Marcel Kittel previews Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire

Only one man has a realistic chance of upsetting Mark Cavendish’s plans to win the Grand Départ stage of the 2014 Tour de France in his mother’s home town of Harrogate, and that man is German sprint sensation, Marcel Kittel. The Giant-Shimano star, who won four stages of last year’s Tour, including the final stage in Paris, could rain again on Cavendish’s parade.

Or perhaps the weather will beat him. The good-natured powerhouse, whose tongue is never far from his cheek, Tweeted in advance of his visit to Yorkshire to reccee the Grand Depart, that he hoped the weather wouldn’t be “too British”. You can have three guesses at the conditions that greeted him as he rolled out in Yorkshire, or follow this link to a full-width gallery of stunning images from top sports photographer Simon Wilkinson.