1996 Tour. Before that comes the Col du Tourmalet, whose history is as long and storied as the Tour’s itself. An infernal day, this one.

Stage 19 is flat to Bergerac- even John Nettles might have a chance of finishing this one amongst a worn-out peloton. It’s followed by what could be a time-trial through the Dordogne. This Tour has the fewest number of kilometres against the clock since the 1934 edition, so this late stage could well be crucial.

And the end! After 20 days’ competition, Stage 20 is the usual ceremonial route through the outskirts of Paris, ending on the Champs Élysées after seven increasingly charged laps around the city centre.

Whoever ends up wearing yellow on the top step of the podium come the 27 July will certainly have earned it after this relentless route.

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Tour de France 2014 Grand Départ Routes

The 2014 Grand Départ “le Tour de Yorkshire” was a resounding success, and its start and finish points were Leeds, Harrogate, Sheffield and York.

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Tour de France 2014

Latest news from the race, ebay finds: specialized s-works tarmac sl5 nibali celebration bike, 2014 cyclingnews reader poll: tour de france picked as stage race of the year, 2014 tour de france grand départ watched by 3.5 million spectators.

Defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) will start, along with Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). However there is no place for Team Sky's 2012 race winner Bradley Wiggins.

Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma QuickStep), Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Marcel Kittel (Argos Shimano) are expected to fight it out for the green points jersey.

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Tour de France 2014 as it happened: Leeds to Harrogate

Marcel Kittel won the opening stage, while a crash on the run-in may have ended Mark Cavendish's Tour

• William Fotheringham's stage-by-stage guide
• Tour de France interactive: Route map and stage profiles

Barry Glendenning

Sat 5 Jul 2014 17.26 BST First published on Sat 5 Jul 2014 11.57 BST

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That's all from me for today ...

Marcel Kittel is in yellow, Mark Cavendish is gone to hospital for an x-ray on what looks like a broken collar bone and hun dreds of thousands of other people in Yorkshiure have had a far more pleasant day. Sean INgle and William Fotheringham will be reporting from Harrogate over the next couple of hours, so stay tuned for their updates and treat yourself to a copy of The Observer tomorrow, for a nice leisurely read over breakfast. Thanks for your company and have a great weekend.

Top 10 on General Classification after Stage One

1. Marcel Kittel (Germany/Giant) 4hr 44min 07sec

2. Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Cannondale) ST

3. Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania/Garmin)

4. Bryan Coquard (France/Europcar)

5. Michael Rogers (Australia/Tinkoff - Saxo)

6. Chris Froome (Britain/Team Sky)

7. Alexander Kristoff (Norway/Katusha)

8. Sep Vanmarcke (Belgium/Belkin)

9. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain/Movistar)

10. Michael Albasini (Switzerland/Orica)

An email from James Cavell

Our resident expert is here with his first strident opinion of the summer. "Cavendish looks to have totally failed to handle the pressure and stress of home expectations," he says. "That looked to be some totally unacceptable butting and jostling with Gerrans. There is minor contact often in sprints, but it's generally frowned upon to lean into opponents with the shoulder or use the helmet. It wouldn't surprise me if the jury issue some sort of infraction for that stunt. Pretty poor show, really."

Kate does the honours again

Having snipped the ceremonial ribbon earlier, the Duchess of Cambridge helps Marcel Kittel into his yellow jersey as Harry and William look on from the side. A few moments later, William helps him into the green jersey. Presumably Jens Voigt will be helped into the polka dot jersey by Prince Harry.

I've just seen the head-on of that crash and it certainly seemed that Cavendish got a little up close and personal with Gerrans, but he certainly didn't headbutt him. A push into Gerrans' shoulder with his head/helmet? Certainly. A headbutt? Emphatically not. Away from the crash, it briefly looked as if Fabian Cancellara might nick the stage, when he made his move with 1,200 metres to go, but in the end it was Kittel who prevailed by about a bike-length from Peter Sagan. Cancellara finished 12th in the end, while defending champion Chris Froome was sixth, no less.

Updated at 5.11pm BST

More on that Cavendish v Gerrans stramesh

The pair seemed to be having quite a frank exchange of views and shoulders as they jockeyed for position on the run-in. On Twitter, it's been suggested there may even have been a headbutt or two, but I'll need to see it again before giving a definitive verdict.

Kittel wins and Cavendish is in trouble

The Giant Shimano sprint specialist sprints his way into the yellow jersey ahead of Peter Sagan and Ramunas Navardaskaus. Having received medical attention, a rather distraught looking Mark Cavendish gets back on his bike and cycles slowly over the line holding his handlebars with his left hand, while holding his right arm in the manner of a man who might have done a mischief to his collar bone. He came down in a crash after a jostling match with Orica-Greenedge rider Simon Gerrans on the run-in. That was a nasty crash, with both men hitting the deck very, very hard.

Updated at 5.12pm BST

Marcel Kittel wins!!!

The German sprinter wins the stage! Mark Cavendish was brought down in a pile-up on the run-in and is lying on the ground holding his shoulder. Hopefully he's OK.

One kilometre to go

On the earlier slopes of the climb to the finish, there's grimaces all round as the riders dig deep. Fabian Cancellara jumps off the front under the one kilometre to go banner and tries to nick the stage! Can he hold on?!?!?!

Two kilometres to go

Tony Martin continues to time-trial the Omega Pharma-Quick Step through Harrogate to the finish.

Three kilometres to go

Omega Pharma-Quick Step continue to lead, with five riders ahead of Mark Cavendish in their train. Behind them, Peter Sagan is hoping to piggy-back their train, while Giant-Shimano are attempting to make up ground.

Four kilometres to go

Andre Greipel's Lotto Belisol team continue to make the pace on one side of the road, with Katusha on the other. OMega Pharma-Quick Step take advantage of the gap and zoom through to fill it and take up the lead.

Seven kilometres to go

Andre Greipel, one of the favourites for today's stage, appears at the front of the bunch. Omega Pharma-Quick Step's riders are bunched together in behind the peloton leaders.

10 kilometres to go

The riders pass under the 10 kilometres to go banner. Andre Greipel's Lotto Belisol team, Mark Cavendish's Omega Pharma-Quick Step team and Marcel Kittel's Giant-Shimano team are first and foremost in the bunch, with various members of Peter Sagan's Cannondale team also prominent.

12 kilometres to go

No really, that's what he said. He goes on to add that "When you have so many riders together and so many teams, there's only so much room so hopefully they'll all get through." Marcel Kittel's Giant-Shimano team are visibly getting their ducks in a row, but are they setting up their train for Kittel or or John Degenkolb?

14 kilometres to go

The road is wide and at the front of the peloton "it's simmering to the boil-over", says Sean Kelly on Eurosport.

