Harrogate transformed into Tour town
The small, sleepy spa town of Harrogate makes an unlikely destination for the finishing line of the first stage, but the hometown of Mark Cavendish’s mother will be transformed into a cycling mecca come Saturday July 5.
More than 35,000 fans are expected to pack the finishing straight, with hundreds of thousands more expected along the route from Leeds. Fans will line up outside Harrogate’s Winter Gardens, Betty’s Tea Rooms and other local landmarks for what is sure to be an incredible finale to the first stage.
Just picture it. Arriving from Ripon, the peloton – with teams desperately jostling for position in the bunch on the relatively narrow roads – will, if the weather plays along, appear on the horizon through a heat haze (or more likely, mist), before racing down into a small valley and approaching the finish on Parliament Street.
With crowds packed in front of Harrogate’s historic buildings, the sprint trains – all being well – will launch their fast men into the final battle on the flatter, but still ever so slightly uphill, final few metres through a wall of noise, with one rider crossing the line first to pull on the first yellow jersey of the race. Will it be Mark Cavendish? British fans will certainly hope so, but regardless a thrilling finale is promised in the most unlikely of settings – don’t miss out.
