The Grand Depart

This last week I've been quietly counting down the days until the announcement of the route of the Tour de France, which comes to Yorkshire in 2014. We already knew that the Grand Depart (the opening stage of the world's greatest race) would be from Leeds, but we didn't know what route would be chosen. There has been a great hope, even expectation, that it would come through here in Ilkley. A few years ago that would have been beyond our wildest dreams. A group of us head off for France every year to follow a stage of the tour, so the thought of being able to simply wander down the road to watch is astonishing.

Well, our dreams have indeed come true. The first stage has been routed through Ilkley en route to Harrogate and the best riders in the world will get to sample some of my very favourite roads and climbs, classics such as Buttertubs Pass out of Hawes. Even more, the second stage from York to Sheffield will pass through Addingham, just a few miles up the valley. This is going to be massive. For a couple of days at the beginning of July of next year my little town will be at the very centre of the cycling universe.

This news today had to be celebrated, so I met up with my two sons in Leeds to watch the launch party. As it happened, that turned out to be something of a damp and rather cold squib until the final firework display at the end, but it didn't really matter. There were quite a few of us there from the cycling club and the enthusiasm was infectious. A few of my friends had already given live interviews for Sky News and local television and radio stations during the day. There was definitely a sense of being witness to the start of something very special tonight. I could feel my own desire to get on the bike and get training being rekindled by the minute. Quite a few club members were on their bikes and cycling back to Ilkley. Despite the snow that was falling I would have loved to have joined them.

In view of all this excitement it is then a little ironic that in just over an hour Lance Armstrong's confessional interview with Oprah Winfrey is being aired on television. It promises to be riveting viewing and I'm sure I will be reflecting on what he has to say tomorrow. The odd thing is that despite being so badly tainted by Armstrong and his whole generation, I still find myself embracing the spectacle of the Tour de France with as much anticipation and excitement as ever. There's just something about it. To my mind, it's simply the greatest show on Earth - and it's coming right past my doorstep! I think I'm going to have a full house that weekend!!