20 kilometres to go

A couple of riders take a bad line and ride into a crash barrier in a village near - I think - Ripon. It's nothing serious, but they hold up some of the peloton behind them and towards the front, the speed picks up and various teams start jockeying for position. Belkin rider Lars Boom was one of the rideers to crash and he drops back to the medical car to get treatment for a graze and, more importantly, a tow back to the bunch.

23 kilometres to go

As you were. The peloton rolls over a giant "SLOW" painted on the road in white paint. They don't seem to realise it's for the attention of motorists and isn't supposed to apply to them. An attempted breakaway might liven things up here.

25 kilometres to go

The peloton continues to roll along at half-gas, with Lotto Belisol and Saxo Tinkoff controlling the pace. In a few kilometres time, the teams of the assorted sprinters will begin the process of getting their lead-out trains. The ridersw will have to negotiate two roundabouts about five kilometres from home, then a third about two kilometres out. The profile of the route through Harrogate to the finish line is up-and-down, with a serious of dips and ramps that could make life difficult for sprinters who prefer their finishes to be pancake flat.

David Cameron is here

The camera cuts to the finish line in Harrogate, where his boss David Cameron is seated at the finish of today's stage. The prime minister's advisors have told their man to go with the "Casual Dave" look today and has removed his tie.

39 kilometres to go

The peloton is cruising along at a reasonably leisurely 40 kilometres per hour, which means they'll be hitting Harrogate within ... minute-by-minute reporter counts on fingers ... the hour. Most of the stragglers who got dropped on Buttertubs have rejoined the peloton, but a few including Alessandro Petacchi (OPQS) and Sacha Modolo (Lampre) are still struggling to catch up.

An email from our cycling correspondent

"If you are wondering why there are no cars or campers parked up, two things," writes William Fotheringham. "We saw a lot of signs on Sunday's route saying no parking on the verge ... also this morning, driving off the course to the press room, we saw dozens of people walking a long way (three miles at least) down a road (again no parking allowed) from a spectator car park. The idea, it seems, is to keep cars away from the course to avoid mega congestion around the race. If you're feeling kind, plug me twitter feed. Occasional nuggets; some accurate."

Consider it plugged, Fothers.

William Fotheringham (@willfoth) French television have realised this stage is "more complicated than it looked on paper". should have asked @chrishoy like we did :-) July 5, 2014

45 kilomtres to go

The peloton snakes past St John the Baptist church in East Witton, with all in it pedaling at a fairly sedate pace. As if sensing that we're all very worried about them, the riders of Mark Cavendish's Omega Pharma-Quick Step team hove into view at the front of the bunch.

51 kilometres to go

Lotto Belisol continue to do the hard work at the front of the bunch, pushing the pace in the hope of making it difficult for Andre Greipel's riders. On Eursport, Sean Kelly is talking ab out how neither Mark Cavendish nor his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team have been prominent in the bunch, aslthough there is a suggestion that his team-mate Alessandro Petacchi was dropped on the last climb. The bunch have moved from the narrow roads of the dales and are now on wider roads, which ought to enable the bunch of riders who were shelled to get back in touch with the peloton.

Jens Voigt has been caught

Sterling work at the front of the peloton by the riders from Lotto Belisol means that Jens Voigt's solo adventure is over for today. With 55.4 kilometres to go, the riders are on the run for home.

61 kilometres to go

Sorry about that pause in transmission. Crazy Jens's lead is down to just over a minute as he heads for the top of the third climb of the day, the Côte de Griton Moor. He'll wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow, assuming he finishes today. He certainly won't be winning the stage and is well aware the jig is up. He'll sit up, have some food and drink and wait until they reel him in.

70 kilometres to go

Jens Voigt continues to lead the peloton by 2min 58sec. Behind the bunch, a number of riders were dropped on the climb up Buttertubs and have lost almost a minute on the bunch already. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and Dani Navarro (Cofidis) are among the biggish names who are struggling on day one of the Tour.

Apologies, but I'm going to selfishly abandon my post briefly to dash downstairs and grab a sandwich and a cup of tea. In my absence, here's another video from the Global Cycling Network, in which they spend the day with Alberto Contador and his Saxo Tinkoff team.

74 kilometres to go

Eurosport's commentary team report that they've been told by people from Jens Voigt's Trek team that the German has every intention of going for the stage win this afternoon. He has another climb, Le Côte de Griton Moor, to negotiate in about 10 kilometres time and then it's 60 kilometres to Harrogate. He leads by 3min 11sec.

Housekeeping: Second climb

Jens Voigt was first over Buttertubs and was followed by Nicolas Edert, who wins a point for his trouble. Further back, Benoit Jarrier has been swallowed by the peloton and the same fate awaits Edert, who has accepted his fate and given up the ghost. The gap between Voigt and the bunch, which is being led by the riders of Lotto Belisol, is 3min 41sec and there are just over 76 kilomtres to go.

Housekeeping: Intermediate sprint result

1. Jens Voigt (Trek): 20 points

2. Nicolas Edet (Cofidis): 17

3. Benoît Jarrier (Bretagne-Séché ): 15

4. Bryan Coquard (Europcar): 13

5. André Greipel (Lotto): 11

6. Peter Sagan (Cannondale): 10

7. Mark Cavendish (OPQS): 9

8. Kevin Reza (Europcar): 8

9. Alessandro Petacchi (OPQS): 7

10. Maciej Bodnar (Cannondale): 6

11. Elia Viviani (Cannondale): 5

12. Fabio Sabatini (Cannondale): 4

13. Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto): 3

14. Greg Henderson (Lotto): 2

15. Lars Bak (Lotto): 1

87 kilometres to go

Jens Voigt crosses the summit of Buttertubs and hoovers up the two points on offer for King of the Mountains. He's 3min 25sec ahead of his former escape partners and 4min 33sec clear of the peloton. Interestingly, the road is so narrow and the throng of people lining it so vast, that the peloton keeps having to stop as a result of bottleneck induced traffic congestion.

89 km to go

Jens Voigt continues to make his way up Buttertubs, where there is a quite phenomenal crowd of people roaring encouragement. The number of people that has turned out is quite astonishing - hats off to every single one of them. One strange thing, though - while there are quite a few bikes visible on the roadside, there doesn't seem to be any cars or camper vans parked anywhere nearby. How the hell did everyone get there?

Cannondale move to the front of the peloton

Peter Sagen's team-mates move towards the front of the peloton to do a turn, hopeful that the ramp near the finish of today's stage might catch out some of the sprinters and suit their man better. Giant-Shimano rider John Degenkolb is another man who might be suited by today's stage finish and I've had a nibble on him at 33-1. Of course, chances are that the sprinters such as Marcel Kittel, Andre Greipel and Mark Cavendish, whose mum hails from Harrogate, will duke it out for the honour of wearing the yellow jersey tomorrow. Their team-mates will need to reel in Voigt first, mind.

