Tour De France news round up, building a cycling legacy for Harrogate

The manic joy is leaving me but I'm still madly excited that the Tour De France is coming to my town and twice in two days, wow. What about Legacy? I had a meeting last night with some local activists we talked a lot about legacy, after the Olympics I think we all get that idea now. There was a suggestion we argue for Cycle Town status like Bristol and others got over the last few years. It worked wonders for the towns were the money was invested. There were other ideas knocking around. I started thinking.

Recently I met with Joanne Armstrong and John Mcgivern at the Hydro. They both work for Harrogate Borough Council. Jo is a sport development officer, John is specifically looking at the legacy the tour can leave.

We talked about what a reasonable legacy from the Tour would be. Greater participation was something we all agreed on. Greater participation being difficult without better infrastructure was another point where our views aligned. John was realistic about legacy being hard to deliver but he also seems committed to making the Tour's visit more than a two day wonder. Jo is interested in anything that gets people riding bikes, she is working with employers, including (hooray) the hospital. So there seems to be some much needed progress, which is great news.

In the short term there is going to be a committee of interested local people who will look in more details about specific legacy aims. Its great to be part of this and I'm delighted to be asked. North Yorkshire County Council will be part of this group too,which is more good news as ultimately they have most of the money.

So a little over two weeks after the Tour announcement it seems like local government is rising to the challenge. It was also good to see Deputy Prime minster Nick Clegg  agreeing to meet with Welcome to Yorkshire and the Cabinet to talk about central government funding for the Grand Depart. We remain hopeful that some money will be invested and that some of it will be spent on infrastructure. Exciting times.

A final thought if you have any specific ideas about what would be a good legacy for Harrogate get in touch, I can put your views forward.

Lancing the boil

So Lance Armstrong has admitted some of his misdemeanour's. The EPO, the steroids, the bullying and the lies. Well done Lance you are now in tune with the rest of the world so your no longer delusional, good work.

Trouble is you helped bring one of the greatest cycling events and a fine sport to its knees. In  an orgy of drug taking and miracle performances that made a mockery of competition.  You and your kind deprived clean athletes of places on podiums and stopped some people making a living from the sport they also loved, but one they chose to play clean.

Professional cycling has some questions to answer especially the UCI and I'm pleased you now appear to want to tell a little more of the truth. Lets get this done and all move on into a more regulated world. One where most athletes ride clean and the governing bodies mercilessly seek out cheats and frauds, hopefully that will be your legacy to cycling.

My problem with the idea that we should forgive or forget because you say your sorry, that's just ridiculous. The notion that you think that you might have a place in any kind of competitive sport going forward makes my skin crawl. Lance some things can't be atoned for however often you say sorry. Some decisions that you make over decades you live with forever and take to the grave.

If you wear and glory in the Jersey's, the fame and the fortune, the celebrity lifestyle, all those heady years when you rule the world. When it then turns out your victories are built on sand and lies, you have to accept that you need to do something else with the rest of your life.

Its not about the bike and its not about Lance the athlete any more.  I'm not interested in anything you have to say about sport going forward, I will now never believe the things you say. So stop seeking a platform and do something with your life, you have years left, use them for some small good and tell no one but the people you help.

The Tour is coming, The Tour is coming, The Tour De France is coming to HARROGATE

Dreamland stuff then, the route of the 2014 Tour De France Grand Depart has just been announced. Stage one finishes with a sprint in Harrogate and stage two appears to be going through Knaresborough and then pretty much past my house. Deep joy all round, a flat'ish stage for Cavendish to have a pop and maybe win a stage in his mum's home town. Thousands of bike fans all spending money in the town and the eyes of the Europe and a fair bit of the rest of the world on Harrogate. Lets make it a good one Harrogate, lets show the world we are a bike friendly town, lets show them we take bikes and activity seriously and lets do Yorkshire proud.

Right I'm off to lie in a darkened room and calm down a bit.

More on the route here

Legacy

What will the tour leave Harrogate when it moves on? Other than some great memories, a few hangovers, some fuller bank accounts and lots of tidying up. If we are not careful the answer could be precious little. If the eyes of the world are to be turned on Harrogate for a few hours, it would be nice to think that like the olympics where legacy was a founding principle. That Harrogate can benefit on the back of the sporting circus having come to town. 

It should come as no surprise then that cycle Harrogate will be banging the drum for mass participation and the infrastructure to bring this participation about over the next 18 months. If Harrogate could get anything lasting out of the tour I would like it to be that it becomes a "biketown".

On Beryl In Peril

News just in on the Beryl Burton Cycleway. It will be partially re-surfaced, hopefully in the not to distant future. Before the resurfacing happens the Army Foundation College are going to do some voluntary work to cut back the overhanging branches, clean out the cattle grid and cut some drainage channels, to try and stop the unrelenting rain making the situation any worse than it already is.

Thanks to North Yorkshire County Council Transport for sharing their plans on this. A pity we don't have a cyclist's forum to discuss these issues. Perhaps a few riders could have helped with the work, perhaps they still could?