Contents
- 1 Why did the Tour de France start in Yorkshire?
- 2 When did the Tour de France start in Yorkshire?
- 3 Why does Tour de France start in other countries?
- 4 Why are there no female riders in the Tour de France?
- 5 Why does Tour de France start in Bilbao?
- 6 Will the Tour de Yorkshire happen again?
- 7 Where will the 2023 Tour de France start?
- 8 Where will the 2025 Tour de France start?
- 9 When did the Tour de France start in England?
- 10 Why is it called West Riding of Yorkshire?
Why did the Tour de France start in Yorkshire?
Portrayed as the ‘grandest départ’ in the Tour’s history, the Tour de France’s visit to Yorkshire was claimed to be an economic opportunity to showcase its thriving cities and scenic routes, yet its role as a regional invigorator has been questioned.
When did the Tour de France start in Yorkshire?
Just in case you had forgotten on 5 and 6 July 2014 the Tour de France began in Yorkshire. The first stage started in Leeds, made its way to Skipton and then travelled through the Yorkshire Dales National Park passing along Wharfedale, Wensleydale and Swaledale, before heading to Harrogate.
- The second stage left York, went back through Harrogate and came to Bolton Abbey before turning south through the Pennines to Sheffield.
- The third stage saw the riders head from Cambridge down to a finish in London.
- Local communities along the route really pulled out the stops in decorating their towns and villages in preparation, and fans added their own touches to the roads being used.
It was, quite simply, a wonderful, amazing, unforgettable, iconic, spectacular, inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime, colourful, ‘magnifique’, and unbelievable experience! We quite enjoyed it!
Why does the Tour de France not start in France?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Tour de France is an annual road bicycle race held over 23 days in July. Established in 1903 by newspaper L’Auto, the Tour is the most well-known and prestigious of cycling’s three ” Grand Tours “; the others are the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España,
- The race usually covers approximately 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi), passing through France and neighbouring countries such as Belgium.
- The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages.
- Individual finishing times for each stage are totalled to determine the overall winner at the end of the race.
The course changes every year, but has always finished in Paris; since 1975 it has finished along the Champs-Élysées, The start of the course is known as the Grand Départ, Since the 1950s it has typically taken place in a different town each year, and since the 1970s it has been common to award the Grand Départ to cities outside France as a way of increasing international interest in the competition and the sport.
Does the Tour de France go through Yorkshire?
This is a stunning route largely following the route of the Tour de France through the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Quiet roads, great scenery and four classic climbs.
Why does Tour de France start in other countries?
Today, fans travel from across the globe to catch a glimpse of the world’s best cyclists. In recognition of the race’s broad appeal, the Tour now regularly even starts outside France. Its opening stage, or Grand Départ, has been held in Italy, England, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, among others.
Why is there no Tour de Yorkshire?
2020 to 2022 – The 2020 tour was scheduled to run from 30 April to 3 May with stages from to, to, to and to, The 2020 tour was cancelled in March 2020, due to the in the United Kingdom. The 2021 Tour was cancelled in November 2020 and the 2022 Tour was cancelled in August 2021.
Has the Tour de France ever started in UK?
Tour de France, the world’s most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race. Of the three foremost races (the others being the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España), the Tour de France attracts the world’s best riders. Staged for three weeks each July—usually in some 20 daylong stages—the Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of 9 riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles), mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to such countries as Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain,
Although the race may start outside France—as was the case in 2007, when England hosted the opening stage for the first time—it always heads there quickly; the Tour is France’s premier annual sporting event and has deep cultural roots. It is watched by huge crowds from the roadside and is televised around the world as one of the supreme tests of athletic endurance.
Part of the difficulty cyclists face in the Tour is that it is divided among time-trial racing and racing stages covering both flat land and great stretches of mountainous inclines, It is a rare cyclist who can perform well at both time trials and climbing, and those who can usually wear the yellow jersey ( maillot jaune ) of victory at the end of the race in Paris,
Established in 1903 by Henri Desgrange (1865–1940), a French cyclist and journalist, the race has been run every year except during the World Wars. Desgrange’s newspaper, L’Auto (now L’Equipe ), sponsored the Tour to boost circulation. Two events sparked spectator interest in the race: in 1910 the riders were sent, for the first time, over the treacherous “circle of death” in mountain passes in the Pyrenees; and 1919 marked the introduction of the yellow jersey—yellow being the colour of paper on which L’Auto was printed.
The yellow jersey is an honour accorded to the cyclist who has the lowest cumulative time for the race at the end of each day. (A racer might well win a stage of a race on any given day but will not necessarily be given a yellow jersey, as that depends on the lowest overall time.) Three other types of jerseys are awarded during the Tour.
Bonus sprints, awarding both points and a deduction of overall elapsed time, are held at several sites along the route each day during the race, and points are also awarded and time deducted for the first three finishers of each stage; the winner of the most points receives a green jersey. A polka-dotted jersey is given to the “king of the mountains,” the rider who has the most points in the climbing stages, racing over small hills as well as steep mountains.
The white jersey is awarded to the rider age 25 and under who has the lowest cumulative time. Riders usually have three types of bicycles: one for time trials, one for flat road stages, and a very light bicycle for the mountain-climbing stages of the race. 
Britannica Quiz Sports Quiz Early teams were sponsored mainly by bicycle manufacturers until 1930, when national and regional teams were introduced. In 1962 trade teams returned, and, except in 1967 and 1968, years that again featured national teams, trade teams have continued, with sponsors now including banks, insurance companies, and manufacturers of household goods.
