06
Jul 2024
'A moment in history' – looking back at the Yorkshire stages of Tour De France 2014
On on Saturday, July 5, 2014, the streets of Yorkshire weren’t bustling with the usual hum of commuter traffic, but alive with a completely different sort of energy.
An estimated 4.8 million people lined the streets of Harrogate, York, Leeds and Otley to soak in the atmosphere, and to witness the thunderous sight of 198 riders on the first leg of the Tour De France.
Many will have witnessed Mark Cavendish's crash in Harrogate, or cheered riders on as they tackled a brutal climb through the Dales. Some may have decorated their houses with colourful bunting, baked bicyle-themed cakes, or even invested in some Lycra themselves.
Ten years on, the Stray Ferret is looking back at the two days when the French flag was proudly hoisted alongside the white rose of Yorkshire.
The route
The 2,274.5-mile race included 21 stages and started in Leeds on July 5 before finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 27.
The first stage began on The Headrow, outside the Victoria Town Hall in Leeds, passing through Alwoodley towards Harewood House, along the Wharfe Valley via Otley, and passing by the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor.
The route then headed north to the market town of Skipton and through the Yorkshire Dales, through Wensleydale, Hawes and the Buttertubs Pass to Reeth.
Looping south, the race climbed up to Grinton Moor, dropping down to pass through Leyburn, Masham and Ripon, concluding in a triumphant finale at West Park in Harrogate.
The route passed over Ilkley Moor
Yorkshire was the only county in the UK that hosted two legs of the race; the second stage was set between York and Sheffield, once more visiting Harrogate, as well as neighbouring Knaresborough.
A Yorkshire welcome
To say that Yorkshire pulled out all the stops to celebrate hosting the world’s largest cycling event would be something of an understatement.
In 2013, Harrogate Borough Council launched an initiative encouraging members of the public to knit tiny jerseys in a variety of colours, to be used as bunting for the Tour de France.
22,000 jumpers later, it’s fair to say the Tour de Bunting project was a resounding success – people sent in their creations from across the globe, mailing packages from as far away as Canada and Bermuda.
Staying on the theme of wool, even local livestock got involved in the action – sheep in Killinghall were sprayed in vibrant hues, to match each team’s colours.
Local businesses didn’t miss the opportunity to mark the occasion either; Appletons Butchers in Ripon fashioned a bicycle out of sausages, black pudding, pork pies and gammon steaks.
The ‘pie-cycle’ as it was dubbed at the time took 24 hours to cook and was proudly displayed in the shop window on Market Place.
(L) A road closure sign (R) crowds in Killinghall
An event to remember
While the peloton may have swept through the streets in a matter of minutes, the legacy of the Tour de France’s Yorkshire stage remained long after the riders left the region.
Aside from the immediate financial impact – a 2015 Leeds City Council report estimated that that the race generated £128 million in revenue for Yorkshire – and the national uptick in Lycra and bike sales, the memories of the event are still strong for many.
The Stray Ferret asked readers to share their memories from those action-packed few days, and many could still remember the race clearly.
We’ve curated a selection of responses – use the new comment function located at the bottom of this article to share your own memories and experiences of the Tour de France.
I remember the speed – it felt like an almighty whoosh when the pack went past.
It might sound obvious, but I was really struck with how fast they go, and it made you wonder how they could sustain it for that long without burning out.
Ripon Road, Killinghall on July 5, 2014
I was amazed that the start of the stage from York into the Dales, the 0km sign was at the bottom of our street.
It was a surreal experience having a part of France at the end of the road; vans with French numberplates handing out flags and freebies, and the Gendarmes who go in the front of the race on their motorbikes riding along and high-fiving the kids in the crowd.
It brought a sense of community spirit out too as everybody came out to watch and we caught up with people that we hadn’t spoken to for years, despite living close by.
I’m not much of a cyclist but I enjoyed the whole spectacle of it, and the way that everybody got stuck in.
It felt like you were part of a truly exciting moment in history.
The Red Arrows flying over the Harewood estate
Did you know – the Tour de France edition
- The first Tour de France was established in 1903, and the route started in Montgeron, travelling through Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Nantes before ending in Paris.
- The 1903 Tour de France was run in six stages, and each stage was 250 miles on average – that’s over twice the length of an average modern stage.
- Spanish cyclist Miguel Induráin is the only man in history to have won five Tour de France titles consecutively.
- The UK has three overall winners of the Tour de France to its name: Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.
- Chris Froome is currently the only British rider to have won the title for four years running – from 2015 – 2017.
- As a country France has won the title the most times, followed by Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Great Britain.
The Stray Ferret will explore the legacy that the Tour de France left in Yorkshire in greater depth in a second article tomorrow.
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