92 kilometres to go

Jens Voigt, who is 42, continues to put the hammer down as he extends his lead over the chasing duo - Benoit Jarrier and Nicolas Edet - to 2min 53sec. He's 5min 03sec clear of the peloton and just over four kilomtres away from the top of the Côte de Buttertubs, where he'll earn himself two King of the Mountains points.

99 kilometres to go

The riders have passed through the feeding station and Jens Voigt's face is a mask of concentration as he increases the gap between himself and Benoit Jarrier and Nicolas Edet to a minute. He leads the peloton by a little over five minutes and they'll be aware that their German colleague has a lot of "previous" in the field of nicking stages like this.

"It's hard to follow the Tour from a moving train to London, so thanks for the updates," writes Joel Down. " But I do know what's happening in Voigt's head ."

david harmon (@spokesmen) I commentated on cycling for over a decade and I have never seen crowds like this. Cycling is the new national sport. Long may it remain so July 5, 2014

103 kilometres go

Riding in his final Tour de France , Jens Voigt has opened a 30 second lead on Benoit Jarrier and Nicolas Edet, who are in turn 4min 30sec ahead of the peloton. I don't think anyone would begrudge Voigt a victory today, but he would probably increase his chances of victory later this afternoon if he stopped waving at various spectators shouting encouragement from the roadside.

An email from Andy Bradshaw

"Funny how head of Guardian Online sport has managed to get himself a cushy assignment in a tea/cake shop at Le Tour," he says of Sean Ingle. "The people of Yorkshire (and the rest of the country if all the people I know who have gone) have done themselves proud. Although I'm not sure whether they're just going because it's not the usual the men in a bathtub that's the norm for around there."

Here you go, Andy. Just for you ...

The scenery in that video is incredible

I missed that first time around, but it really is well worth a look. The two lads certainly earned their mugs of tea, cake and cheese. Meanwhile back in the first stage, the peloton has just contested the intermediate sprint. Jens Voigt led the breakaway over the line and then did the dirty on his two fellow riders by refusing to slow down once he'd crossed the line, forcing them to give chase. Bryan Coquard (Europcar) was the first man from the peloton over the line in Newbiggn and was followed by Andre Greipel, Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish.

An email from William Fotheringham

He's pinged me a missive to let me know that the riders are about to tackle the Buttertubs Pass, which he rode with knight of the realm and track speedster Sir Chris Hoy earlier this year. Here's the video ...

Approaching the summit of the first climb

The riders from Andre Greipel's Lotto Belisol team lead the chase at the front of peloton as Jens Voigt tows the two other members of his escape party up the first climb of the day, the Côte de Cray. There's one King of the Mountains point up for grabs and it's taken by Benoit Jarrier, who's riding in his first Tour for the Bretagne-Séché team, who are a wild card entry in this year's Tour. He beats his compatriot Nicolas Edert over the top of the hill. Both sides of the road are so packed with spectators that the pair were barely able to race.

My colleague Sean Ingle is in Harrogate

Himself and William Fotheringham are stuffing their faces with cake as they wait for the riders to arrive in town late this afternoon. It's dirty work, but I suppose somebody's got to do it ...

Sean Ingle (@seaningle) Meanwhile the famous Betty's tea shop is 200m from the finish of stage one. Have bought @willfoth a fat rascal ... pic.twitter.com/piosU8ZpjM July 5, 2014

Sean Ingle (@seaningle) Finish to stage one of @letour in Harrogate steeper than expected. Big ramp from 450m to 250m. Harder for Cav to win? pic.twitter.com/IYNzTS6Uju July 5, 2014

131 kilometres to go

Back to the business in hand and the gap between the breakaway group of Jens Voigt, Nicolas Edet and Benoit Jarrier and the chasing peloton is 3min 21sec. Our leaders have just cycled past a field in which a flock of sheep, who have all been dyed bright yellow for the day that's in it, while there have been a couple of minor crashes at the back of the bunch as the roads get more narrow.

What could possibly go wrong?

Michael raises an interesting point about Kate, Duchess of Cambridgeshire, presenting the yellow jersey to today's stage winner. I was thinking about this last night and couldn't help but wonder what the Queen, whose relationship with her grand-daughter in law is rumoured to be strained at the best of times, makes of this new role as a Tour de France podium girl. I'm also curious to know if there'll be any breaches of royal protocol, considering it's quite possible that force of habit might prompt a sweaty Andre Greipel, Mark Cavendish or Marcel Kittel to give her the traditional kiss on each cheek when she zips them into the jersey. Heaven forbid that Peter Sagan might win today's stage. I should add that the Slovak rider subsequently issued a grovelling apology for his faux pas at the Tour of Flanders.

An email from Michael Cosgrove

"Hello from France, where Le Figaro has offered its readership 10 good reasons to watch the Tour today," he says. "They include a) France are out of the World Cup so why bother watching it any more, b) You can learn new French cycling vocab such as, translated into English, pedaling with your ears, riding on a potato hunt (??!!), and doing a jackal, c) Kate Middleton is there to present today's yellow jersey, d) Tour de France riders don't get cramps in less than 90 minutes, as is the case for footballers in Brazil, they can stick it out for eight hours in the blazing sun, and e) If you are on the roadside you can get free publicity trinkets such as baseball caps and key rings. Add to that the fact that cycling is one of the few major sports that you don't have to pay to watch on TV and what's not to like?"

The best and worst things about being a professional cyclist?

Updated at 1.23pm BST

Look at the state of him

Peter Sagan, the bonkers Cannondale rider is sporting quite the bouffant for this year's Tour, which he describes as his "Wolverine haircut". ITV have just broadcast an interview with him in which he says he hopes it brings him luck. It'll probably cushion the blow if he's unlucky enough to fall off the bike and land on his head, but I'm not sure how it'll cope within the confines of his helmet for several hours each day. Here, in case you haven't seen it before, is Mr Wolverine parking his bike on the roof of a car.

Updated at 1.18pm BST

147km to go

The riders leave Skipton, which I vaguely remember featuring prominently in All Creatures Great And Small, one of several excellent books written by James Herriott, a Scottish vet who spent his working life in Yorkshire. There are 147 kilometres go and Giant-Shimano continue to tow the peloton along as they keep the gap between them and the three-man breakaway to a respectable 3min 11sec.

