WALES IN YELLOW: LE TOUR RETURNS

have amazing news, something I’ve been waiting for has finally dropped: the Grand Départ is returning to the UK! There is an unrivalled magic when the Tour de France crosses the Channel, and I am absolutely buzzing that the world's greatest sporting spectacle is set to grace our backyard once again. Not since that spine-tingling summer of 2014 have we seen the peloton on British roads, and the prospect of that electric atmosphere returning is nothing short of incredible.

This time, however, the yellow jersey is heading north and west. With Stage One in Scotland, Stage Two in Cumbria, and Stage Three in Wales, the route is skipping Yorkshire—but it's that Welsh stage that has me dreaming. To see the world’s elite riders tackle the roads of my favourite place on earth would be a total thrill. While I’m a realist about the logistics of making it to the roadside, you can bet I’m already looking for ways to tag a viewing onto one of my usual trips.

But the excitement doesn't stop with the men's race. In a historic first, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is also coming to the UK for its own Grand Départ later that month. While I'll be looking west for the men, the women’s peloton is bringing the drama right to my doorstep. Stage Two on Saturday, 31 July, is set to finish in Sheffield after a grueling climb over the Snake Pass. It feels like a beautiful full-circle moment to have the world's best female riders finishing in the same city where I watched Nibali take the yellow jersey back in 2014.

My excitement is rooted in my original post from that incredible weekend in 2014. I can still feel the ache in my legs from that 6:00 am start, cycling out of the city to find the perfect spot on the Côte de Midhopestones. I remember sitting on the summit with my sandwiches, soaking up the atmosphere as the helicopters crested the hill and the peloton flew up a climb that I’d been 'blowing out of my arse' on just hours earlier. Seeing myself on TV highlights later as Marcel Kittel passed my spot cemented it as a true life event. I would give anything to experience that kind of magic again.

From 2014

Of course, the desire to be there in person is even stronger now that the landscape of television coverage is shifting. The issue of free-to-air access remains a frustrating hurdle for fans, a topic I covered in a post last year when the end of an era was first announced. If we can't rely on the traditional TV experience, then making it to the roadside becomes more than just a dream—it’s the best way left to witness the spectacle.

If you appreciate the atmospheric grit of northern life—and the resilience it takes to tackle both steep climbs and daily hurdles—you'll find those same Norse echoes in my webcomic, Northman. While I’m busy planning my route to the Welsh roadside and dreaming of the peloton, my characters are navigating much more treacherous terrain through the rugged landscapes of Jorvikshire.

Read the latest chapter here: northman.kirt.me.uk

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