PRESS PACK YORKSHIRE GRAND DÉPART 2014
Three years ago WE had a dream to bring the world s largest annual sporting event, the toughest, longest and hardest cycle race in the world, to Yorkshire. And that dream is now a reality. Today, together with Leeds City Council and our partners across the county, I am delighted and honoured to be able to talk about hosting the 2014 Grand DÉpart of the Tour de France in Leeds and the great county of Yorkshire. FOREWORD The Amaury Sport Organisation has entrusted us with their race and I am in no doubt that Leeds will provide a perfect, passionate send off for the riders and teams as they navigate their way around some of the most inspiring cycling terrain in the UK, raising the bar for all future hosts of the Grand Départ. YORKSHIRE IS A REGION OF VIBRANT CITIES AND ANCIENT MARKET TOWNS DOTTED ACROSS A WILD AND RUGGED LANDSCAPE. FROM THE DALES AND THE MOORS, TO THE PEAKS AND THE COAST, YORKSHIRE IS A PLACE UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN THE UK, A TRULY WORLD CLASS DESTINATION FOR A WORLD CLASS RACE PROVIDING THE PERFECT BACKDROP TO THE TOUR DE FRANCE. I LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO LEEDS IN 2014 WHEN GLOBAL MEDIA ATTENTION WILL BE ON OUR COUNTY FOR A FEW FANTASTIC DAYS IN JULY. WE CAN T WAIT. YORKSHIRE WILL BE RACE READY. Gary Verity Chief Executive, Welcome to Yorkshire
I d like to offer a very warm welcome to cycling fans and potential visitors from all over the world to Leeds, host city of the 2014 Grand Départ of the Tour de France. As a city we are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the start of the world s largest annual sporting event, and speaking personally as an avid fan of Le Tour and keen cyclist for over 25 years, I am incredibly proud and excited that Leeds has been given the honour of starting this amazing and legendary race. WELCOME TO LEEDS Together with Welcome to Yorkshire and our partners across the county, a tremendous amount of work has gone into winning the bid for Leeds to host the Grand Départ and for the county of Yorkshire to be showcased to a huge global audience, so I d like to say thank you to everyone involved and also to the race organisers Amaury Sport ORganisation for entrusting us with starting the greatest event in cycling. It only remains for me to make an open invitation to the world to come and sample the famous Leeds and Yorkshire hospitality in July 2014. The Grand Départ is going to be a real celebration for everyone in the city and our very special guests from all over the globe to enjoy, highlighting the best that Leeds and Yorkshire has to offer for a few days that none of us will ever forget. Everyone s welcome, so come and join us for what is sure to be a fantastic spectacle. Councillor Keith Wakefield Leader of Leeds City Council
Leeds is a thriving, passionate city, rich in culture and heritage. It is the country s third largest city with a population of nearly 800,000 and is currently the fastest growing city in the UK. MANCHESTER EDINBURGH LEEDS LONDON Leeds Leeds is a city with a past linked closely to the English cycling scene. In the early days of road racing in the UK all roads led to and from Leeds, and it was from here that some of the early pioneers of the British cycling scene rode out in competitions and training. The Leeds economy is driving forward with confidence, based on a unique proposition combining the city s status as a powerhouse in professional services and financial services with an unrivalled commitment to securing investment in digital and medical technologies. Leeds is taking a leading role in the UK s economic recovery with both Trinity Leeds - the biggest shopping centre development in Western Europe in 2013 - and the 13,500 capacity Leeds Arena, opening next year, and major projects in the pipeline including KPMG s expansion into new offices and Hammerson s landmark John Lewis development. City Facts Leeds is one of the greenest cities in Europe with green belt covering over two thirds of its area. It is also within one hour s drive to the county s three National Parks. It is a centre of sporting excellence, known the world over as the base for World Club Champions Leeds Rhinos, Leeds United Football Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The Leeds City Region has the largest population and workforce outside of London and the South East and a thriving business community comprising 106,000 companies. The Leeds City Region economy is worth 53 billion per annum, bigger than eight European countries.
