TDF viewing advice from lads up North.

tim_wand

Hi.

Have decided to do a bit of a smash and grab weekend watching the tour in Yorkshire.

Was hoping to find RolfC or some of the Leeds club boys who could profer some advice on cycling between locations.

In some ways I m lucky and some ways I m not. Basically I cant get off work in Nottingham until Friday until about 1800.

I ve got a mate who lives in Leeds in Chapel Allerton and the route goes past his house, but unfortunately in the Controlled Zone. He's invited me to stop. Which is great, but the road to house will be closed at some point.

I ve got another mate who has rented this place for the Week

http://www.yorkshire-cottages.info/york ... 6n0KGdOXak and says I m quite welcome to doss on the floor there, although I don't know anyone else in the group.

I was thinking of going to the mate in Chapel Allertons on Friday night and watching the start Saturday. and then Hooking up with the other mate on Day 2 near Bolton Abbey area.

Does anyone know definitively the road closures schedule and any ways/ routes around , hopefully cycling.

It would be good on day one, to watch the peloton go by my mates house, then strike out on the bike and try and catch it coming back in a bit closer to Harrogate.

Day 2 im a bit more flexible.

rolf_f

Hello Tim

Anyone who is a Tour Maker has a timetable of the closures - reminds me I need my colleague to send me a copy.

My hope is to watch the depart and then ride to Harrogate. I splashed on a VIP experience which gets me an enclosure on the finish straight - I reckon I have 3 hours to get to Harrogate which gives me two extra to account for hold ups!

But, my guess is that without a reserved spot as such, you'd need to be in Harrogate early to get anywhere good in Town. I'd be tempted to go to Killinghall just North of Harrogate - North side as the road climbs into the village from the North. You can get there via the B6161 which byepasses Harrogate itself and is a nice though lumpy ride from Leeds (several options) or more flatly via Wetherby and Knaresborough. They'll be tanking it up the hill but there's nothing anywhere else of any consequence to slow them down much South of Masham (and that's probably 35 miles from Leeds so a non starter) aside from a couple of lumps into Harrogate and those will be packed and the leadouts will have already begun by then.

For Bolton Abbey, go to Otley and Weston Lane bypassing most of Ilkley via Nesfield to Beamsley (if you have any style you take the climb up to Langbar via Carters Lane before you get to Ilkley!).

There is a little hill after the roundabout but the riders will have spent the previous 5 minutes on a long fast downhill so I doubt they'll even notice that. I'd head through Addingham and over the A65 and catch them on the climb over to Silsden - at least that is a long enough climb to slow them a bit!

...Rolf

rodgers73

Road closures times are available to view on the grand depart website.

tim_wand

Cheers Guys, pretty much sorted along Rolf's suggestions, cant get away form work until 1900 on the Friday so going to base myself at mates in Chapel Allerton, watch it go by his house , then Strike out for Killinghall.