Lancashire County Council is advising people to plan ahead if they want to watch the Tour de France, or travel nearby, when the race begins in Yorkshire in under two weeks’ time.
The first two stages of the world’s biggest cycle race will take place in the Pennine areas close to the Lancashire-Yorkshire border on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July with disruption expected as hundreds of thousands of people gather to enjoy the spectacle.
The route does not involve roads in Lancashire and there are no planned road closures in the county, but there are many points very close to Lancashire where the race can be seen.
Many of the roads across the border will be closed to people travelling in! to Yorkshire from very early in the morning. Disruption is expected on nearby roads, and trains will be very busy.
Travel on Sunday 6 July will be particularly affected. For most of the day, the only available roads to the east of the area where the stage will be held will be the A66 to the north and the M62 which crosses the race. These roads are expected to be very busy.
County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “This is a great opportunity for people to cheer on some of the best cyclists in the world at the Tour de France.
“We’re expecting lots of people from Lancashire to go and see the race, but to avoid disappointment, we’d advise you to set off early and head for one of the spectator points on the route.
“It’s best to decide where you would like to see the race and ensure you plan your journey. The ‘spectator hubs’ along the route will have other events taking place which will! help pass the time waiting for the race.
“This is a superb, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’d encourage people to visit our website to make sure they don’t miss any of the action.”
People planning to watch the tour can download a spectator guide and pick up useful travel tips by visiting www.lancashire.gov.uk and searching for ‘Tour de France’. This will also provide links to the official Tour web pages. For further enquiries, email tdf.enquiries@lancashire.gov.uk.
Details of the race route are as follows:
- Day one, Saturday 5th July, leaves Leeds and after passing through Skipton completes a loop round the Yorkshire Dales ending in Harrogate.
- Day two, Sunday 6th July, starts on the famous York Race Course and after a circuit of York heads back to Harrogate before turning south for Keighley, Hebbden Bridge and Huddersfield before finishing in Sheffield.
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