12.59pm BST

A former colleague writes

"Some Tour pics from your ancient colleague Martin Wainright, now lazing in the sunshine in Leeds," writes my ancient colleague Martin Wainright, who has an MBE and was probably invited to help Kate snip the official Tour ribbon at Harewood House. Martin adds that this photo was "sent from my iPad Mini, a generous gift from my dear departed colleagues at The Guardian for which I am most grateful."

Updated at 1.00pm BST

12.51pm BST

162km to go

The gap between the three-man escape party and the peloton has judged edge over the three-minute work. Voigt, Edet and Jarrier are 3min 09sec clear. Minor housekeeping: Orica-GreenEdge rider Michael Matthews was unable to start this morning as he was suffering from an injury to his arm. He's been replaced by Christian Meier. Mathews had a bad fall in training earlier this week ahead of what was supposed to be his Tour debut and suffered some bad cuts to his hands, arms and shoulder.

12.38pm BST

12.36pm BST

Meet the "breakaway killer"

Presumably unsure quite what to make of today's stage, the peloton is keeping an eye on the breakaway, with Giant-Shimano making the pace at the front of the bunch in order to ensure the breakaway trio don't open too much of a gap. Apparently tireless Chinese rider Cheng Ji, the first man from his country to compete in the Tour, is their ace in the hole when it comes to pace-making. Known as the "breakaway killer", his speciality is towing the bunch along for long periods

12.28pm BST

175 kilometres to go

With the riders making their way out of Otley, a group of three riders has broken away from the chasing peloton. It will come as no surprise to veteran Tour-watchers to learn that crazy Jens Voigt , king of the rouleurs, is one of them. The oldest rider in the race at the age of 42 (42!), Voigt rides for Trek Factory Racing and has Benoit Jarrier (Bretagne-Seche) and Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) with him for company. They lead the bunch by 2min 22sec.

Updated at 12.28pm BST

12.19pm BST

What you've missed so far

Not a huge amount, to be honest. A bit of pomp and ceremony, but very little racing. The riders set off from Leeds Town Hall and made their way to Harewood House in a ceremonial procession. There, they paused for ther playing of the national anthems of France and Great Britain and a fly-past by the Red Arrows, then Prince William, Kate and Harry chatted with a few of the riders before sending them on their way once again with a snip of the royal scissors to cut the ceremonial Tour de France ribbon.In a nice touch, the Tour organisers presented William and Kate with a tiny bespoke maillot jaune for their son George.

12.11pm BST

12.09pm BST

Stage one: Leeds to Harrogate (190.5km)

Today's stage takes in 190.5 kilometres across the Yorkshire Dales and features no end of verdant scenery, narrow roads flanked by stone walls and three big hills: Côte de Cray (category 4), Côte de Buttertubs (category 3) and Côte de Griton (category 3). A sprint finish looks likely and the winner of today's stage will begin tomorrow's second stage in York wearing the yellow jersey.

William Fotheringham's guide to Stage One

As in 2013, a simple road race stage starts the Tour rather than a prologue time trial. Buttertubs and Gritton Moor would test a club cyclist but by the standards of the Tour this is relatively flat, with a few long drags over the moors, but not enough to split the bunch, although rain and wind could make life unpleasant if the British summer is in Wimbledon form.

The script is for a bunch sprint won by Mark Cavendish in his mother’s home town, but Marcel Kittel could well get in his way as he did several times in 2013 and another German, André Greipel will be in the mix as well.

Global Cycling Network

As usual, our chums at the Global Cycling Network have invited us to jazz up our coverage with some of their excellent videos, the first of which is this preview of this year's Tour de France. Enjoy.

Bonjour! Welcome to our rolling report of Stage One of this year's Tour de France. This year's odyssey began in Yorkshire, with the riders congregating in Leeds for an 11am Grand Départ that was witnessed by ridiculously large crowds that looked to be lining the city's streets eight or nine deep in places. It's the first of 21 stages in a Tour being contested by 22 different teams of nine riders each.

That's 198 riders in total, with Sky's Chris Froome the even-money favourite to defend the title he won last year. Alberto Contador (15/8), Vincenzo Nibali (14/1), Alejandro Valverde (31/1), Andrew Talansky (37/1), Rui Costa (60/1) and Tejay Van Garderen (64/1) are the only riders priced up at less than 100/1 to beat him.

11.57am BST

Profile and map of today's stage

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Tour de France Route, Stages and Results 2014

HedgehogCycling.co.uk

Online cycling magazine

Main menu: Home | Tour de France | UK cycling | Harrogate cycling | Hedge-blog

• Knaresborough
• Hebden Bridge
• Huddersfield

Stage Two, Tour de France 2014: York to Sheffield

The route of Stage Two of the 2014 Tour de France, on 6th July 2014, is from York to Sheffield via Howarth, Hebden Bridge, and Huddersfield. 

It's 201km, or 126 miles, from the start of the racing on the A59 outside York. (The procession part through York, after the ceremonial start, or départ fictif , at York races, is not included in the official race distance). See the above Stage 2 map in pdf format , or the interactive Tour de France map of Stage Two . 

This is a real 'up hill and down dale' ride, which will be tough. It's unlikely that the whole peleton will arrive together, so Stage 2 could affect the general classification of the race.

(See our stage 2 report , which describes how the race turned out on 6th July 2014).

Stage Two, Tour de France 2014: video of the route

Our video of the route of Stage Two of the 2014 Tour de France shows you the itinerary in about 7 minutes. We give the distance so far at the major towns along the way. You can see the roads of the route, where the climbs are, and the countryside, attractions, and landmarks the riders will pass. There's film of cyclists along the route of Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 too.

Stage Two, Tour de France 2014: the route

Thiery Gouvenou, the Sports Director of the Tour, said of Stage 2, 'The landscape will be much hillier [than Stage 1], especially with the ascent of Holme Moss and a very difficult last part into Sheffield . The last 30 kilometres will be very difficult, all the more so because the racers will have already covered more than 160km...The routes are sometimes narrow, climbing the hills is very rapid, with no area of flat ground for recuperation. This will force the leaders to position themselves well when they approach the final kilometres so as to avoid any breaks. 

I think that the most difficult hill is at Oughtibridge (1.7km at 9.5%). That's where a group of the favourites should move away. The hill at Jenkin Road (800m at 10%) a few kilometres before arriving at Sheffield is also very steep and could decide the final winner. Those riders who are in the general classification of the Tour will not be able to hide that day.'

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: York to Knaresborough (0-21km; 0-13mi)

Stage Two begins at the racecourse in York (which is one of the official spectator hubs ), and goes towards Skeldergate bridge, over the river Ouse there, past Clifford's Tower and York Minster, then out towards Clifton; there, it goes left, over the Ouse again, and right out of York on the A59. Read about the Tour de France in York .

