The Tour de France peloton is due to roll out of Leeds on July 5, down the Leeds Headrow and up to Harrogate, via the Yorkshire Dales.
With a bunch sprint, all eyes will be on Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano), while the GC contenders will be desperate to stay out of trouble on what could be a fast and frantic stage.
So where are the best places to watch?
Leeds city centre
If you want to grab a glimpse of your favourite riders at the Grand Départ, then there can be no better place to go than to the city where it will all start. Leeds hosts the start of the 101st Tour de France, with the city set to be transformed for the race.
The sign-on will take place at Victoria Gardens, next to the city’s art gallery, while the race rolls out along the Leeds Headrow. Tens of thousands are expected to converge on the city, with the Tour caravan leaving two hours before the peloton. There’s no better place to soak up the Tour de France atmosphere on the opening day of the race.
A free fan hub will be located at Leeds’ Scott Hall playing fields where parking, family activities and live entertainment will be provided before the peloton races past.
Buttertubs Pass
When the bunch hits the Yorkshire Dales, there are a number of climbs to negotiate as it heads towards the northern-most point of this year’s race.
Chief among those climbs will be the iconic Buttertubs Pass, one of three categorised ascents on the stage and with ramps which touch 20 per cent in gradient at their steepest.
The 4.4km climb, which has an average gradient of 6.8 per cent, offers unrivaled views of the Yorkshire Dales, with plenty of great vantage points to watch the riders pass by, likely in a long, strung-out bunch by this point.
With thousands expected the atmosphere will be red-hot, while Buttertubs is also within reach of the King of the Mountains Festival, a three-day music and arts festival in Muker village.
Harrogate
The picturesque spa town of Harrogate will be transformed come race day, with fans expected to pile in to the free, official fan park alongside the finishing straight.
Hometown of Mark Cavendish’s mother, Harrogate – which will welcome riders with the short but sharp ascent of Parliament Street before an sprint finish – is set for a huge cycling party. Spectators are advised to arrive early, with access to the town due to be restricted as a result of the closed roads and huge crowds.
But this is something you do not want to miss – if all goes to plan, Harrogate will witness a battle royale between Cavendish and Marcel Kittel, with Cav looking to capture the yellow jersey for the first time.
With a passionate home crowd roaring him up Parliament Street and, hopefully, on to victory, this could be the stand-out moment of the British sporting summer.
