Yorkshire Grand Depart

Saturday July 5 to Monday July 7

It’s possible you’ll have noticed a little bit of excitement building about the visit of a certain French bike race to Yorkshire in July. If not, where have you been!?

The 101st edition of cycling’s greatest race heads to the White Rose county on Saturday July 5, with racing beginning immediately with a 191km flat stage from Leeds to Harrogate.

Last year’s Grand Depart in Corsica brought tremendous drama – although a certain Orica-GreenEDGE bus driver will certainly hope there is no exact repeat this year.

Nevertheless, a second opportunity for the world’s finest sprinters to compete for the maillot jaune will be an unmissable spectacle.

Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) was successful in Corsica, but Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) is determined not to be outdone again – not least because the stage ends in his mother’s hometown.

Further home interest will include no less than defending champion, Chris Froome (Team Sky), as the Kenyan-born Brit kicks off his Tour de France campaign, while Yorkshireman, Ben Swift, could feature and if so, will be keen to use the support of his home county to spoil Cavendish’s party.

The following day is also likely to prove pivotal with the hilly 198km stage from York to Sheffield providing a potential early banana skin for the GC hopefuls – including Froome.

The peloton then races from Cambridge to London on the Monday, with the capital hosting the Tour for the first time since 2007.

On that occasion, Fabian Cancellara won the prologue to wear the maillot jaune, but there is only one rider on whom most British fans will want to see the prized jersey, which will be adorned by a white rose to mark the occasion – a certain Manxman.