Leeds is widely recognised as a city of education. With two internationally acclaimed universities, two of the UK s leading business schools, over 70,000 full time degree students and one of the country s largest further education colleges. It also has the largest teaching hospital in Europe. Leeds is a thriving tourism destination and with over 13,000 hotel bedspaces not to mention additional self-catering, serviced and guest rooms - it is more than capable of hosting the fans, media and entourage of Le Tour. Leeds has a lively and continually evolving cultural scene. From the internationally acclaimed Opera North, Northern Ballet, Henry Moore Institute and West Yorkshire Playhouse to a growing number of visual arts collectives and a thriving music scene, there is real passion for all things creative. Leeds is the capital of shopping in Yorkshire, home of the first Harvey Nichols outside London and location for Trinity Leeds one of the largest city centre shopping developments in England. 48,500 BUSINESSES IN THE LEEDS AREA 3RD ENGLAND S 3RD LARGEST CITY FOURTH LARGEST FORCE IN ENGLAND & WALES WITH POLICE & SUPPORT STAFF IN EXCESS OF 10,300 14M TO BE INVESTED IN CYCLE ROUTES & RAILWAY STATIONS 6M TOTAL POPULATION OF YORKSHIRE TWICE THE POPULATION OF WALES BED SPACES AVAILABLE IN YORKSHIRE 172,283 GRAND DÉPART LEEDS
KEY LOCATIONS WITHIN THE GRAND DÉPART 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leeds Town Hall The Town Hall is a stunning focal point for city life in Leeds. The Royal Armouries The museum next to the River Aire houses the national collection of arms. The Corn Exchange The stunning building houses high-end eateries and boutique shops in an architectural gem. Millennium Square Millennium Square is the city s primary open space. Leeds Arena Due for completion in 2013, the Leeds Arena will offer an exciting entertainment space. Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Art Gallery Part of Yorkshire s Sculpture Triangle exhibiting contemporary and nationally important works.
5 4 1 2 3 6
Leeds is one of seven fantastic cities in YORKSHIRE which offer something for every visitor from the bustling ancient alleyways of York under the towering presence of its Minster the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe - to the dynamism of the unique southern city of Sheffield and the historically significant, UNESCO recognised, first City of Film at Bradford. Yorkshire is blessed with seven ancient cities spread across the canvas of the county. THE MAGNIFICENT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bradford The UNESCO s first City of Film and for the second year running crowned the Curry Capital of Great Britain. Sheffield The Steel City is full of independent shopping and is home to the Tramlines music festival, the UK s urban Glastonbury. Hull A historical gem set on the banks of the Humber estuary it is home to the world s only submarium, The Deep. Leeds Famed home to the sporting giants Leeds Rhinos, Leeds United Football Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Ripon The stunning cathedral city offers a tranquil setting on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and is home to one of Yorkshire s nine racecourses. Wakefield Birthplace of the artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth and home to the new eponymously titled The Hepworth Wakefield on the banks of the River Calder. York The city is steeped in history from the Romans to the Vikings it is also home to the Ebor Racing Festival a premier event in the UK sporting calendar. SEVEN
5 6 7 2 3 4 1
Yorkshire is a country in a county. It is the largest county in the UK covering 15,000 sq kms and is home to nearly 6 MILLION people. Yorkshire is blessed with three National Parks, three areas of outstanding natural beauty, seven fantastic cities and a coastline of global significance for its maritime history and geological importance. Yorkshire is a culinary capital of the UK with six Michelin Star restaurants, more than any other AREA outside of London. It is also an art lovers paradise having given the world some of the greatest British artists of the 20th century Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and David Hockney. The landscape they grew up with INSPIRING some of their most famous works. Other famous sons and daughters of Yorkshire include: Dame Judi Dench and Sir Michael Parkinson, Captain James Cook and the BrontË sisters, musicians the Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Def Leppard and LEEDS OWN KAISER CHIEFS our famous Yorkshire Olympians led by Sheffield s Jessica Ennis. Yorkshire is an ancient land of iconic landscapes. Roads wind their way between historic houses, castles and abbeys the length and breadth of the county, leading from the Yorkshire Dales in the west to the heather-covered North York Moors in the east and the gritstone hills of the Peak District in the south. It is the perfect cycling county and one which will guarantee a stunning backdrop to the 2014 Grand Départ of the Tour de France. YORKSHIRE THE COUNTY
