Countdown to Tour de France begins

A NEW international cycle race for Yorkshire, the official anthem of Yorkshire’s Grand Départ 2014 and a new marketing campaign to shine a spotlight on the county were all launched at the Y14 event – officially marking 100 days until the Tour de France arrives in the county.
 
A major international three-day cycle race located across different parts of Yorkshire from 2015 featuring the world’s elite stars of cycling moved a step closer yesterday with the Tour’s organisers ASO, Welcome to Yorkshire and British Cycling announcing they were set to sign an agreement to deliver the race together from next year.
 
Y14, which attracted an audience of 2,000 people to the Harrogate International Centre, also saw Yorkshire singer/songwriter, Alistair Griffin performing the world exclusive of his new song, The Road, commissioned by Welcome to Yorkshire to be the official anthem of Yorkshire’s Grand Départ.
 
York-based Alistair has a strong track record of writing original music for sport, with his track Just Drive being Sky’s title track for its Formula 1 coverage and he also wrote the official track of the Olympic Games Makers in 2012.
 
Welcome to Yorkshire also unveiled its new advert, which will be screened in 3,000 London taxi cabs throughout April. Yorkshire will also take over King’s Cross station this spring, with nearly every ticket barrier emblazoned with Yorkshire’s Grand Départ and Yorkshire Festival 2014 branding.
 
The stage also saw veteran Yorkshire cyclist and first Briton to win a stage of the Tour, Brian Robinson, reunited with one of the world’s most famous cyclists Bernard Hinault, a five time winner of the Tour de France, praising the route of the 2014 Tour through Yorkshire.
 
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “This is a momentous day for our county – we are just 100 days away from making history and a moment the world will never forget. Yorkshire will never have a better chance to shine on the global stage, and Welcome to Yorkshire will be doing everything in our power to maximise the positive impact of this opportunity that, alongside our partners, we have worked so hard to bring about.
 
“We are working closely with the ASO and British Cycling to continue the lasting legacy of Yorkshire’s Grand Départ by delivering this new race for Yorkshire from 2015, which will rank as a major new addition to the global cycling calendar. It has the potential to take in wider parts of the county and we look forward to announcing more details in due course.
 
“Alistair’s track is another way of making the most of bringing the world’s largest annual sporting event to Yorkshire and The Road captures the heart and spirit of not only our county, but the race itself and we are confident it will capture the interest of people across the country.”
 
Y 14 also heralded the start of Yorkshire Festival 2014. It is the first time in the Tour’s history that a cultural and arts festival is taking place in the run-up to and alongside the race. The festival is being backed by Arts Council England, Yorkshire Water and local authorities.
 
The event saw the official launch of the Grand Départ legacy project, Cycle Yorkshire, which includes a 10-year plan to make Yorkshire the cycling heartland of Europe.
 
And a group of Tour Makers – the volunteer force of thousands which will welcome visitors to the county this summer during the race – were unveiled and on hand to welcome guests at Y14
 
Y14’s principal sponsor was Yorkshire-based telecoms giant Plusnet. Nick Silverwood, Head of Business at Plusnet, said: “Yorkshire really has the potential and passion to be a leader in business and tourism, which is why these initiatives launched today are so important in raising the county’s profile. 77% of businesses have told us that connected technology is one of the most critical elements of their business and we are working with thousands of businesses to make sure their operations run smoothly and that the technology they use can help in growing their business.”
 
The event was also supported by other major business including Eviivo, Evolution Print, Total Gas & Power, Irwin Mitchell, Lottie Shaw, Merit, Super Connected Cities, Superfast North Yorkshire, Merlin Software, Whites Print, Creative Spark, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Taylor’s of Harrogate.