© Image courtesy of Norio Nakayama
For fans of cycling, it’s the holy grail of world competition, with nothing else coming close to the prestige which the Tour de France holds. Now entering its 101st year of competition, the Tour de France, aka ‘Le Tour’, remains as popular as ever and continues to draw in the crowds.
After a 99 year wait for a British winner of the competition, we have been treated to a second consecutive winner from home soil as Chris Froomes, in 2013, followed up the previous year’s winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins, as British cycling goes from strength to strength.
2014 once again sees the start on British shores, following the first time back in 2007, in London. This time however, the riders will kick off on Saturday 5th July in the North of England, with stage 1 beginning in Leeds before finishing up in Harrogate. The second day (Sunday) sees stage 2 starting in York before finishing in Sheffield, at which point riders will then travel by car to Cambridge where Stage 3 will commence on Monday, passing through Essex before conveniently finishing up in London!
With large crowds expected and an electrifying atmosphere to match, cyclists will pass some iconic landmarks of the capital. The streets are set to be a pressure cooker of excitement and expectation so we’ve come up with a list of places where you can grab a good view!
1. Visit one of several free Fan Parks (tourdefrancefanpark.co.uk) at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Canary Wharf, Trafalgar Square and Green Park, with all mentioned locations offering family friendly entertainment and good views.
2. Westminster Bridge is relatively mid-way through the London part of the race, and will undoubtedly be a great place to watch the closing part of stage 3 unfold.
3. The Hungerford and Golden Jubilee bridges connecting the South Bank with the Embankment will offer great views of the route.
4. Arrive early and head to the Duke of York steps, which overlook The Mall, where stage 3 will finish.
For more info and for a full list of where to watch the action in London on Monday see here. To discover more great things to do in London follow @TinManLondon on Twitter.