The team aspect of the Tour is important because, although only one rider is awarded the win, lead riders are dependent on their team members in order to succeed. Teammates help their leader with tactics such as letting him ride (draft) behind them to protect him from the wind, giving him one of their wheels when his bicycle has a flat, setting a strong pace for him in the mountains, and chasing down and blocking any major rivals who have accelerated away from the main group in an attempt to gain time.
Thus, the Tour, and bicycle racing in general, is often referred to as an individual sport practiced by teams. The rewards for a selfless teammate include a share of prizes won by his leader as well as a continuation of the teammate’s job into the next annual racing season.
- The use of performance-enhancing drugs—especially erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that increases the level of red blood cells and thus the flow of oxygen to muscles—has become a major problem of the Tour de France.
- Amid frequent drug testing, doping scandals have threatened to overshadow the race itself.
In 1998 one of the leading teams (Festina) was expelled due to allegations of drug use, and the 2006 winner, American Floyd Landis, tested positive for testosterone and was stripped of his title after an arbitration panel in 2007 upheld the drug-test results.
In 2007 several teams withdrew from the Tour after their riders failed drug tests. That year also saw Bjarne Riis of Denmark, the 1996 victor, dropped from the Tour’s list of winners after he admitted using EPO during his race; however, due to time limits for sanctions, his title could not be officially revoked.
The most infamous Tour doping scandal came in 2012 when seven-time winner (1999–2005) Lance Armstrong of the United States was stripped of his titles after an investigation revealed that he had been the central figure in a doping conspiracy during the years in which he won his titles. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now
| year | winner | km |
|---|---|---|
| *Riis was no longer recognized as champion after his 2007 admission of illegal drug use. | ||
| **Armstrong was stripped of the title in 2012, having declined to continue contesting ongoing charges of illegal drug use. | ||
| ***Became champion after the original winner tested positive for illegal drug use and was stripped of the title. | ||
| 1903 | Maurice Garin (France) | 2,428 |
| 1904 | Henri Cornet (France) | 2,428 |
| 1905 | Louis Trousselier (France) | 2,994 |
| 1906 | René Pottier (France) | 4,637 |
| 1907 | Lucien Petit-Breton (France) | 4,488 |
| 1908 | Lucien Petit-Breton (France) | 4,487 |
| 1909 | François Faber (Lux.) | 4,497 |
| 1910 | Octave Lapize (France) | 4,734 |
| 1911 | Gustave Garrigou (France) | 5,344 |
| 1912 | Odiel Defraeye (Belg.) | 5,289 |
| 1913 | Philippe Thys (Belg.) | 5,287 |
| 1914 | Philippe Thys (Belg.) | 5,380 |
| 1915–18 | not held | |
| 1919 | Firmin Lambot (Belg.) | 5,560 |
| 1920 | Philippe Thys (Belg.) | 5,503 |
| 1921 | Léon Scieur (Belg.) | 5,484 |
| 1922 | Firmin Lambot (Belg.) | 5,375 |
| 1923 | Henri Pélissier (France) | 5,386 |
| 1924 | Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) | 5,425 |
| 1925 | Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) | 5,440 |
| 1926 | Lucien Buysse (Belg.) | 5,745 |
| 1927 | Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) | 5,398 |
| 1928 | Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) | 5,476 |
| 1929 | Maurice De Waele (Belg.) | 5,286 |
| 1930 | André Leducq (France) | 4,822 |
| 1931 | Antonin Magne (France) | 5,091 |
| 1932 | André Leducq (France) | 4,479 |
| 1933 | Georges Speicher (France) | 4,395 |
| 1934 | Antonin Magne (France) | 4,470 |
| 1935 | Romain Maes (Belg.) | 4,338 |
| 1936 | Sylvère Maes (Belg.) | 4,442 |
| 1937 | Roger Lapébie (France) | 4,415 |
| 1938 | Gino Bartali (Italy) | 4,694 |
| 1939 | Sylvère Maes (Belg.) | 4,224 |
| 1940–46 | not held | |
| 1947 | Jean Robic (France) | 4,640 |
| 1948 | Gino Bartali (Italy) | 4,922 |
| 1949 | Fausto Coppi (Italy) | 4,808 |
| 1950 | Ferdinand Kubler (Switz.) | 4,775 |
| 1951 | Hugo Koblet (Switz.) | 4,690 |
| 1952 | Fausto Coppi (Italy) | 4,898 |
| 1953 | Louison Bobet (France) | 4,479 |
| 1954 | Louison Bobet (France) | 4,656 |
| 1955 | Louison Bobet (France) | 4,495 |
| 1956 | Roger Walkowiak (France) | 4,496 |
| 1957 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,669 |
| 1958 | Charly Gaul (Lux.) | 4,319 |
| 1959 | Federico Bahamontes (Spain) | 4,355 |
| 1960 | Gastone Nencini (Italy) | 4,173 |
| 1961 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,397 |
| 1962 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,274 |
| 1963 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,137 |
| 1964 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,504 |
| 1965 | Felice Gimondi (Italy) | 4,188 |
| 1966 | Lucien Aimar (France) | 4,329 |
| 1967 | Roger Pingeon (France) | 4,780 |
| 1968 | Jan Janssen (Neth.) | 4,492 |
| 1969 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 4,117 |
| 1970 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 4,254 |
| 1971 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 3,608 |
| 1972 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 3,846 |
| 1973 | Luis Ocaña (Spain) | 4,090 |
| 1974 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 4,098 |
| 1975 | Bernard Thévenet (France) | 4,000 |
| 1976 | Lucien Van Impe (Belg.) | 4,017 |
| 1977 | Bernard Thévenet (France) | 4,098 |
| 1978 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,908 |
| 1979 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,765 |
| 1980 | Joop Zoetemelk (Neth.) | 3,842 |
| 1981 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,765 |
| 1982 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,507 |
| 1983 | Laurent Fignon (France) | 3,809 |
