2014 Tour de France will start in Yorkshire and come to Sheffield

[Vincero dOro]

It isnt risking the "city" as there isnt enough space to fit all the support vehicles etc there. No other reason. This has been mentioned numerous times.

 

So whereabouts in Leeds is the Grand Depart?

[scottf]

Well we all realise that as one of the council's designated excuse makers, you like planner1 will make every excuse in the book to try to put some gloss on this.

 

The fact remains, and everyone including you knows it, that Sheffield would get valuable TV and media exposure if the TDF finished in the city outside the town hall. But because of the petty minded car hating attitude that is pedaled around here the city cannot cope and therefore the media will broadcast the tour finishing in a wasteland of graffiti scrawled buildings, and call it Sheffield.

That is how Sheffield is going to be portrayed to the world. It is how Sheffield is already viewed by the world, and is a reason why Sheffield lags behind when the rest of the country is experiencing growth. We can't even find anyone to develop the city centre.

 

If you hate the city so much may i suggest that you move. The rubbish that you are writing certainly isn't my view nor any of my friends so don't suggest that you speak for all of the residents of sheffield.

 

You say sheffield is viewed like that by the rest of the world and that sheffield isn't experiencing ANY growth- do you have any proof of that or is that just your hate fuelled opinion based on the fact that the bike race isn't allowed to finish in the city centre (quite where you would want them to finish is beyond me- Fargate? The moor? How about going round the pitch at Bramall lane and the first one over the goal line wins?).

 

Im sure much cleverer people than you and I would have thought long and hard to try to get the tour stage finishing in the city centre but the simple fact is they couldn't make it work- that may be because of the layout of the city centre OR it may be because of the conditions the tour organisers placed on the yorkshire stages decision committee- unless you have access to those documents we will never know.

 

The simple fact is that the decision HAS been made and no amount of whinging and moaning is going to change that so why not change the habit of a lifetime and get behind something that is undoubtably GOOD for the city and will raise the profile of Sheffield all over the world.

[No User Name]

So whereabouts in Leeds is the Grand Depart?

 

The start of a stage doesnt require the same infrastructure as the end of one.

[richkent]

So whereabouts in Leeds is the Grand Depart?

 

The start of a stage doesnt require the same infrastructure as the end of one.

 

Whereabouts in Harrogate is the end of Stage 1?

[Vincero dOro]

The start of a stage doesnt require the same infrastructure as the end of one.

 

That is true. It requires more. All the riders have their warm up machines and need to be there hours before the start. Leeds is hosting the start of the tour smack bang in the city centre and on a busy Saturday not a quiet Sunday.

[No User Name]

So you are comparing Harrogate, a much smaller urban area with more open space and flatter, longer roads, to Sheffield which is a spawling urban area with less open space, on a hill and no real long straight to finish the race on?

 

OK, thanks.

 

I assume everyone crying about the race not finishing in Sheffield centre will be boycotting the race then? Or were you never going to attend it anyway and are merely moaning for the sake of it?

[truman]

So you are comparing Harrogate, a much smaller urban area with more open space and flatter, longer roads,?

 

Once you get past the Stray, Harrogate isn't particularly flat..

[Vincero dOro]

So you are comparing Harrogate, a much smaller urban area with more open space and flatter, longer roads, to Sheffield which is a spawling urban area with less open space, on a hill and no real long straight to finish the race on?

 

OK, thanks.

 

I assume everyone crying about the race not finishing in Sheffield centre will be boycotting the race then? Or were you never going to attend it anyway and are merely moaning for the sake of it?

 

Well no I was comparing Leeds. They seem able to manage the tour smack in the city centre on a Saturday. Sheffield can't manage it on a Sunday. But that is the message that the 2 cities give out.

It doesn't really matter if Sheffield folk turn out to watch. It is about visitors who turn out to watch and the perception given to the world by the images on TV.

[Manlinose]

i support the tdf coming to sheffield and am all for anything that tries to bring business, visitors and income to the city

 

i do share the misgivings though, that it won't come to the city centre - i think initially there was discussion that the route could come down halifax road, and along penistone road to the city centre - there are quite a few longish flattish roads that could be used as a finish - arundel gate maybe - i can see the point of a finish where there is more space to accommodate larger crowds but it doesn't explain why the stage couldn't go through the centre of town on it's way - i'm sure they could find a route that avoids the tram tracks

[barpen]

i support the tdf coming to sheffield and am all for anything that tries to bring business, visitors and income to the city

 

i do share the misgivings though, that it won't come to the city centre - i think initially there was discussion that the route could come down halifax road, and along penistone road to the city centre - there are quite a few longish flattish roads that could be used as a finish - arundel gate maybe - i can see the point of a finish where there is more space to accommodate larger crowds but it doesn't explain why the stage couldn't go through the centre of town on it's way - i'm sure they could find a route that avoids the tram tracks

 

Tram tacks aren't an issue. They just put sheeting over them. Anyhow aren't Sheffield's cyclists supposed to negotiate the tracks on a daily basis?

I would have thought the route could have finished on Fargate and the pedestrian area on the Moor used to gather it all up. Failing that go through town and finish in Graves Park, Endcliffe Park, Norfolk Park or Meresbrook Park.

Edited March 26, 2014 by barpen