2015 Tour of Yorkshire Official Launch – Yorkshire’s Cycling Legacy Begins

3 days before the Tour de France Grand Départ,
the legacy is already underway …

Welcome to Yorkshire and Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) supported by British Cycling have submitted an application to the UCI for a new, world class professional cycle race in Yorkshire.

If approved by the world’s governing body, the provisionally titled ”Tour of Yorkshire” will be a three-day race and its inaugural edition will run from 1 – 3 May 2015.

Based on the strong collaboration that has been built up between Welcome to Yorkshire and ASO for the Grand Départ and working in partnership with British Cycling, the race will be a 2.1 UCI Europe Tour event, guaranteeing the participation of some of the world’s leading cyclists and providing a fitting legacy to this year’s Tour de France visit in “God’s own County”. Indeed, the organisers are strongly committed to create what shall become “a breathtaking new race in a region made for cycling”.

Beyond the discovery of the entire Yorkshire County, certainly beyond the routes of the Tour de France Grand Départ, and an impactful promotion through international TV coverage, a strong focus will be put on not only sustaining, but further increasing the already outstanding enthusiasm for cycling in the UK. All three entities are therefore committed to creating a sustainable event which will also help grow the sport of cycling both in Yorkshire and nationally.

Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France added: “Alongside the public interest for cycling, highlighted by the Grand Départ, Yorkshire boasts beautiful breathtaking scenery worthy of any of the cycling season’s major events. It therefore seems perfectly natural for Welcome to Yorkshire, British Cycling and ASO to continue working together in this new land of cycling, through the Tour of Yorkshire. In particular, this three-day stage race will offer television viewers worldwide the opportunity to continue discovering the splendid landscapes of this English region, a journey started by the Tour de France, whose Grand Départ this year will remain its founding act.”

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “When we bid to host the Tour de France we did so in the knowledge that this would be the start of a long relationship with ASO. So I am delighted to be able to announce this exciting new race for Yorkshire. Our county is a new cycling heartland of Europe and we look forward to welcoming back some of the world’s best riders in Yorkshire in less than 12 months’ time.”

Jonny Clay, British Cycling’s Director of Cycle Sport said: “We will await the decision of the UCI but I am confident that ASO and Welcome to Yorkshire will create a world-class event attractive to the best teams in cycling. What is more, all three organisations are committed to ensuring the race delivers lasting benefits to cycling by engaging more fans for our great sport and by encouraging more people to get active by getting on their bikes. What is common to all our events work is a determination that they inspire participation in the sport and support the network of volunteers upon whom cycling is reliant at every level.”

 

“Bicycle” To Premiere at Yorkshire Festival of Cycling

BICYCLE, a 90 minute documentary has it’s Public World Premiere at the Yorkshire Festival Of Cycling on Friday 4th July ahead of the ceremonial start of the Tour de France with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry in attendance .

Directed by 2x BAFTA winning Michael B.Clifford, the screening will take place on a huge outdoor screen powered by 12 cyclists.
Clifford, himself a keen cyclist made the film to explore the question ‘why is cycling and the bicycle back in fashion’?

“At a time when the bicycle is back in fashion, it is great to see a film about this beautiful machine coming out ” Chris Boardman, MBE Olympic Gold Medalist

BICYCLE tells the story of cycling in the land that invented the modern bicycle, it’s birth, decline and re-birth from Victorian origins to today. The film weaves bicycle design, sport and transport through the retelling of some iconic stories, and features interviews with notable contributors including Sir Dave Brailsford, Gary Fisher, Chris Boardman, Ned Boulting, Sir Chris Hoy, Tracy Moseley, Mike Burrows and many more, plus great archive, animation and music.

“Lyrical, affectionate, beautiful. A hymn of praise to a humble wonder; the bicycle” Ned Boulting, Broadcaster and Writer

The film will be on limited cinema release throughout the summer and autumn and will come out on DVD in September.

Hayley Davies

Hayley Davies

Writer

Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk

Yorkshire Grand Départ – Be Part of History

An artist impression of the stage for the ceremony

An artist impression of the stage for the ceremony

 

Four Weeks to the Yorkshire Grand Départ Opening Ceremony: Be Part of History

The Yorkshire Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2014 kicks off exactly four weeks tonight with a spectacular Opening Ceremony and Team Presentation at the Leeds Arena, and a chance for spectators to become a part of history.

Defending champion Chris Froome and sprint sensation Mark Cavendish will be among top cycling stars to greet the crowd on July 3, as Yorkshire welcomes 22 of the world’s best cycling teams in a glittering ceremony showcasing some of the county’s top entertainment talent.

