CitiPark

Mar 1, 2013

The city of Leeds is ablaze with excitement since it's role in the 101st edition of the Tour de France has been announced and here at CitiPark our staff are equally thrilled!

2014 will see Leeds Town Hall act as the starting point, or the “Grand Départ' of the entire race.

This Grand Départ will be a 190km stage, starting in Leeds and ending in Harrogate. It will take place on the 5 July 2014 followed by a second 200km stage running from York to Sheffield. The British section of the Tour de France will end in the capital.

The Tour, which has visited Britain on previous occasions, typically consists of 21 days of racing with 2 days of rest over roughly 3200 kilometers!

Confirmed destinations are: Leeds, Harewood, Otley, Ilkley, Skipton, Kettlewell, Aysgarth, Hawes, Reeth, Leyburn, Ripon and Harrogate. The route will feature sublime sights of the Yorkshire Dales in the Pennines, which themselves already have a rich cycling tradition.

The organiser of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, praised Yorkshire describing it as a “a region of outstanding beauty, with breathtaking landscapes whose terrains offer both sprinters and attackers the opportunity to express themselves.”

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The routes of the Grand Départ will showcase some of Yorkshire's iconic cycling climbs and the county's stunning land and cityscapes. The peloton [cyclists] will be technically tested as they tackle some challenging terrain in what are sure to be two exhilarating days of racing in the county.”

Central Leeds' Labour MP Hilary Benn spoke with great pride about Leeds hosting “the start of the world's biggest and greatest annual sporting event.” He thinks it will be an extraordinary spectacle that will do wonders to Leeds, boosting tourism and commerce. He went on to praise the individuals who helped win this bid for Yorkshire:

“Just like winning the Tour de France, winning the bid – and beating off stiff competition from other cities – has been a team effort. Everyone who backed the bid deserves a yellow jersey, but especially Welcome to Yorkshire and Leeds City Council for having the courage to go for it.”

We cannot wait to celebrate with the rest of Leeds on 5 July 2014 and we will make sure to accommodate for an increase in demand for parking during this event.