THE YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK HAS AROUND 1,600 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF IMPRESSIVE HILL COUNTRY AND MOORLAND, FIELDS AND MEADOWS AND GENTLE GRASSLAND VALLEYS. IT INCLUDES SOME OF THE FINEST LIMESTONE SCENERY IN THE UK, FROM CRAGS AND PAVEMENTS TO AN UNDERGROUND LABYRINTH OF CAVES. SPECTACULAR WATERFALLS AND ANCIENT BROADLEAVED WOODLAND CONTRAST WITH THE SCATTERED REMAINS OF FORMER MINE WORKINGS AND OTHER RURAL INDUSTRIES WHICH ACT AS REMINDERS OF THE AREA S RICH INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE. YORKSHIRE DALES
THE NORTH YORK MOORS NATIONAL PARK IS A CONTRASTING LANDSCAPE WITH A LONG IMPRINT OF HUMAN ACTIVITY. PREHISTORIC REMAINS, VIBRANT VILLAGES AND BREATHTAKING ABBEYS. ANCIENT TREES, TOWERING COASTAL CLIFFS AND ROLLING HEATHER MOORLAND PROVIDE HABITATS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF WILDLIFE, WHILE BREATHTAKING VISTAS BRING A SENSE OF PEACE AND TRANQUILITY. NORTH YORK MOORS
THE PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK ALSO LIES WITHIN YORKSHIRE S BOUNDARIES. IT S A UNIQUE LANDSCAPE OF MILLSTONE GRIT, HEATHER MOORLAND AND LIMESTONE DALES. YORKSHIRE S PART IS A FAVOURED LOCATION FOR THE SPORT OF ROCK CLIMBING. PEAK DISTRICT
THE YORKSHIRE COAST ENCOMPASSES SOME OF THE UK S MOST RUGGED AND CHARMING COUNTRYSIDE, FROM TINY FISHING VILLAGES SUCH AS ROBIN HOOD S BAY AND STAITHES, WORLD FAMOUS RESORTS SUCH AS WHITBY AND SCARBOROUGH, TO GLORIOUS STRETCHES OF WHITE SAND, WINDSWEPT ABBEYS AND THE COUNTY S BEST FISH AND CHIPS. YORKSHIRE COAST
Yorkshire is widely regarded as one of the spiritual heartlands of UK cycling. It has been a frequent destination for the various incarnations of the modern day Tour of Britain, has hosted the British Men s Road Championships more than a dozen times since it started in 1943 and prestigious criterium races, such as Otley town centre, continue to increase in popularity. Leeds is known for being a host city of the UCI Road World Cup during the 1990s, as well as the Leeds International Classic and in more recent times Yorkshire has continued its support for cycling by hosting the UCI Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup at Dalby Forest and the 2012 National Road Race Championship at Ampleforth Abbey. HERITAGE BRIAN ROBINSON
LEADING LIGHTS Brian Robinson Brian Robinson was the first British rider to finish the Tour de France in 1955 and the first to win a stage in 1958, a feat he repeated a year later. He was born in Huddersfield and joined Huddersfield Road Club when he was 13 and completed much of his early racing during his National Service. In addition to his Tour success he also won the Dauphiné Libéré in 1961. Barry Hoban Barry Hoban began his career in the 1950s racing with local team Calder Clarion CC and progressed brilliantly into continental racing. Between 1967 and 1975 he won 8 stages of Le Tour. In 1968 he became the first British rider to win a Tour de France mountain stage. He also famously beat the Belgians Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck in a sprint finish during the 1974 Ghent- Wevelgem. NEXT GENERATION A new generation of Yorkshire cyclists making their mark on the world stage include Lizzie Armitstead, Ed Clancy, Ben Swift, Scott Thwaites and Adam Blythe. Not to mention Yorkshire cyclists in other disciplines who have made their mark such as multiple world cup and downhill world mountain bike champion Steve Peat and his present day contemporaries. We hope that by hosting the Grand Départ we inspire more children to follow in the footsteps of county s cycling heroes and heroines and continue to ride Yorkshire into the record books. BEN SWIFT Beryl Burton Beryl Burton from Morley, Leeds, dominated women s cycle racing in the UK, winning 96 domestic championships and seven world titles, she also collected 13 pursuit titles and 71 time-trial titles. She set a women s record for the 12-hour time-trial which exceeded the men s record for two years. Her ability on a bike led to the rare distinction for a woman of being invited to compete in the Grand Prix des Nations. Malcolm Elliott Malcolm Elliott is one of Britain s best-loved and most successful riders. Career highlights for the Sheffieldborn rider include being the first British rider to win a points jersey in a Grand Tour (Vuelta a España). Being national road race, hill climb and pursuit champion. Commonwealth gold medallist, Olympian, Milk Race and Tour of Britain winner and two Tour de France campaigns in the late 1980s.
