:00:32. > :00:40.Tonight, as Yorkshire prepares to welcome the greatest cycling show on
:00:41. > :00:46.Earth, we ask just how cycle friendly we are. We travel to
:00:47. > :00:49.Holland to see how we prepare. Every town in Holland is connected by
:00:50. > :00:55.cycle roads. We visit a Yorkshire village
:00:56. > :01:07.prepared to welcome the Tour de France twice.
:01:08. > :01:16.And Sue Smith attempts a section of the race to see how she shapes up.
:01:17. > :01:22.Britain has lagged behind its European neighbours when it comes to
:01:23. > :01:28.spending money on making cycling safe to.
:01:29. > :01:33.The reasons are many and varied but however you look at it, the
:01:34. > :01:38.resurgence in cycling is taking on a momentum of its own. Success in the
:01:39. > :01:40.Tour de France, the buzz of its arrival in Yorkshire and the
:01:41. > :01:43.emphasis on a healthier lifestyle have seen us dramatically rekindle
:01:44. > :01:50.our love affair with the bike both for sport and as a key form of
:01:51. > :01:53.transport. But away from the excitement of the race itself,
:01:54. > :02:03.exactly how bike-friendly are we as a nation? And more importantly, how
:02:04. > :02:05.safe is it to cycle on Britain's traffic-clogged roads as more and
:02:06. > :02:14.more people are being encouraged to take to two wheels rather than four?
:02:15. > :02:17.To find out how our true commitment to cycling shapes up, I've travelled
:02:18. > :02:20.to Holland, whose capital, Amsterdam, always appears on lists
:02:21. > :02:30.of the safest and most enjoyable places to cycle in the world. I'll
:02:31. > :02:33.be comparing my experience there with a journey from Harrogate to the
:02:34. > :02:39.centre of Leeds, the headquarters of Yorkshire's Tour De France Grand
:02:40. > :02:43.Depart. The first thing you notice in Holland is the sheer number of
:02:44. > :02:56.cyclists and the amount of information about exactly where
:02:57. > :02:58.they're supposed to go and when. I'm heading into Amsterdam from a
:02:59. > :03:06.dormitory town called Purmerend, and for people using a bike, it looks
:03:07. > :03:13.like there's plenty of safe options. In Holland, there are more bikes
:03:14. > :03:17.than inhabitants, so more than 16 million bikes, an average of two or
:03:18. > :03:22.three bikes per person. It's part of our DNA. Now from this town, using
:03:23. > :03:34.this cycleway provsion in both directions, fantastic. Loads of
:03:35. > :03:38.traffic on the road all day long but loads of cyclists as well using
:03:39. > :03:55.these cycleways as a way to get to work.
:03:56. > :04:01.Back in Yorkshire, the start of my journey from Harrogate to Leeds is
:04:02. > :04:04.not nearly so trouble-free. Here, I'm battling with the traffic from
:04:05. > :04:23.the off, and for regular cycling commuters, like these hardy souls,
:04:24. > :04:30.it's no joke. I encounter a little bit of a cycle path at the end of my
:04:31. > :04:38.right. There's no reason why people can't do this route. It takes less
:04:39. > :04:41.than an hour, door-to-door. My journey along the A61 today is among
:04:42. > :04:44.the 2% of trips annually undertaken in the UK by bike, well behind that
:04:45. > :04:53.in Holland, where cycling accounts for more than 25% of all trips. Fear
:04:54. > :05:00.is part of the problem, with nearly 60% of people in the UK believing
:05:01. > :05:04.that biking is simply too dangerous. Not as fit as I'd like to be, it's
:05:05. > :05:11.time to say goodbye to my Harrogate chaperones and complete the rest of
:05:12. > :05:20.this Yorkshire section on my own. Well, that's about five miles done.
:05:21. > :05:26.Not really any provision for cyclists on the road to be seen at
:05:27. > :05:33.all. The rush-hour is nearly over. Not for the faint-hearted! At the
:05:34. > :05:41.moment, many passive cyclists are scared of going on the road. They
:05:42. > :05:44.contribute by being part of the traffic. There's got to be a tipping
:05:45. > :05:48.point where a family feel it is safe to go on the road. Back in Holland,
:05:49. > :05:50.the Dutch have been outstripping us on creating a safe cycling
:05:51. > :06:01.infrastructure for decades, spending around ?25 per head per year against
:06:02. > :06:11.just ?1 per head in the UK. Now, this thing in Purmerend is fabulous
:06:12. > :06:16.as the lights. Special provision at the traffic lights to tell you when
:06:17. > :06:21.to stop and go and lots of space, not just between the cyclists, but
:06:22. > :06:28.also away from the heavy goods vehicles and all the commuters in
:06:29. > :06:31.cars. In Holland, everyone owns at least one bike. It's the only
:06:32. > :06:34.country in the world where there's more bikes than people. And they
:06:35. > :06:39.start young. 49% of primary school children cycle to school. Here, less
:06:40. > :06:43.than half of us may have access to a bike and many of those that do won't
:06:44. > :06:56.bother to ride it more than once a year. Now we're almost at the end of
:06:57. > :07:02.our journey from Harrogate. We have got a classic problem piece of
:07:03. > :07:06.English cycling territory. Three fast dangerous lanes of traffic with
:07:07. > :07:10.no provision for cyclists at all, and here, is stripped of cycle lane
:07:11. > :07:14.which is neither here nor there, really. But there are signs of
:07:15. > :07:16.change here. A ?29 million boost has recently been announced in West
:07:17. > :07:18.Yorkshire to create a cycling superhighway connecting Leeds and
:07:19. > :07:25.Bradford, with seven other cities around the country getting further
:07:26. > :07:30.significant cash. Back in Holland, my stress-free commute is
:07:31. > :07:38.continuing. Well, this journey has taken us no time at all. We are half
:07:39. > :07:42.an hour on an already modelling -- hurtling through the northern
:07:43. > :07:51.suburbs of Amsterdam. There is still so much room between the traffic and
:07:52. > :07:56.cyclists. If I can show you a map, every town is Holland is connected
:07:57. > :08:01.by cycle roads. In the towns themselves, the most important parts
:08:02. > :08:08.of the towns, schools, shopping centres, where most people go, you
:08:09. > :08:14.can reach them by cycle roads. And that is very important to do
:08:15. > :08:21.something like that. It took us 14 years. Your government could do a
:08:22. > :08:26.little bit more on supporting your cyclists, your people, to do the
:08:27. > :08:34.same as we do. I grew up with cycling. It's safe. Annual figures
:08:35. > :08:37.show around 200 people die in cycle related accidents in Holland, where
:08:38. > :08:42.more than a quarter of all journeys are undertaken by bike. In the UK,
:08:43. > :08:45.only 2% of trips are made by bike but there are still more than 100
:08:46. > :08:54.fatalities each year, a statistic which suggests the risk per journey
:08:55. > :09:04.in the UK is far greater. How safe are we? Individually, fairly safe.