The A59 is flat, as it goes past the villages of Poppleton and Green Hammerton, crossing the Nidd in between them. It takes the riders into Knaresborough , where they cross the Nidd again.

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Knaresborough to Bolton Bridge (21-54.5km; 13-34mi)

Leaving Knaresborough , Stage Two of the Tour de France 2014 continues on the A59, through Starbeck , and up to the Empress roundabout on the edge of Harrogate . The riders won't go into the centre of Harrogate today, but follow the road round to the New Park (or Little Wonder) roundabout, then head out on the A59 Skipton Road. 

They'll pass the wind turbines at Knabs Ridge, and the golf balls at Menwith Hill; they then go by the end of Fewston reservoir, just before Blubberhouses.

This video by York City Council, featuring professional cyclist Jamie Sharp, shows him on a section of the A59 west of Harrogate known as Hopper Lane, just before Blubberhouses:

After Blubberhouses, the route climbs the gully known as Kex Gill (this is the Category 4 'Cote de Blubberhouses' climb ), emerges onto open moor, and soon crosses into the Yorkshire Dales National Park. 

There's a gentle descent to Bolton Bridge .

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Bolton Bridge to Haworth (54.5-75.5km; 34-47mi)

The riders take a left onto the B6160 at the roundabout at Bolton Bridge, a gently undulating route by the Wharfe to Addingham . Let's hope nobody takes a wrong turn in Addingham (see second photo below).

This short video shows the ride into Addingham, with a few safety tips for those riding the route of Stage 2:

The road (A6034) climbs out of Addingham , towards the Old Tower, and Silsden reservoir, both on the right hand side; then it descends into Silsden . 

This flyover video shows the route from Blubberhouses, up Kex Gill , to Bolton Bridge and Addingham, then on towards Silsden:

After going along the main street in Silsden, the riders take the A629 dual carriageway south east alongside the river Aire to Keighley . The day's intermediate sprint is in Keighley, with points available in the Green Jersey competition.

From Keighley , it's a short pedal along the river Worth, and by the Keighley and Worth Valley railway , to Howarth . (Keighley and Howarth both have spectator hubs ).

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Haworth to Hebden Bridge (75.5-91km; 47-57mi)

The road climbs steeply up through Haworth , on the cobbles shown in the photo (above left), then leaves the village heading towards Stanbury, before turning left past Lower Laithe reservoir. There's then a descent into Oxenhope . From Oxenhope, the A6033 climbs around 220m in a south westerly direction to Cock Hill (alt: 432m), part of Oxenhope Moor. The climb is called ' Cote d' Oxenhope Moor ' on the Stage 2 timetable , and is Category 3. This is proper Yorkshire moorland, heather and all. 

The riders then descend into the idiosyncratic town of Hebden Bridge . 

This video shows a short section of the descent, on the open moor:

And this is the continuation of the descent, as the road goes through woods, then into Hebden Bridge itself:

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Hebden Bridge to Huddersfield (91-121.5km; 57-76mi)

Now the race follows the A646 along the Rochdale canal to Mytholmroyd . From there, it goes under the railway bridge, past the Shoulder of Mutton, and begins to climb Cragg Vale, by Cragg Brook. This is wooded at first, then eventually emerges onto open moor land. It's a well-known hill climb, and it is claimed that it is the longest continuous climb in England , at around 5 miles, with an average gradient of 3%. There's an annual Hill Climb time trial up it, organised by the Yorkshire Cycling Federation. (The new record time set by Alastair Wareham in 2013 is 15 min15).

Next comes Blackstone Edge reservoir, on the exposed moorland at the top of the Cragg Vale climb. (The Pennine Way long distance footpath runs along the gritstone escarpment, Blackstone Edge; it is crossed by Blackstone Edge Roman Road, which may in fact be an C18th packhorse route, rather than a Roman road). 

At Blackstone Edge reservoir, the riders turn left, and make a sweeping descent, with Rishworth Moor on the right, to Ripponden . After crossing the river Ryburn in the town, there's another steep pull out of Ripponden (Category 3 ' Cote de Ripponden '), then a gradual descent to the town of Greetland . 

The route in Greetland is a little tricky to follow. There's a right turn on the B6112 Stainland Rd towards Holywell Green, then a left up Queen Street. Here, the route starts to climb, and this is the Category 3 ' Côte de Greetland '. From Queen St, the route goes right on Green Lane, and left up Hullenedge Lane, then right on Hammerstones Road, which turns into Blackley Road. It passes Blackley Cricket Club , then goes under the M62 at Ainley Top, before following the A629 Halifax Rd to Huddersfield . 

Who would have guessed that the Tour de France would one day travel the back streets of Greetland, West Yorkshire, just off junction 24 of the M62?

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Huddersfield via Holmfirth and Holme Moss to Langsett (121.5-159.5km; 76-100mi)

The route heads south out of Huddersfield , along the course of the river Holme, to Holmfirth (famous as the location of the TV series 'Last of the Summer Wine'). From Holmfirth , the riders will be able to see Holme Moss, a steep climb that begins after they've passed through the village of Holme, about 4km south of Holmfirth. This is a Category 2 climb (' Côte de Holme Moss ').

The contours are tightly packed together on the ascent of Holme Moss . Holme is at about 300m, and it's a bit more than 2km to the top of Holme Moss, at 524m altitude. Here, the Tour crosses into Derbyshire.

From the top of Holme Moss, there's an exhilarating descent to the Woodhead reservoir. 

Part of the descent of Holme Moss is shown in this video:

The race turns left on the A628, crossing a bridge over Woodhead reservoir, and heading east. It crosses into Barnsley Borough at Salter's Brook Bridge (see Tour de France in Barnsley ), and passes through moorland (Thurlstone moors to the left, and Langsett mooors to the right). It joins the A616 before getting to Langsett . Sheffield is now not far away. 

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Langsett to Sheffield (159.5-201km; 100-126mi)

A right turn off the main road, onto Mortimer Road , takes the riders up through Midhopestones , past Underbank Reservoir near Stocksbridge, and to the top of the hill near Ewden Height (' Côte de Midhopestones ' climb, Category 3). The route then goes down past Garlic House Farm into a steep little wooded valley, and there are two sharp bends in the small country road as it crosses Ewden Beck. The descent is shown on this York City Council video:

The Tour route then heads up again towards High Bradfield , the start of the next climb (' Côte de Bradfield ', Category 4). 

Now, the route takes in villages in the hills to the north west of Sheffield - Worrall , Oughtibridge , and Grenoside. There's a spectator hub in Oughtibridge , in Coronation Park, at the foot of the climb to Grenoside .