| 1984 | Laurent Fignon (France) | 4,021 |
| 1985 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 4,100 |
| 1986 | Greg LeMond (U.S.) | 4,091 |
| 1987 | Stephen Roche (Ire.) | 4,231 |
| 1988 | Pedro Delgado (Spain) | 3,286 |
| 1989 | Greg LeMond (U.S.) | 3,285 |
| 1990 | Greg LeMond (U.S.) | 3,504 |
| 1991 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,914 |
| 1992 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,983 |
| 1993 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,714 |
| 1994 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,978 |
| 1995 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,635 |
| 1996 | Bjarne Riis (Den.)* | 3,765 |
| 1997 | Jan Ullrich (Ger.) | 3,950 |
| 1998 | Marco Pantani (Italy) | 3,875 |
| 1999 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,870 |
| 2000 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,663 |
| 2001 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,454 |
| 2002 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,272 |
| 2003 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,428 |
| 2004 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,390 |
| 2005 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,593 |
| 2006 | Óscar Pereiro (Spain)*** | 3,657 |
| 2007 | Alberto Contador (Spain) | 3,570 |
| 2008 | Carlos Sastre (Spain) | 3,554 |
| 2009 | Alberto Contador (Spain) | 3,460 |
| 2010 | Andy Schleck (Lux.)*** | 3,642 |
| 2011 | Cadel Evans (Austl.) | 3,630 |
| 2012 | Bradley Wiggins (U.K.) | 3,497 |
| 2013 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,404 |
| 2014 | Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) | 3,664 |
| 2015 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,354 |
| 2016 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,529 |
| 2017 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,540 |
| 2018 | Geraint Thomas (U.K.) | 3,349 |
| 2019 | Egan Bernal (Colom.) | 3,366 |
| 2020 | Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) | 3,482 |
| 2021 | Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) | 3,383 |
| 2022 | Jonas Vingegaard (Den.) | 3,328 |
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn,
Where will the 2024 Tour de France start?
2024 Tour de France Cycling race Cycling race 2024 Tour de France Race detailsDates29 June – 21 July ← → The 2024 Tour de France is the upcoming 111th edition of the, It will start in, Italy on 29 June.
When did the Tour de France start in England?
Friday, July 1, sees the return of the Tour de France, the world’s greatest and most famous bike race. The peloton will be setting off from the Grand Depart from Copenhagen, where the race will spend three days in Denmark before returning to the mainland of France.
It will be the 24 th time in which the cycle race has started outside of France. It is the first time it will visit Denmark and is the most northerly the race has ever been. While trips outside of France – and indeed mainland Europe – are a reasonably regular feature of the race, for the first 71 years of its existence, it had never been off the continent.
But that changed in 1974 when the Tour de France made its first trip to England – and indeed Plymouth.
Why is Tour de France won before Paris?
Arrivals – Cobblestones in parts of the Champs-Élysées final stage, photographed in the 2015 Tour Cyclists entering the Rue de Rivoli in 2007 Due to the high profile of the last day as well as its setting, the stage is prestigious. The overall Tour placings are typically settled before the final stage, so the racing is often for the glory of finishing the Tour and, at times, to settle the points classification,
The leader of the Tour de France is, by convention, not challenged for their lead on this final day. Traditionally, the stage starts with champagne served by the race leader’s team, on-the-road photo opportunities and joking around. As the riders approach Paris, the racing heats up as the sprinters and their teams begin the real racing of the day.
When the riders reach central Paris, they enter the Champs-Élysées riding up the Rue de Rivoli, on to the Place de la Concorde and then swing right on to the Champs-Élysées itself. The riders ride now a total of eight laps (including around the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Élysées, round les Tuileries and the Louvre and across the Place de la Concorde back to the Champs-Élysées).
- In past Tours, the riders would complete ten laps before the Tour was over.
- When a rider has reached a significant milestone over the course of the concluding Tour, it is customary for the peloton to let him enter the Champs-Elysées section of the stage in first place.
- Such an honor was bestowed upon American George Hincapie in 2012, in recognition of his final and record setting 17th Tour de France.
While a number of riders will try to pull away from the peloton on the Champs-Elysées, chances of success are slim and these attempts are often seen as one last opportunity for teams to showcase their colors. It is extremely hard for a small group to resist the push of chasing sprinter’s teams on the stage’s flat circuit, even more so than in a linear race, and the overwhelming majority have ended in a mass sprint.
Why are there no female riders in the Tour de France?
Historic French races – Various professional women’s cycle stage races across France have been held as an equivalent to the Tour de France for women, with the first of these races staged as a one off in 1955. From 1984, a women’s Tour de France was staged consistently, although the name of the event changed several times – such as Tour de France Féminin, Tour of the EEC Women, Tour Cycliste Féminin and Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale.
Why does Tour de France start in Bilbao?
Why is the Tour de France 2023 starting in Spain?
