It may still be some nine months away, but excitement levels ahead of next year’s Tour de France – which will start in Yorkshire on Saturday July 5 – were ramped up a few notches when the route was revealed on Wednesday.

Featuring cobbles, five summit finishes, and one – potentially Tour-deciding – time trial in a total 3,656km of racing, it will not, as ever, be a race for the faint-hearted.

Defending champion Chris Froome admitted he was wary of the impact the cobbles could have on his ambitions, but he remained happy with the all-encompassing parcours – just as many of his GC rivals did.

And with the full details of Yorkshire’s Grand Depart now confirmed, Froome’s fellow Brit Mark Cavendish hopes to seize his opportunity to wear the maillot jaune for the first time, particularly with a flat stage one finishing in his mother’s home town of Harrogate.

Check out the full route and reaction, including our interview with Welcome to Yorkshire chief Gary Verity here: http://roadcyclinguk.com/tag/tour-de-france-2014.