This flyover video shows the Stage 2 route from the descent of Midhopestones via Ewden Beck, Bradfield , Worrall , Oughtibridge and Grenoside , to the outskirts of Sheffield:

The riders go into Sheffield on the A61, passing close to Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday's ground, then east on the A6102, and south past the old ski centre, before following the river Don towards Meadowhall. There's a loop near the Meadowhall shopping centre, taking the riders up Jenkin Road (' Côte de Jenkin Road ', Category 4) towards Wincobank, then around and back to Tinsley. 

The finishing straight is the A6178 Attercliffe Common, and the finish line is in Carbrook, just after the junction with the A6102 Broughton Lane. 

There's a spectator hub at Don Valley Grass Bowl, near the finishing line. See the finish line and spectator hub on this map:

Where to watch Stage Two of the Tour de France 2014

Where to watch stage 2, tdf 2014: the start in york.

As with Stage One, there'll be lots to see at the start, which is at York Racecourse. 20,000 tickets to watch the start of Stage 2 at the racecourse were taken within hours; there will be an announcement about possible further tickets on 3rd March 2014. The riders are likely to go through York in a procession, at a relatively low speed, and this will be a good opportunity to see them. (The racing will start a few kilometres after the départ fictif , or 'ceremonial start' of the stage).

Where to watch Stage 2, TDF 2014: spectator hubs

Aside from the start at York racecourse, and another hub at York Designer Outlet, there will be spectator hubs at Knaresborough Castle, West Park Stray Harrogate, Victoria Park in Keighley, Central Park Haworth, St George's Square Huddersfield, Sands Recreation Ground Holmfirth, Coronation Park Oughtibridge, and Don Valley Grass Bowl near the finish line in Sheffield. They'll have big screens to watch the race, food and drink, and activities for all the family. See all the Yorkshire TDF spectator hubs .

Where to watch Stage 2, TDF 2014: Harrogate

The race passes the Empress roundabout and the New Park roundabout. If you live in Harrogate, or are staying there, and don't want to go far, you can see the race come past. It will probably be going pretty fast, though, and past in a flash.

Where to watch Stage 2, TDF 2014: the climbs

The climbs are popular places to watch the Tour de France, because the riders' speed is lower when they are going uphill. There are nine categorised climbs on Stage 2.

Côte de Blubberhouses (Kex Gill) is the first of the categorised climbs on Stage 2. It's a dramatic stretch of road up the gully known as Kex Gill, between Fewston reservoir and Blubberhouses moor. There are some good vantage points, where you can see quite a long stretch of road - for example on the rocks up to the right of the road. Parking is limited, but it may be that the quarry at the top of Kex Gill will open for parking.

Although not categorised, the ride up the cobbled Main St in Haworth should be interesting. The next categorised climb is out of Oxenhope (' Côte d' Oxenhope Moor '). 

The climb of Cragg Vale, from Mytholmroyd, doesn't appear to be an official one on the race route (not steep enough?), but should nevertheless be worth watching. There are official climbs out of Ripponden (' Côte de Ripponden ') and Greetland (' Côte de Greetland '). 

The most spectacular climb is up Holme Moss (' Côte de Holme Moss '). As this is only Category 2 climb on Stage 2, it is rated the most difficult climb of the day. Finally, there are some short, steep climbs as the race nears Sheffield - Côte de Midhopestones , Côte de Bradfield , Côte d' Oughtibridge (Jawbone Hill) , and Côte de Jenkin Road , not far from the finish.

Where to watch Stage 2, TDF 2014: the finish in Sheffield

The finish will be on the A6178 Attercliffe Common at Carbrook, close to the junction with the A6102 Broughton Lane. There'll be a big spectator hub at the Don Valley Grass Bowl, near the finish line.

Stage Two, Tour de France 2014: timings

The Tour de France organisers have published the estimated timings for Stage Two of the 2014 Tour. There are three scenarios, based on different average speeds of the race. Stage Two leaves York at 1100 (ceremonial start), and the racing starts at 1120 on the A59 outside York. The riders should arrive at the finish in Sheffield between 1614 and 1646.

See  the full timings for Stage Two, Tour de France 2014 .

Stage Two, Tour de France 2014: the climbs

There are nine categorised climbs on Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014, which will make it a very tough day. They are Category 3 or 4, except for Holme Moss, which is Category 2.

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Blubberhouses (Category 4)

This first climb begins at Blubberhouses, about 13km west of Harrogate. The riders ascend a gully known locally as Kex Gill, and emerge onto Blubberhouses Moor. Read more about Côte de Blubberhouses...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte d' Oxenhope Moor (Category 3)

This is a climb out of the village of Oxenhope, up Cock Hill, with the summit at 432m. Read about Côte d' Oxenhope Moor...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Ripponden (Category 3)

Ripponden Bank is very steep, especially for the first 500m. It then eases past The Fleece Inn, to the summit near Barkisland. Read about Côte de Ripponden...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Greetland (Category 3)

This climb features the rather surprising prospect of the world's best cyclists ascending residential backstreets between Greetland and Elland, in West Yorkshire. A steep climb brings them to Blackley Cricket Club then Ainley Top. Read about Côte de Greetland...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Holme Moss (Category 2)

Holme Moss is the king of the climbs on the Tour route in the UK, and it's likely to be thronged with fans all the way up to the summit, marked with the Holme Moss transmitter. Read about Côte de Holme Moss...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Midhopestones (Category 3)

This is a sharp ascent, starting near the Mustard Pot pub in Midhopestones, and heading up to Ewden Height. Read about Côte de Midhopestones...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Bradfield (Category 4)

This is a short, sharp climb (gradient almost 10%) out of High Bradfield on Kirk Edge Road towards the Kirk Edge Carmelite Monastery and Worrall. Read about Côte de Bradfield...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte d' Oughtibridge or Jawbone Hill (Category 3)

This is another steep climb, out of Oughtibridge towards Grenoside , over a distance of about 2km. It gets the name Jawbone Hill from whale jawbones which used to make an arch over the road at the top of the hill. Read about Côte d' Oughtibridge (Jawbone Hill)...

Climbs on Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Côte de Jenkin Road (Category 4)

The Jenkin Road climb is less than 1km, but very steep in places - at one point, it's 33% gradient, and there are handrails by the pavement to help pedestrians. As it's only a few short kilometres from the finish line, you can imagine that it might be decisive in splitting a lead group. Jenkin Road could be the springboard to victory for somebody. Read about the Côte de Jenkin Road...

Poppleton is a village of 1,961 people, with a Post Office and a railway station. The two halves are known as Upper Poppleton (nearer the A59 main road), and Nether Poppleton (nearer the river Ouse).

It was formerly agricultural land. The village's name means 'pebble farm' - popel meaning 'pebble', and tun being a farm or hamlet. This is because it is built on a gravel bed. 