Yorkshire band Embrace will headline the event, which will be their first arena gig since their recent sell-out comeback tour and album. Their latest album went straight into the national album chart at number 5. Originally from Brighouse, Embrace have three number 1 albums, six top ten singles and over two million UK album sales behind them.

Embrace frontman Danny McNamara said: “It’s going to be amazing, to have one of the biggest annual sporting events in the world coming to our back yard and to be part of it is nothing short of massive, we’re really looking forward to it!”

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh will join York singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin on stage to perform the track he wrote called The Road – the official anthem of Yorkshire’s Grand Départ 2014.

Kimberley, known the world over for her role in the multi-platinum selling group Girls Aloud, said: “It is going to be a night to remember and one where we make history together, giving the Tour de France a true Yorkshire welcome. Performing at this event with Alistair in our home county is going to be a special moment for me.”

To celebrate the collaboration between Yorkshire and France, million selling French singer Pauline Vassuer will sing her hit “Allo le Monde”.

The orchestra and chorus of Opera North will perform music specially created for the event live throughout the ceremony, conducted by composer Philip Sheppard, who composed music for London 2012.

The band Hope and Social, one of the stars of the hugely successful Yorkshire Festival, will also take part – teaming up with 100 performers of all ages who’ve joined them as they’ve taken their Tour of Infinite Possibility around the county.

Executive producer Martin Green, who was Head of Ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics, said: “We’re breaking new ground here for the Tour de France with this ambitious show – it’s something much bigger and completely new to the cycling world.  With the theme of the event The People of Yorkshire Welcome the World, this will give the riders the entrance they deserve as the Yorkshire Grand Départ celebrations begin.”

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We know how enthusiastic millions of people are to make sure they get a chance to be part of the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire and their first opportunity will be at the Opening Ceremony and Team Presentation on Thursday July 3. Thousands of people will be able to see up close and hear from these cycling stars, witnessing a moment in history and making the Tour’s arrival an unforgettable experience.”

YorkshireThe show will be broadcast around the world, with a special programme in the UK on ITV 4.

Hosts, ITV sports presenter Jill Douglas and the voice of the Tour de France Sebastien Piquet, will interview riders from the teams and Team Sky will parade their top secret Pinarello’s Dogma F8 bikes which have been a year in the making and are reportedly the best bikes the team have ever ridden.

Tickets for the not-for-profit event start at £45 upwards (all the highest priced £85 tickets sold out in minutes) and are available at www.letouryorkshire.com/tickets by phone on 0844 248 1585 or from the box office in Trinity Leeds shopping centre where no booking fee applies.

TdF 2014 – Team Presentation to be a Show Stopper

Woolly-Bike-TrailPRESS RELEASE

Tickets for the biggest ever Tour de France Team Presentation Ceremony in history will go on sale this week.

The biggest stars from the world of cycling, including Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish, from all 22 teams will grace the stage as part of a spectacular live event.

The show will take place at Leeds Arena on the evening of the 3rd July, just two days before the Tour de France 2014 gets under way in Yorkshire.

It will be the first time the Team Presentation Ceremony has been done on such a large scale and will see the teams joined by live entertainment and acts – marking another first for Yorkshire’s Grand Départ.

The event will be overseen by Martin Green, the Head of Ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympics, where he led the team who delivered the opening and closing ceremonies. The event will see him return to the city where he studied for his masters degree in theatre studies at Leeds University.

Ticket prices range from £45 to £85 – and are available to buy from 9am on Friday April 25 via the official arena ticket website at www.firstdirectarena.com

Live acts and entertainment are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France, said: “The Team Presentation this year in Leeds will be a first for the Tour and we hope it will become a template for Team Presentations in the future. It shows how much passion there is for cycling in the UK and Yorkshire’s Grand Départ.”

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “When we were handed the honour of hosting the Grand Départ here in Yorkshire, we promised the ASO that we would put on the grandest of Grand Départs. This spectacular event at the arena is part of doing just that – and this offers fans the chance to not only witness a first in the history of the Tour, but be part of a once-in-a-lifetime event for our county.”

Tony Watson, Director of Sales, Marketing & PR at the Leeds Arena, said: “The Leeds Arena has been designed to deliver world class events and therefore our team are delighted to be welcoming the Team Presentation Ceremony here in a few weeks’ time.  With world class acoustics, great views from every seat and with us being located right in the heart of Leeds, there isn’t a better way to kick-off the greatest annual sporting event on Earth.”

