Tour de France 2014 – Le Grand Départ
By David Hunter
England here we come!
The Tour begins with 3 days in England and we have a great contrast in terms of cycling and the cities visited. We start off in Leeds, a city in Yorkshire. The area is known for straight talking people, and sits in the North of the country. England can usually be split into 2: the North and South. The areas are very different, as are the people.
The North, was the manufacturing centre, until the demise of the coal and manufacturing industry, which can be traced back to the Conservative government of the 1980s. Since that point, relations between the North and South have not been good.
The South has London, and the financial district. People from the South are often perceived to be wealthy and arrogant, people from the North, working class and down to earth. Will the cycling pick up on some of this?
It will certainly show off the massive inequalities, as stage 1 finishes in the humble town of Harrogate, whereas stage 3 finishes outside Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen.
The route does reflect the two areas. Both, stages 1 and 2, in Yorkshire, are tough days in the saddle. Lots of climbs, narrow roads and nervousness. Stage 3 is a very easy day, with a procession towards the palace. A day for the show-offs!
Stage 1 looks easy, but it isn’t! The middle climb is 4.5km at 6.8%, before the final climb of 3km at 6.6%. We then have a flat run towards the finish. Even this isn’t easy! The roads throughout the stage are very narrow and I can see many crashes happening. The end of the stage isn’t flat either.
Cavendish has made this his number 1 target for the season. The Manx Missile, has never worn the yellow jersey and the stage finishes in the birthplace of his mother. Cavendish knows that Kittel is faster than him, so I expect OPQS to try to ensure that the German gets distanced earlier in the stage. The finish also suits a number of riders, so it will be very hard for Cavendish as Greipel, Démare and Modolo are experts in the uphill sprint.
Stage 2 stays in Yorkshire, with a very hilly day.
The stage finishes in Sheffield, the home of the old steel industry, in Britain.
The last 60km of the race is very demanding and it looks perfect for a breakaway. If this happens, the winner would also claim the yellow jersey.
The details of the climbs are:-
Côte de Blubberhouses 1.8 km at 6.1%
Côte d’Oxenhope Moor 3.1 km at 6.4%
Côte de Ripponden 1.3 km at 8.6%
Côte de Greetland 1.6 km at 6.7%
Côte de Holme Moss 4.7 km at 7%
Côte de Midhopestones 2.5 km at 6.1%
Côte de Bradfield 1 km at 7.4%
Côte d’Oughtibridge 1.5 km at 9.1%
Côte de Jenkin Road 0.8 km at 10.8%
The final climb is a leg breaker! It might only be 800 metres long, but it has a section of 30%. This means we won’t see a sprint finish, and it will be very hard to make the break, as they will also be fighting to wear yellow.
Stage 3 moves from the North to the South.
This is a very easy day in the saddle as we head towards London. The stage finish is iconic, right outside the Palace, will the Queen be watching?
We will get a massive sprint finish, probably the first of the race, and a battle between Cavendish, Kittel and Greipel. This stage will surely favour the power of Kittel.
Both Cavendish and Démare have won in London before.
So we get a real mix of cycling in England. A day for the sprinters, the breakaway experts and the tough sprinters. As usual, the opening of the race will be full of thrills and spills!
Sit back and enjoy with a cup of tea!
David Hunter
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