Poppleton has a long history. It was mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in 972, and in the Domesday Book (1086). Today, it is mainly a dormitory village for commuters.

The Tour de France comes into Starbeck on Sunday 6th July 2014, on the A59 from Knaresborough. It continues up to the Empress roundabout, on the edge of Harrogate.

Starbeck will have a spectator hub in place for the first two stages of the Tour de France 2014, on 5th & 6th July. There will be a big screen at Belmont Field (which the race passes on the left, just before Starbeck level crossing). Starbeck is also planning a funfair, and live music.

Addingham is a village on the route of the first two stages of the Tour de France 2014, with a population of 3,730 (2011 census). It's within Bradford Metropolitan District Council, and in the county of West Yorkshire.

The name Addingham comes from 'homestead associated with a man called Adda'. It was called 'Ediham' in the Domesday Book, which could be connected with Earl Edwin of Bolton Abbey.

The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age (around 1800BC), which is shown by cup and ring carved stones on Addingham Moor. The present village grew during the Industrial Revolution. The first mill opened in 1787, and in the 1800s, there were five working mills. Textile production declined after World War II. Addingham's last mill (Low Mill) closed in 1976.

Addingham is now a commuter and retirement village. It has several local shops and pubs, and various well-tended public gardens, as well as a bowling green. The village has a football team and cricket club.

'I'll tell you now and I'll tell you briefly, I don't never want to go to Keighley.' This line from John Cooper Clarke's poem 'Burnley' is perhaps harsh on Keighley - which seems to have been chosen for its ability to rhyme with briefly.

It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, and at the confluence of the rivers Aire and Worth. The population is 53,331 (2011 census).

Keighley means 'Cyhha's farm or clearing'. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book, when there were six carucates to be taxed. 

Henry de Keighley was granted a royal charter for a market in 1305, by Edward I. By 1379, the population of Keighley was 109.

Keighley was at an intersection of stage coach turnpikes in the 1700s. In the late 1700s and 1800s, during the Industrial Revolution, a textile industry grew up in Keighley (cotton and wool processing, and making textile machinery). By 1801, the population was 5,745.

Today, Keighley has much of its shopping in the indoor Airedale shopping centre. It's on an electrified railway line to Leeds and Bradford, amongst other places. It's also the terminus of the Keighley & Worth Valley Steam Railway .

The town's houses are largely built out of millstone grit. Nearby is East Riddlesden Hall , home of C17th cloth merchant James Murgatroyd, and one of the National Trust properties offering camping during the Tour . Another attraction is Cliffe Castle Museum , the mansion of Victorian millionaire textile manufacturer Henry Isaac Butterfield. As well as  period rooms inside the house, there are greenhouses, aviaries, a children's play area, and a museum with various displays including minerals and fossils.

Also in Keighley, there's a picture house dating from 1913, the Timothy Taylor Brewery (which makes the excellent Landlord, amongst other beers), and Keighley Cougars rugby league team. (The Cougar Park stadium will be a Tour de France campsite ).

Keighley has a significant Muslim population, mainly immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and there are a number of mosques in the town.

Ripponden is a village on the river Ryburn. It is grouped together with Barkisland, Rishworth and Soyland, which are all served by Ripponden Parish Council . Ripponden has a population of 4,665 (2011 census). They hold an annual pork pie competition (taking place on 26th April in 2014).

The area is rich in prehistoric remains. At nearby Ringstone Edge, there is a stone circle and evidence of neolithic settlement; and Rishworth Moor, which is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has the Cat Stones - a series of ancient round barrow burial sites.

Ripponden is associated with the famous physicist Richard Feynman (who took part in the Manhattan Project). He used to visit the village with his wife, who was born locally.

There's a dedicated Tour de France Ripponden website . It refers to the climb out of Ripponden, and says, 'It may not be Alpe d' Huez but Ripponden Bank is not a hill for the faint hearted.' They have ideas of where to stay , with contact details. There is also information about the proposed Ripponden Tour de France legacy project , which would be a traffic-free cycle route to Sowerby Bridge.

Langsett is a village near Penistone, in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley. The Waggon & Horses Inn in Langsett is to be rebranded with a bike theme for the Tour. There's a nice walk to do around Langsett Reservoir .

Worrall is a village in the parish of Bradfield, and the City of Sheffield. It's about 4 miles NW of the city centre, and has a population of 1,245 (2011 census).

It dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when it was part of a manor held by the Saxon chief Aldene. The name 'Worrall' comes from the Saxon hvrifull , meaning top - a reference to its hilltop location.

At the time of the Domesday Book (1086), it was held by Roger de Busli.

It had always been a farming community, but in the late 1700s, there was some small scale industry, with the manufacture of cutlery and knives by 'little mesters' - individual craftsmen renting space in a factory. 

There was also quarrying of ganister (a quartzose sandstone) from the mid-1600s until the early 1900s.

These days, Worrall is a residential commuter village, with some farms on the edge. It has two pubs - the Blue Ball and the Shoulder of Mutton. 

Bradfield School is on the Tour de France route, on Kirk Edge Road, on the western edge of Worrall.

Grenoside is in the Parish of Ecclesfield and the City of Sheffield.

We know that Grenoside is an old settlement. Its name may be of Anglo-Saxon origin, possibly from the word graefan, meaning quarry. The Birley Stone, on the south west edge of Grenoside, at a point where you get a fantastic view over Sheffield, has stood there since before 1161.

People here earned a living from farming, later helped by nail making, according to Grenoside local history . In the 1700s, the Walker brothers established an iron foundry business, and other iron and steel cottage industries were opened in the 1800s.

The other main industry in Grenoside was quarrying, especially in the 1700 and 1800s. Some of the stone was suitable for grindstones for the cutlery trade, and other stone was used as furnace lining.

One tradition that continues to this day is the Grenoside Sword Dance , performed on Boxing Day. It's a bit like Morris dancing with swords.

Bolton Bridge & Bolton Abbey

Bolton Bridge is a small village dominated by the Devonshire Arms . Indeed, there's nowhere to park unless you're patronising the Devonshire! It has a bridge, in fact two bridges, over the river Wharfe, and is on the route of the Dales Way.

Bolton Bridge is about a mile from Bolton Abbey. Bolton Abbey, which was really Bolton Priory, was a twelfth century Augustinian priory. It was originally founded at nearby Embsay in 1120, then moved to the Bolton Abbey location in 1154. The priory was dismantled during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. The church which remains today is Victorian Gothic.

Bolton Abbey was immortalised by artist JMW Turner in an 1809 painting which is now in the British museum. It also inspired Wordsworth to write ' The White Doe of Rylstone '.