The, cycling’s premier race, is fast approaching with action set to get underway on Saturday 1st July.The multi-stage race will see the best cyclists in the world race across different terrains and locations with 6 flat stages, 6 hilly stages, 8 mountain stages and one individual time trial scheduled to decide this year’s yellow jersey holder.Defending champion, Denmark’s will be looking to retain his yellow jersey with his main threat likely to be two-time Tour de France winner, despite the 24-year-old seeing his early year form and tour preparations hampered by a fractured wrist.Despite the race’s French roots, however, the 2023 edition will not start inside the country with the first three stages set to take place in various points around northern Spain. Here’s everything you need to know: Where does the 2023 Tour de France start?
The first stage of the Tour de France, known as the Grand Départ, will take place in Bilbao which is located in the Basque Country in northern Spain. The first stage starts and finishes in Bilbao before the riders head towards San Sebastián on stage two.
The third stage will be the final stage which begins in Spain, with the riders starting in Amorebieta-Etxano before crossing over into France for the conclusion of stage three in Bayonne. Why is the Tour de France starting in Spain? This is far from the first time that the Tour has started in a different country.
In fact, it will be the second time that the Tour has started in the Basque country after the 1992 race began in San Sebastián. It has been common for the race organisers to hold the first stage, known as the Grand Depart, outside of France as a way for cycling fans from other nations to watch the race.
This tradition began in the 1950s and became a regular feature in the 1970s, with cities nowadays putting together bids to win the right to host future opening stages. Where else has the Tour de France started? The first Grand Depart that took place outside of France was in 1954 when the race started in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Since then the first stage has taken place in nine other different countries ranging from Germany and Belgium to Luxembourg and Ireland. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial The 2022 Tour de France began in Copenhagen, Denmark while the 2024 edition will see the eleventh country added to the list when the race departs from Florence, Italy.
- Has the Tour de France ever started in the UK? The Tour de France has started in the United Kingdom on two occasions – 2007 and 2014.
- The 2007 edition started in London while the more recent race in 2014 began in Leeds.
- The government has announced that they will bid to host the Grand Depart again, in 2026, with the UK hoping to have stages taking place in Scotland, England and Wales.
: Why is the Tour de France 2023 starting in Spain?
Will the Tour de Yorkshire happen again?
The Tour de Yorkshire will not return in its previous form after a breakdown in negotiations, but plans have been announced to launch a new-look event from 2024.
Where will the 2023 Tour de France start?
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The 2023 Tour de France was the 110th edition of the Tour de France, It started in Bilbao, Spain, on 1 July and ended with the final stage at Champs-Élysées, Paris, on 23 July. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard ( Team Jumbo–Visma ) won the general classification for the second year in a row.
Two-time champion Tadej Pogačar ( UAE Team Emirates ) finished in second place, with Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) finishing third. The race began in Bilbao in the Basque Country before returning to France. The first two weeks of the race was closely fought between Vingegaard and Pogačar, with just 10 seconds between the riders by the end of the second week.
The decisive stages were the individual time trial on stage 16 where Vingegaard won by 1 minute 38 seconds ahead of Pogačar, and the subsequent stage in the Alps where Vingegaard extended his lead to over seven minutes. Vingegaard won the Tour for the second year running, putting him equal on Tour wins with his rival Pogačar.
His winning margin of 7 minutes 29 seconds was the largest since 2014, The points classification was won by Jasper Philipsen ( Alpecin–Deceuninck ) for the first time. The mountains classification was won by Giulio Ciccone ( Trek–Segafredo ), the first Italian to achieve this feat since 1992. The young rider classification was won by Pogačar for the fourth year in a row, and the team of Team Jumbo–Visma won the team classification,
Victor Campenaerts ( Lotto–Dstny ) was chosen as the most combative rider, The race was followed by the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes, which held its first stage on the final day of the men’s Tour.
Does the Tour de France go outside of France?
Grands Départs Travelling the world is an integral part of the Tour de France. However, with the one exception of Évian in 1926, it took until the 1950s for the Grande Boucle to start outside Paris and until 1954 for the peloton to begin its adventure outside France for the first time with a Grand Départ in Amsterdam.
- Since World War II, a total of 55 towns and cities have experienced the thrills of the final preparations and the arrival of the teams in dribs and drabs, giving each edition its own special flavour and feel.
- The Basque Country embarked on this adventure in 2023, followed by Florence and Emilia-Romagna in 2024.
: Grands Départs
Who owns Tour de France?
Tour de France helps French family firm make R11bn 23 July 2023 – 06:26 Irene García Pérez Groupe Amaury, the family business that owns the Tour de France, saw revenue jump 17% last year, driven in part by surging interest in the world’s most famous bicycle race.
Has the Tour de France always started in Denmark?
Why Does the Tour de France Start in Other Countries? – The first Tour de France that started outside of France came in 1954 when the event began in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Tour starts in a different town each year, but the decision was made to let other countries host the event in order to increase international interested in the Tour.
Where will the 2025 Tour de France start?
Visions for a Scottish Grand Départ in 2026 – If it does end up happening, it wouldn’t be the first time that Britain would act host to Le Tour. It has previously hosted stages from the 1994 Tour in Dover to Brighton and in Portsmouth, to mark the opening of the Channel Tunnel. Tour de France 2014 stage 1, Leeds (Dean Atkins/SWpix.com) For the next year, it’s confirmed that the Tour de France will see its riders setting out from Florence in the Tuscan region of Italy, while Rotterdam or the Hague seem poised to host the Grand Départ in 2025.