Welcome to Yorkshire has been encouraging people since the start of the year to register for an opportunity to purchase tickets early (this Thursday) ahead of general sale (this Friday), and people still have chance to join the thousands of others who have already pre registered by visiting www.letouryorkshire.com/teampresentation before it closes at midnight tonight (Tuesday April 22).

More than ten thousand are expected to see the Team Presentation Ceremony on the evening of the 3rd July, making it the biggest in the history of the Tour de France.

The #partyontheroad comes to Yorkshire!


(c)  http://martinholdenphotography.com/

Last year, the CDNW women’s league, open only to 2nd, 3rd and 4th category riders, was thought by everybody involved to be a resounding success – an average of 40 women at each race, with 70 women registered for the league.  I was approached by Victoria Hood as she loved the concept and wanted to bring something similar to the women of Yorkshire.

After numerous conversations with BC Yorkshire, it was agreed that we would try and bring the same level of racing to Yorkshire.

Organising a women’s road race has historically been a massive risk to organisers, especially when it is the sole event, so persuading some organisers to assist us in our quest was key.  Pete Sutton, the Regional Events Officer for Yorkshire, has been a star, and he even spent the afternoon with Victoria and I going through all of the potential dates to ensure that there were no clashes with existing similar events in the North West.

This year, I have been trying to build a community atmosphere for women who want to have a go at racing by using the #partyontheroad hashtag.  It is hopefully working – 68 women took to the start line on Sunday, at an industrial estate in Skelmersdale, with rain threatening.  64 of those women finished.  The race next Sunday already has 51 entrants, with more due to enter on the day.

As the time is NOW to keep building on the momentum in women’s cycling, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to bring you the Yorkshire Women’s Road Race Series – these are all linked via the Series on British Cycling’s website here:https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events?series_id=380  The Series is being supported by Jadan Press, from Hull, so there will be an overall series winner – with cash!!!

It isn’t a league, like the CDNW women’s league, which means that we will need volunteers to assist at each race as there isn’t a league where you register and have to marshal (it was £92 to register the league, whereas a series is free).  Any offers of assistance will be greatly appreciated, even if you bring a mate with you to watch the race!  It is the #partyontheroad after all!

(c)  http://martinholdenphotography.com/

So without further ado, here are the details for the first three events to be included in the Yorkshire Women’s Road Race Series:

1. Sheffrec CC Spring Road Race – 13 April 2014

This race is organised by Marc Etches.  Marc organises the Sheffield Grand Prix, which has been a fixture in the National Women’s Series for many years.  Marc’s club, Sheffrec CC, organise a Spring Road Race, and he offered to run a women’s race in the morning, before the men’s event in the afternoon.

You can enter the race here: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/106353/Sheffrec-Spring-Road-Race#entry

This is a great starting event, being only 35 miles in length.  For anyone from down South who has entered the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir, why not enter the Sheffrec race too?

The circuit is on Strava – link here: http://app.strava.com/segments/1234074 and this video also gives you a great idea of what to expect:

Entry closes on 27 March 2014 – remember you don’t need to register for the series, you will be automatically entered into it if you ride.

2. Team Swift RR – 11 May 2014

The next event in the series is organised by Cliff Beldon, of Team Swift.  You can enter the race here: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/104997/Teamswift-Road-Races#entry

The circuit is on Strava –  link here: http://www.strava.com/segments/1445730 – I absolutely love this circuit, although I have only ridden around it the opposite way around!

 

3. Albarosa CC  Road Race – 15 June 2014

Currently  being finalised – I will update you when it goes live, but for now hold the date!

 

4. PH-Mas Road Race –  3 August 2014

Amy attackThis race is also in the process of being finalised.  Once it goes live I will add the date, so just keep it in your diaries for the time being!

The course is being fun on the Seacroft Wheelers RR circuit at Bishopwood, near Selby, and the circuit is here: 

http://www.strava.com/segments/1132910

 

5. Selby CC Road Race

Stuart Davies is the organiser for the final round of the Yorkshire Women’s Road Race Series, and further information can be found here:  https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/107690/Selby-CC-Road-Race#entry

This event is going to be held on a new circuit, which is first being used on the 15 May 2014, so I’m afraid I don’t have any segment details for you just yet!

 

Food for thought…

There aren’t many events where you can win hard cash for no entry fee.  That and the fact that the #partyontheroad is coming to Yorkshire, why wouldn’t you want to get involved?

Hopefully I will see some of you there…

 

http://martinholdenphotography.com

My thanks to Martin Holden Photography for use of the photos, as well as to all of the organisers of both the CDNW Women’s League and the Yorkshire Women’s Road Race Series.  Without organisers, we have no races…

 

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