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| Tour de France gets royal send-off at Harewood House near Leeds | Tour de France gets royal send-off at Harewood House near Leeds |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The 101st Tour de France is under way in Yorkshire with riders set to receive a royal send-off from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. | |
| Thousands of people gathered in Leeds for the start of the race with up to two million expected across the county. | |
| Almost 200 riders left Leeds Town Hall at 11:05 BST in a "neutralised procession", heading to Harewood House for the official start at 12:00. | |
| The 190km (118-mile) first stage will finish in Harrogate at about 16:30. | |
| The royal party will meet the riders at Harewood House where they will also be greeted by a Red Arrows fly-past. | |
| George Hughes, who joined the crowds outside the Town Hall together with his wife and children, said: "It's tremendous. It's going to be fantastic for Leeds and Yorkshire. It's just amazing. I hope it will come back again. It's something to remember for the rest of our lives." | George Hughes, who joined the crowds outside the Town Hall together with his wife and children, said: "It's tremendous. It's going to be fantastic for Leeds and Yorkshire. It's just amazing. I hope it will come back again. It's something to remember for the rest of our lives." |
| Months of planning and preparation have been put into making sure the event got a good start. | |
| The 21-stage, 3,664km (2,277-mile) race starts in Leeds with the second stage running from York to Sheffield and the third from Cambridge to London, before 18 more stages culminate in the French capital on 27 July. | The 21-stage, 3,664km (2,277-mile) race starts in Leeds with the second stage running from York to Sheffield and the third from Cambridge to London, before 18 more stages culminate in the French capital on 27 July. |
| It is the fourth time the Tour has crossed La Manche (The English Channel). | It is the fourth time the Tour has crossed La Manche (The English Channel). |
| In 1974 and 1994 it included stages in Britain and in 2007 London hosted the start, known as the Grand Depart. | In 1974 and 1994 it included stages in Britain and in 2007 London hosted the start, known as the Grand Depart. |
| Four of the 198 riders are British, with Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome, who are two of the main contenders, joined by Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates. | |
| Mark Cavendish, whose mother Adele is from Harrogate, has attempted to play down his focus on taking the race leader's yellow jersey in the town for the first time in his career, but there is no doubt it is a major goal. | Mark Cavendish, whose mother Adele is from Harrogate, has attempted to play down his focus on taking the race leader's yellow jersey in the town for the first time in his career, but there is no doubt it is a major goal. |
| The rider from the Isle of Man was once accustomed to visiting his grandparents in the spa town. | The rider from the Isle of Man was once accustomed to visiting his grandparents in the spa town. |
| Relative to the mountain stages the riders will face in France, the opening stage has been described as flat, but it is up and down all day and the sprinters' teams could face challenging conditions if showers slicken the twisting roads in the Dales. | Relative to the mountain stages the riders will face in France, the opening stage has been described as flat, but it is up and down all day and the sprinters' teams could face challenging conditions if showers slicken the twisting roads in the Dales. |
| The stage began on The Headrow in Leeds, with a "neutralised procession" to the official start at Harewood House, where the race start will be seen by the royal party and the riding will begin in earnest. | |
| The race's first categorised climb, the Cote de Cray - the ascents have been given French prefixes - comes 68km (42 miles) into the day's racing and the Cote de Buttertubs and Cote de Grinton Moor follow, with the summit of the latter 61km (40 miles) from the finish line. | The race's first categorised climb, the Cote de Cray - the ascents have been given French prefixes - comes 68km (42 miles) into the day's racing and the Cote de Buttertubs and Cote de Grinton Moor follow, with the summit of the latter 61km (40 miles) from the finish line. |
| Are you in Yorkshire? Will you be the marking the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire? Please share your comments with us. You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Tour de France'. | Are you in Yorkshire? Will you be the marking the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire? Please share your comments with us. You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Tour de France'. |
| Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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