Meanwhile, Rotterdam will also host the Tour de France Femmes next year. The inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships have proved that uniting our sport is a recipe for a spectacular event. Thank you to all parties involved for brining this vision together. We already look forward to the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships in Haute-Savoie 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/1P9qdyWfGA — David Lappartient (@DLappartient) August 13, 2023 Back in 2021, it was reported that Britain will bid to host the 2026 Tour de France Grand Départ, with stages expected to be in England, Scotland, and Wales and funding coming from the government to back the bid and cover organising costs, with then Chancellor Rishi Sunak allocating £30 million funding to prepare bids to hold the opening stages of the 2026 Tour de France and the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
It would appear that the UCI President David Lappartient’s vision of hosting a cycling “mini-Olympics” have been well and truly recognised in Glasgow. While the next edition — it’s supposed to take place every four years, in the year preceding the Olympics — will be in Haute-Savoie in France, Scotland seems ready to host another cycling fete, only this time, the winner would take not the rainbow, but the yellow jersey.
Does Yorkshire still exist?
Yorkshire, historic county of England, in the north-central part of the country between the Pennines and the North Sea, Yorkshire is England’s largest historical county. It comprises four broad belts each stretching from north to south: the high Pennine moorlands in the west, dissected by the Yorkshire Dales; the central lowlands—including the Vale of York—draining into the River Humber estuary in the southeast; the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds in the east; and, in the far southeast, the Holderness plain along the North Sea.
What problems has the Tour de Yorkshire faced?
The recently relaunched tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire’s director Robin Scott says he is currently in talks with the UCI and British Cycling, as he attempts to revive the defunct Tour de Yorkshire races in time for next year’s tenth anniversary of the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in the county. Scott, the co-founder of Lancashire-based company Silicon Dales – which last year bought all of Welcome to Yorkshire’s assets, including the rights to the men’s and women’s stage races – has told the Yorkshire Post that discussions are ongoing with the two governing bodies and that the organisers are currently working to ensure that there is “enough funded support” for the resurrected event to “be as big as before”. A 2024 Tour de Yorkshire – though it remains to be seen whether that rather controversial moniker will continue to be used in any case – would mark the first time the races have been held since 2019. Since then, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, escalating financial challenges, and the collapse of the region’s tourism and inward investment agency Welcome to Yorkshire, after a period mired in scandal, ensured that the race has lain dormant. > Tour de Yorkshire bites the dust – but a new one-day event may replace it But Scott, who earlier this year relaunched Welcome to Yorkshire, which ran the race jointly with Tour de France organisers ASO, in partnership with British Cycling, is cautiously optimistic that – despite the current turmoil engulfing the UK racing scene – elite international racing will return to Yorkshire’s roads next year. “We’re looking to make sure we’ve got enough funded support for the event to be as big as it was before, without having to go to local councils and ask them to dip into their pocket,” he told the Yorkshire Post this week. “Before we start making announcements or putting firm dates into the calendar, we want to get everything in place to have a successful event. “But the target has always been 2024, for the ten-year anniversary of the Grand Départ in Yorkshire.” French hero Thomas Voeckler wins the final stage of the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire in a packed Scarborough (SWPix.com) Launched, as Scott notes, the year after the region hosted the first two stages of the Tour de France in 2014, the four-day Tour de Yorkshire men’s race, as well as the women’s event – originally a one-day race, but later expanded to two – quickly became one of the most well-supported races in the world, with throngs of fans lining the county’s hills, lanes, and towns to catch a glimpse of the sport’s stars such as race winners Marianne Vos, Greg Van Avermaet, Thomas Voeckler, and Lizzie Deignan. But misuse of expenses and allegations of bullying against chief executive Sir Gary Verity – who brought the Grand Départ to the region – tarnished Welcome to Yorkshire’s image. He resigned in March 2019, six months before Harrogate hosted the UCI Road Cycling World Championships that he had fought hard to secure and which became intrinsically associated, for all sorts of reasons, with his controversial leadership. Following Verity’s departure, a number of the local councils throughout Yorkshire that funded the agency withdrew their financial support (with some also openly questioning the value of hosting high-profile cycling events and refusing to fund the Tour de Yorkshire in 2021), and the agency collapsed, entering administration in March 2022 – when it was bought at auction by Silicon Dales. > Forensic accountants to investigate all Welcome to Yorkshire expenses claims As we reported last June, Silicon Dales swiftly entered talks with both Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour organisers SweetSpot and the ASO in a bid to revive the race (potentially as a one-day event), though discussions with the Paris-based media and sports events company soon broke down. While nothing has yet been confirmed concerning SweetSpot’s involvement with the races, ASO owns the rights to the Tour de Yorkshire name, meaning that any resuscitated event would likely have a fresh identity. “We couldn’t have tried any harder to get agreement with ASO for the Tour de Yorkshire event, but we needed a partner on the delivery side who wanted the event to go ahead in future,” Scott said at the time, “In 2024, we’re hoping to deliver a marquee event for the region which evokes a similar energy to the amazing 2014 Grand Départ we remember so fondly.” Scott also hopes that a new-look Tour de Yorkshire will form part of his ambitious plans for Welcome to Yorkshire – which will, at least, retain its old name – to attract people to the historic county. “We initially considered a rebranding exercise, but it’s relatively expensive and not entirely justified,” he said this week. “With the name recognition of Welcome to Yorkshire and what they have achieved in the past, the positives outweighed the negatives.” > How do we save UK bike racing? SweetSpot’s PR Director on Women’s Tour cancellation and staying positive for the future Scott’s plans to revive the Tour de Yorkshire will come as a relief for cycling fans, riders, and stakeholders in the UK, after what has been a miserable few months for the domestic racing scene. The current challenging economic climate, and the pressures it has placed on potential sponsors, has resulted this year in the collapse of several UK-based teams, while also placing strain on race organisers at all levels. This precarious situation for British bike racing was underlined by last month’s announcement that the Women’s Tour – one of the most important stage races in the women’s international calendar – has been cancelled for 2023, just weeks after organisers SweetSpot launched a crowdfunder in a bid to save the race, and months after the Tour Series, another SweetSpot event, was also put on temporary hiatus. As Robin Scott noted on his LinkedIn page today, the British cycling landscape in 2023 means that bringing the Tour de Yorkshire back to life may be “easier than selling Manchester United, but still not easy”.