Bolton Abbey is owned by the Duke of Devonshire. There is parking, and beautiful walking along the Wharfe, with bluebell woods, and the impressive Strid where the river narrows. There are two gift shops, restaurants, a brasserie, tea rooms, cafes, and refreshment kiosks. 

Bolton Abbey station, on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey steam railway , is about equidistant between Bolton Bridge and Bolton Abbey.

There'll be camping at Bolton Abbey over the weekend of the Tour.

Silsden has a population of 7,912 (2011 census). It is the town where Mr V Throup grew the biggest onion in the world in 2010 (but the record has since been broken). 

Silsden is on the north slope of the Aire valley, about 1km from the river, and on the Leeds & Liverpool canal. It lies in the Metropolitan District of Bradford, and the county of West Yorkshire.

The town existed at the time of the Domesday Book (1086), when it was referred to as 'Siglesdene'. It was largely an agricultural area until mills were built at the time of the Industrial Revolution. It housed some refugees and POWs in the Second World War.

These days Silsden still has some manufacturing, for example Advanced Actuators, who were in the news for being visited by the nasty Chancellor , George Osborne, in early 2014. It also has commuter links - from Steeton & Silsden railway station to Leeds and Bradford, and by bus to Keighley and Ilkley.

The Telegraph & Argus says that there's a plan to make wooden bike shapes covered in flowers for the Tour de France. There'll be Tour de France camping in Silsden .

Oxenhope is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford and the county of West Yorkshire, with a population of 1,872 (2011 census). It's the terminus of the Keighley & Worth Valley railway.

The Oxenhope Straw Race is an annual event (scheduled for 13th July in 2014) in which teams of two carry a bale of straw around a 2.5 mile course, drinking a pint of beer in each pub on the route.

Mytholmroyd

Mytholmroyd ('Royd) is in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, and the county of West Yorkshire. It has a population of 3,949 (2011 census).

The name Mytholmroyd comes from Old English, and means field or clearing where two rivers meet. The rivers are Cragg Brook, and the river Calder.

In the late 1700s, the adjoining Cragg Vale was home to a gang of counterfeiters called the Cragg Coiners.

Poet Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd. Sylvia Path is buried in nearby Heptonstall.

Greetland is a village (but has the feel of urban sprawl) in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, and the county of West Yorkshire. It incorporates West Vale, which is its centre, and it's near Elland. 

The population of Greetland and Elland together, in the 2011 census, was 15,625.

Greetland has a connection with Roman Britain. A Roman altar stone dated AD 208 was found at Bank Top in 1597 .

One of the best-known buildings in Greetland is Clay House , to the north (Lindwell) side of Greetland. It was built around 1650, and belonged to the Clay family. It is available for hire through Calderdale Council for weddings, receptions, meetings, and presentations. 

The Calderdale Way is a 50-mile circular path that passes by Greetland.

Midhopestones

The farming village of Midhopestones is in the parish of Bradfield and the City of Sheffield. It lies on the Little Don River (or Porter), between Midhope Reservoir and Underbank Reservoir.

Together with the neighbouring hamlet of Upper Midhope, Midhopestones is known as 'Midhope'. (Until the 1600s, the two villages were called 'Over Midhope' and 'Nether Midhope'). The name comes from Old English (mid = middle, hop = enclosed or dry place). 'Stones' refers to stepping stones across the river, which were lost with the creation of Underbank Reservoir.

There was probably a manor at Midhopestones, with a lord of the manor, from the 1100s, but the first written record of the village was in 1227, when a man called John de Midhope was a party to a charter. 

The village, which is in a Conservation Area, expanded in the 1600 and 1700s, and some of the gritstone houses still standing today date from that time. St James's church was rebuilt in 1705.

From 1720 until 1845, pottery was made here, at the Midhope Pottery.

The village pub, Ye Olde Mustard Pot, was converted from a farm to an inn in 1780. Initially it was called the Barrel Inn, and later the Club Inn. The Mustard Pot has quite a good Midhope village history . It is organising a Tour de France campsite.

Stage 2, Tour de France 2014: Frequently Asked Questions

What time does stage 2 of the tour de france 2014 start in york.

Stage 2 starts at the racecourse in York at 11.00, then the racing begins on the A59 at 11.20. See the full timings for Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 .

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Knaresborough?

The riders will arrive in Knaresborough between 11.51 and 11.54, depending on their average speed.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Starbeck?

The race will arrive in Starbeck between 11.57 and 12.01.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 pass through Harrogate?

Stage 2 of the Tour passes through Harrogate between 12.01 and 12.05.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive at Blubberhouses?

The riders will arrive at Blubberhouses between 12.29 and 12.36.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Addingham?

The race will arrive in Addingham between 12.41 and 12.50, depending on the average speed.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Silsden?

The Tour will arrive in Silsden between 12.52 and 13.02.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France2014 arrive in Keighley?

The riders will arrive in Keighley between 12.55 and 13.06, depending on their average speed.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Haworth?

The race will arrive in Haworth between 13.10 and 13.22.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Hebden Bridge?

The Tour will arrive in Hebden Bridge between 13.33 and 13.47.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Ripponden?

The riders will arrive in Ripponden between 14.00 and 14.17, depending on their average speed.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Huddersfield?

The race will arrive in Huddersfield between 14.18 and 14.37.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Holmfirth?

The Tour will arrive in Holmfirth between 14.38 and 14.59.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive at Holme Moss?

The riders will arrive at Holme Moss between 14.49 and 15.12, depending on their average speed.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Bradfield?

The race will arrive in Bradfield between 15.34 and 16.01.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive in Grenoside?

The Tour will arrive in Grenoside between 15.47 and 16.16.

What time does Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014 arrive at the finish in Sheffield?

The Tour will arrive at the finish in Sheffield between 16.14 and 16.46. See the full timings for Stage 2 of the Tour de France .

Where are the spectator hubs on Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2014?

We have a complete list of the official spectator hubs for Stages 1 and 2 of the Tour de France 2014 in Yorkshire .

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Tour de France 2014 Route stage 3: Cambridge (GB) - London (GB)

The English are certainly using their time in the spotlight to show off some of their finer towns. Yesterday, riders left from the historical town of York, today they leave the equally historic picturesque town of Cambridge.  Cambridge became a city in 1951 and is known throughout the world for its university.

With an eastward bent riders head for the capital today, passing Epping Forest and Essex along the way. Nothing to trouble the big men and a sure chance for the sprinters to shine. The finale is on the same route as the 2012 Olympics.

London The last time the Tour de France visited London was for the 2007 prologue won by Fabian Cancellara.

The stage begins at 13:15 CET and the finish is expected around 16:50.

Tour de France 2014 stage 3: Images and more