Le Tour: Coming Home for Malcolm Elliott

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A very hilly stage 2 of the Tour de France will be on home roads for Sheffield’s cycling legend Malcolm Elliott

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Stage two will start in the historic tourist city of York and take in many iconic places including – Knaresborough – Silsden, Keighley, Haworth, Stanbury, Oxenhope, Hebden Bridge, Ripponden, Elland, Huddersfield, Holmfirth, Woodhead, Langsett, Bradfield, Grenoside, and Tinsley before finishing in the home of a cycling legend Malcolm Elliott; Sheffield.

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Elliott was still winning in 2010 and in one of the toughest races on the circuit, the Durham Tour Series event.

Anyone who knows the roads will know just how tough that day is, up and down all day! Tour stage winner Brian Robinson said on ITV the roads were tougher than those in France and it’s not just the run in.

Elliott is a rider well versed in riding Grand Tours, and winning in them, and is still involved in cycling after retiring from racing at 50 when he was still riding UCI stage races. Manager at the Node4-Giordana racing team, the roads the race will take on are very familiar to Sheffield’s Tour of Spain Points winner.

“I never dreamed we’d see the Tour de France in Sheffield” Malcolm told VeloUK. “It’s almost bizarre although we are getting used to the fact it’s coming as the announcement was over a month ago now. The race is going to literally be on my doorstep though which is surreal”.

Asked whether in Grand Tour terms, these type of roads are going to be tough for the riders who will face the Alps and Pyrenees afterwards, Malcolm replied “The concept the UK has of these roads is a lot more inflated than a Tour de France peloton in July at peak fitness would. And also it’s day one and two of the Tour but it will be interesting to see whether anybody is going to throw down the hammer right at the start when it could be taken a bit more cautiously with there still being three weeks ahead of them.”

“I don’t know whether there has been a start as tough as that to the Tour though” he added. “It does seem there will be a lot of riders, non-climbers, who may be quaking at the sight of the first few days. This is no gentle start for the early stages for sure.”

There is also a chance that at least two Yorkshire riders will take part with Adam Blythe (BMC) from Sheffield and Ben Swift (Sky) from nearby Rotherham both on World Tour teams.

“For them it’s going to be a phenomenal occasion should they get a ride” says Malcolm before adding “but there’s also the after effects of it as well. Cycling is not going to be the same after this when this almost mystical race has been here to Yorkshire. Seeing events like this in Sheffield will make them seem much more obtainable to generations to come. Bradley Wiggins has already had that effect by winning the race and proving that some one like him can win it. By being in Sheffield, it will inspire others to go for it and not be overawed by it.”

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