Why is Julian Alaphilippe not riding the Tour de France?
Alaphilippe heads Quick Step’s Tour team, Evenepoel absent 27 June 2023 12:58 | © AFP 
Julian Alaphilippe © Getty Images
- Julian Alaphilippe headed Quick Step’s Tour de France team announced on Tuesday.
- The French rider is making his return to the cycling spectacular for the first time since 2021.
- He missed last year’s edition as he recovered from injuries sustained in a fall in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic.
- The 31-year-old former two-time world champion tuned up for the Tour which starts Saturday with a sprint finish win in a stage of this month’s Criterium du Dauphine.
- He has six Tour de France stages to his name and claimed the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey in 2018.
- As expected teammate Remco Evenepoel sidesteps the Tour in favour of preparing for the world championships in Glasgow in August.
- Joining Alaphilippe when the race sets off from Bilbao are Fabio Jakobsen, Kasper Asgreen, Remi Cavagna, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, Yves Lampaert and Michael Morkov.
: Alaphilippe heads Quick Step’s Tour team, Evenepoel absent
Has the Tour de France ever started in UK?
Tour de France, the world’s most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race. Of the three foremost races (the others being the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España), the Tour de France attracts the world’s best riders. Staged for three weeks each July—usually in some 20 daylong stages—the Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of 9 riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles), mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to such countries as Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain,
Although the race may start outside France—as was the case in 2007, when England hosted the opening stage for the first time—it always heads there quickly; the Tour is France’s premier annual sporting event and has deep cultural roots. It is watched by huge crowds from the roadside and is televised around the world as one of the supreme tests of athletic endurance.
Part of the difficulty cyclists face in the Tour is that it is divided among time-trial racing and racing stages covering both flat land and great stretches of mountainous inclines, It is a rare cyclist who can perform well at both time trials and climbing, and those who can usually wear the yellow jersey ( maillot jaune ) of victory at the end of the race in Paris,
Established in 1903 by Henri Desgrange (1865–1940), a French cyclist and journalist, the race has been run every year except during the World Wars. Desgrange’s newspaper, L’Auto (now L’Equipe ), sponsored the Tour to boost circulation. Two events sparked spectator interest in the race: in 1910 the riders were sent, for the first time, over the treacherous “circle of death” in mountain passes in the Pyrenees; and 1919 marked the introduction of the yellow jersey—yellow being the colour of paper on which L’Auto was printed.
The yellow jersey is an honour accorded to the cyclist who has the lowest cumulative time for the race at the end of each day. (A racer might well win a stage of a race on any given day but will not necessarily be given a yellow jersey, as that depends on the lowest overall time.) Three other types of jerseys are awarded during the Tour.
- Bonus sprints, awarding both points and a deduction of overall elapsed time, are held at several sites along the route each day during the race, and points are also awarded and time deducted for the first three finishers of each stage; the winner of the most points receives a green jersey.
- A polka-dotted jersey is given to the “king of the mountains,” the rider who has the most points in the climbing stages, racing over small hills as well as steep mountains.
The white jersey is awarded to the rider age 25 and under who has the lowest cumulative time. Riders usually have three types of bicycles: one for time trials, one for flat road stages, and a very light bicycle for the mountain-climbing stages of the race. 
Britannica Quiz American Sports Nicknames Early teams were sponsored mainly by bicycle manufacturers until 1930, when national and regional teams were introduced. In 1962 trade teams returned, and, except in 1967 and 1968, years that again featured national teams, trade teams have continued, with sponsors now including banks, insurance companies, and manufacturers of household goods.
- The team aspect of the Tour is important because, although only one rider is awarded the win, lead riders are dependent on their team members in order to succeed.
- Teammates help their leader with tactics such as letting him ride (draft) behind them to protect him from the wind, giving him one of their wheels when his bicycle has a flat, setting a strong pace for him in the mountains, and chasing down and blocking any major rivals who have accelerated away from the main group in an attempt to gain time.
Thus, the Tour, and bicycle racing in general, is often referred to as an individual sport practiced by teams. The rewards for a selfless teammate include a share of prizes won by his leader as well as a continuation of the teammate’s job into the next annual racing season.
- The use of performance-enhancing drugs—especially erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that increases the level of red blood cells and thus the flow of oxygen to muscles—has become a major problem of the Tour de France.
- Amid frequent drug testing, doping scandals have threatened to overshadow the race itself.
In 1998 one of the leading teams (Festina) was expelled due to allegations of drug use, and the 2006 winner, American Floyd Landis, tested positive for testosterone and was stripped of his title after an arbitration panel in 2007 upheld the drug-test results.
In 2007 several teams withdrew from the Tour after their riders failed drug tests. That year also saw Bjarne Riis of Denmark, the 1996 victor, dropped from the Tour’s list of winners after he admitted using EPO during his race; however, due to time limits for sanctions, his title could not be officially revoked.