YORKSHIRE S Grand DÉpart is strengthened by a fully integrated public transport system that already exists, connecting the City with the rest of England and beyond. WHITBY HAWES YORKSHIRE DALES LEYBURN MIDDLEHAM NORTH YORK MOORS SCARBOROUGH RIPON SKIPTON HARROGATE WETHERBY YORK BRADFORD LEEDS HULL HALIFAX WAKEFIELD HUDDERSFIELD BARNSLEY DONCASTER CLEETHORPES Key Motorways Autoroutes PEAK DISTRICT SHEFFIELD ROTHERHAM A Roads Routes nationales Rail Routes Liaisons ferroviaires Heritage Coasts Littoral du patrimoine Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Zones de beauté naturelle exceptionnelle National Parks Parcs nationaux TO LONDON BY RAIL VERS LONDRES EN TRAIN TO LONDON BY RAIL VERS LONDRES EN TRAIN Airports Aéroports Ferryport Port ferry
GETTING ABOUT IN LEEDS AIR RAIL BUS ROAD Air travellers arrive at Leeds Bradford International Airport, 22 minutes from the city centre. The airport offers taxi services and dedicated half-hourly airport bus service to Leeds City Centre. Travellers by rail arrive in the heart of the city, close to hotels and the Leeds Arena. Visitors can travel effortlessly around the county by train with most journeys being less than 40 minutes. This will enable visitors to select the location of their accommodation being assured that the transport infrastructure will enable them to easily get to race locations. There are 200 trains every day between Yorkshire and London. National Express operates coaches to 98% of the UK and has a large integrated network of scheduled services covering three segments: Shuttle, the national coach service which links all the main UK cities; Airport links; European coach services: Their low cost fares enable people to travel around Britain in comfort at budget prices. Visitors arriving by car will quickly reach Leeds using our excellent motorway connections. From the south the M1 and A1(M) motorways link the region to London via Cambridge and Peterborough, and the M1 North connects with the North East and Scotland. The M62 runs west to Manchester and Liverpool while the journey east to Hull and P&O ferry services takes only one hour. LEEDS HULL CROSS-CHANNEL TRANSPORT LINKS LONDON PORTSMOUTH CALAIS ZEEBRUGGE ROTTERDAM DIEPPE ROSCOFF ST MALO CAEN
For further information please contact: Andrew Denton Head of Media, Yorkshire s Grand Départ Welcome to Yorkshire T: +44 (0)113 322 3537 M: +44 (0)7769 257 383 E: adenton@yorkshire.com Dee Marshall Head of Communications Welcome to Yorkshire T: +44 (0)113 322 3505 M: +44 (0)7950 325 901 E: dmarshall@yorkshire.com Public relations FRANCE Little Wing Media Valerie Benjamin T: 00 33 6 11 51 16 11 E: valeriebenjamin@little-wing.fr TO DOWNLOAD IMAGES AND FILMS Go to www.yorkshire.com/gdimages @LeTourYorkshire facebook.com/letouryorkshire WelcometoYorkshire PHOTOGRAPHY Richard Moran Brian Robinson Portrait Leeds Skyline Cyclist in the Rain Getty Images Ben Swift Team Sky Portrait Rick Robson Training in Halton Gill, North Yorkshire Welcome to Yorkshire All other images