The most infamous Tour doping scandal came in 2012 when seven-time winner (1999–2005) Lance Armstrong of the United States was stripped of his titles after an investigation revealed that he had been the central figure in a doping conspiracy during the years in which he won his titles. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now
| year | winner | km |
|---|---|---|
| *Riis was no longer recognized as champion after his 2007 admission of illegal drug use. | ||
| **Armstrong was stripped of the title in 2012, having declined to continue contesting ongoing charges of illegal drug use. | ||
| ***Became champion after the original winner tested positive for illegal drug use and was stripped of the title. | ||
| 1903 | Maurice Garin (France) | 2,428 |
| 1904 | Henri Cornet (France) | 2,428 |
| 1905 | Louis Trousselier (France) | 2,994 |
| 1906 | René Pottier (France) | 4,637 |
| 1907 | Lucien Petit-Breton (France) | 4,488 |
| 1908 | Lucien Petit-Breton (France) | 4,487 |
| 1909 | François Faber (Lux.) | 4,497 |
| 1910 | Octave Lapize (France) | 4,734 |
| 1911 | Gustave Garrigou (France) | 5,344 |
| 1912 | Odiel Defraeye (Belg.) | 5,289 |
| 1913 | Philippe Thys (Belg.) | 5,287 |
| 1914 | Philippe Thys (Belg.) | 5,380 |
| 1915–18 | not held | |
| 1919 | Firmin Lambot (Belg.) | 5,560 |
| 1920 | Philippe Thys (Belg.) | 5,503 |
| 1921 | Léon Scieur (Belg.) | 5,484 |
| 1922 | Firmin Lambot (Belg.) | 5,375 |
| 1923 | Henri Pélissier (France) | 5,386 |
| 1924 | Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) | 5,425 |
| 1925 | Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) | 5,440 |
| 1926 | Lucien Buysse (Belg.) | 5,745 |
| 1927 | Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) | 5,398 |
| 1928 | Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) | 5,476 |
| 1929 | Maurice De Waele (Belg.) | 5,286 |
| 1930 | André Leducq (France) | 4,822 |
| 1931 | Antonin Magne (France) | 5,091 |
| 1932 | André Leducq (France) | 4,479 |
| 1933 | Georges Speicher (France) | 4,395 |
| 1934 | Antonin Magne (France) | 4,470 |
| 1935 | Romain Maes (Belg.) | 4,338 |
| 1936 | Sylvère Maes (Belg.) | 4,442 |
| 1937 | Roger Lapébie (France) | 4,415 |
| 1938 | Gino Bartali (Italy) | 4,694 |
| 1939 | Sylvère Maes (Belg.) | 4,224 |
| 1940–46 | not held | |
| 1947 | Jean Robic (France) | 4,640 |
| 1948 | Gino Bartali (Italy) | 4,922 |
| 1949 | Fausto Coppi (Italy) | 4,808 |
| 1950 | Ferdinand Kubler (Switz.) | 4,775 |
| 1951 | Hugo Koblet (Switz.) | 4,690 |
| 1952 | Fausto Coppi (Italy) | 4,898 |
| 1953 | Louison Bobet (France) | 4,479 |
| 1954 | Louison Bobet (France) | 4,656 |
| 1955 | Louison Bobet (France) | 4,495 |
| 1956 | Roger Walkowiak (France) | 4,496 |
| 1957 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,669 |
| 1958 | Charly Gaul (Lux.) | 4,319 |
| 1959 | Federico Bahamontes (Spain) | 4,355 |
| 1960 | Gastone Nencini (Italy) | 4,173 |
| 1961 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,397 |
| 1962 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,274 |
| 1963 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,137 |
| 1964 | Jacques Anquetil (France) | 4,504 |
| 1965 | Felice Gimondi (Italy) | 4,188 |
| 1966 | Lucien Aimar (France) | 4,329 |
| 1967 | Roger Pingeon (France) | 4,780 |
| 1968 | Jan Janssen (Neth.) | 4,492 |
| 1969 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 4,117 |
| 1970 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 4,254 |
| 1971 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 3,608 |
| 1972 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 3,846 |
| 1973 | Luis Ocaña (Spain) | 4,090 |
| 1974 | Eddy Merckx (Belg.) | 4,098 |
| 1975 | Bernard Thévenet (France) | 4,000 |
| 1976 | Lucien Van Impe (Belg.) | 4,017 |
| 1977 | Bernard Thévenet (France) | 4,098 |
| 1978 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,908 |
| 1979 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,765 |
| 1980 | Joop Zoetemelk (Neth.) | 3,842 |
| 1981 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,765 |
| 1982 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 3,507 |
| 1983 | Laurent Fignon (France) | 3,809 |
| 1984 | Laurent Fignon (France) | 4,021 |
| 1985 | Bernard Hinault (France) | 4,100 |
| 1986 | Greg LeMond (U.S.) | 4,091 |
| 1987 | Stephen Roche (Ire.) | 4,231 |
| 1988 | Pedro Delgado (Spain) | 3,286 |
| 1989 | Greg LeMond (U.S.) | 3,285 |
| 1990 | Greg LeMond (U.S.) | 3,504 |
| 1991 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,914 |
| 1992 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,983 |
| 1993 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,714 |
| 1994 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,978 |
| 1995 | Miguel Indurain (Spain) | 3,635 |
| 1996 | Bjarne Riis (Den.)* | 3,765 |
| 1997 | Jan Ullrich (Ger.) | 3,950 |
| 1998 | Marco Pantani (Italy) | 3,875 |
| 1999 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,870 |
| 2000 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,663 |
| 2001 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,454 |
| 2002 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,272 |
| 2003 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,428 |
| 2004 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,390 |
| 2005 | Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** | 3,593 |
| 2006 | Óscar Pereiro (Spain)*** | 3,657 |
| 2007 | Alberto Contador (Spain) | 3,570 |
| 2008 | Carlos Sastre (Spain) | 3,554 |
| 2009 | Alberto Contador (Spain) | 3,460 |
| 2010 | Andy Schleck (Lux.)*** | 3,642 |
| 2011 | Cadel Evans (Austl.) | 3,630 |
| 2012 | Bradley Wiggins (U.K.) | 3,497 |
| 2013 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,404 |
| 2014 | Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) | 3,664 |
| 2015 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,354 |
| 2016 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,529 |
| 2017 | Christopher Froome (U.K.) | 3,540 |
| 2018 | Geraint Thomas (U.K.) | 3,349 |
| 2019 | Egan Bernal (Colom.) | 3,366 |
| 2020 | Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) | 3,482 |
| 2021 | Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) | 3,383 |
| 2022 | Jonas Vingegaard (Den.) | 3,328 |
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn,
Why did the Tour de France start in Copenhagen?
Why does the Tour de France start in Denmark? – Denmark boasts a rich culture of cycling and is widely recognised as one of the finest nations in the world to hop on a bike and ride. Copenhagen is awash with tides of cyclists commuting to and from work.
When did the Tour de France start in England?
The 2014 Tour de France begins in Leeds on 5 July, continuing via York, Sheffield and Cambridge before finishing its British adventure in London three days later. This marks the fourth time the race has ventured across the English Channel. The race first arrived in 1974 when the second stage of the 61st Tour careered up and down the Plympton bypass near Plymouth. Click on image to read full story. Observer, 30 June 1974 Twenty years later and the Tour returned, this time in Dover to celebrate the opening of the Channel tunnel. Fresh from winning gold in the 1992 Olympics, Chris Boardman raised British hopes by earning the yellow jersey for the first two stages. Click on image to read full story. Guardian, 23 June 1994 On a larger scale than two decades previously, the south coast braced itself for an influx of 200 cyclists, 2,500 back-up crew, 250 promotional vehicles, 40 police outriders and 1,000 journalists. Click on image to read full story. Guardian, 2 July 1994 Chris Boardman himself highlighted the differences between the ’74 and ’94 Tours in a column for the Observer on 3 July, On holding the race on the Plympton bypass in 1974, Boardman states: “it is a bit like hosting the World Cup in the local park with bundles of coats for goalposts”. Bradley Wiggins races past Buckingham Palace to finish 4th in the Tour De France prologue, 2007. Photograph: Tom Jenkins In 2007, the Tour came to London, featuring future household name Bradley Wiggins and “up and coming sprinter” Mark Cavendish among its British contingent. Scotsman David Millar donned the red and white polka-dot jersey in Kent, the first Briton to do so in 21 years, Read more historical articles from the Guardian and the Observer about the race in The Tour de France.to the bitter end,
Why is it called West Riding of Yorkshire?
West Riding of Yorkshire 
Map of the old Yorkshire Ridings Happy Yorkshire Day. A celebration of the United Kingdom’s largest county.
- Named after the old county town of York, we are familiar with its sub-division into North, West, South Yorkshire (the best of the lot), and Humberside.
- But these are modern creations, and until 1974, the county was split into three ‘Ridings,’ derived from the Old Norse Þriding or Þriðing, meaning a “thirding”.
- Yorkshire was divided into three ridings and surrounded the city of York, their boundaries meeting at the walls of the city: thus, York within the walls was the only part of Yorkshire outside any of the ridings.
- East Riding, was the smallest and least hilly of the three, much of it in the plains extending from the north bank of the Humber and containing the seaport city of Kingston upon Hull.
- The North Riding, extending from the Pennines to the North Sea, was the most rural but still contained Middlesbrough on industrial Teesside.
- The West Riding, the largest and most urbanised as the southern part, contained the great industrial cities of Yorkshire, the largest being Sheffield and Leeds, though in its north it encompassed some of the finest of the Yorkshire Dales.
And each riding was divided into wapentakes, the Danelaw equivalent of an Anglo-Saxon Hundred in most other counties. The word derived from an assembly or meeting place, usually at cross-roads or near a river, where literally one’s presence or a vote was taken by a show of weapons. 
Map of Yorkshire wapentakes And to add further confusion, there are portions of the great county which retain, from old feudal times, names unrecognised by the geographer, but well known and adopted by Yorkshiremen themselves. You may look in vain on a map for Cleveland, Richmondshire, Hallamshire, Craven, or Holderness, but you will hear of them spoken in each area.
- Hallamshire, a large manor at the time of the Conquest was the southern most part of the West Riding, including Sheffield.
- South Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974 because of the Local Government Act 1972.
- It was created from 32 local government districts of the West Riding of Yorkshire (the administrative county and four independent county boroughs), with small areas from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
South Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 and its four metropolitan boroughs (Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster) effectively becoming unitary authorities, although the metropolitan county continues to exist in law.
- And while we are left with North, West, and South Yorkshire, Humberside reverted to its original name of the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1996.
- If you’ve stuck with it so far, I’ll confuse you further by throwing in the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (formerly Sheffield City Region), led by Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire.
- He has powers over transport, economic development and regeneration, and includes the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire as full members, with North East Derbyshire, Derbyshire Dales, Bassetlaw, Chesterfield and Bolsover, non-metropolitan Districts, as non-constituent members.
- Be proud!
Modern-day flag of the West Riding of Yorkshire : West Riding of Yorkshire