:09:05. > :09:10.The irony we have got to look at is that as we do see an increase in the
:09:11. > :09:14.number of cyclists, we retain the same proportion of accidents or
:09:15. > :09:21.incidents, but more cyclists getting killed by number. That is where we
:09:22. > :09:26.have got to be very careful. Well, back in Yorkshire, I've finished my
:09:27. > :09:37.journey into Leeds. Some of it was OK but some was risky, often scary,
:09:38. > :09:42.as a way of getting from A to B. The Tour de France will have a massive
:09:43. > :09:46.impact and potential benefit. We will have lots of people wanting to
:09:47. > :09:52.come out and watch, lots of people inspired, and we hope the legacy
:09:53. > :09:57.will be a sustainable cycle culture in Yorkshire and England. Holland is
:09:58. > :10:02.40 years ahead when they began to address this so we can learn from
:10:03. > :10:09.their mistakes, but within the next five years, I hope we will see a big
:10:10. > :10:14.change. In Holland, our journey is about to come to an end and we will
:10:15. > :10:21.finish it by going across to central Amsterdam on this special ferry. And
:10:22. > :10:23.if we really want to have a cyling culture, this is the kind of
:10:24. > :10:41.commitment that it takes. They will be welcoming the pellet
:10:42. > :10:45.on. But over in west Yorkshire, they will be hosting it twice. Not
:10:46. > :10:48.everybody, though, is happy about it. I have been to see how the
:10:49. > :10:59.locals are bracing themselves for the tour. It's a pretty enough
:11:00. > :11:02.little backwater, but nothing in its past suggests it's ever been one for
:11:03. > :11:05.hogging the limelight. Just the wrong side of Yorkshire Dales
:11:06. > :11:08.National Park, just the right side of the teeming cities of Leeds and
:11:09. > :11:11.Bradford, Addingham is the epitome of the sleepy rural Village. But in
:11:12. > :11:14.a few months' time, this tiny little place is going to be shaken to its
:11:15. > :11:18.very core. Addingham's population of just 4,000 people is expected to
:11:19. > :11:21.explode to tens of thousands as for two head-spinning days, the most
:11:22. > :11:30.famous bike race in the world passes through its ancient streets, not
:11:31. > :11:34.just once, but twice. Its whether or not Addingham can cope with it. If
:11:35. > :11:38.it means shutting it off, we'll have to. We need to make sure we protct
:11:39. > :11:41.the integrity of the village. Unwittingly, Addingham is about to
:11:42. > :11:50.become the epicentre of what some regards as the greatest show on
:11:51. > :11:53.Earth, the Tour De France. What we can't have is differnet messages
:11:54. > :11:58.coming out, which would be absoltley chaotic on the day if it went wrong.
:11:59. > :12:01.It's December, seven months before the race is due to hit town and
:12:02. > :12:09.villagers are getting their first taste of the cycling tornado that's
:12:10. > :12:16.about to come. We don't want anybody racing up on the second day to get
:12:17. > :12:19.that corner. Its managing the expectations and people. Mike Powell
:12:20. > :12:22.is Bradford Council's emergency planning and today he's meeting the
:12:23. > :12:25.village's hastily arranged Tour De France working group to make sure
:12:26. > :12:33.the village isn't going to be overwhelmed. We've got a few issues.
:12:34. > :12:37.I got elderly residents I have got to cater for, a pharmacy round the
:12:38. > :12:42.corner, a doctor 's surgery, and it's making sure we get here as
:12:43. > :12:45.well. The Tour De France is going to be the biggest thing ever to happen
:12:46. > :12:48.to hundreds of unsuspecting communities on the route and as the
:12:49. > :12:57.invasion looms, people here are split about what effect it might
:12:58. > :13:00.bring. It's January, and with the countdown
:13:01. > :13:07.beginning in earnest, the village is starting to realise this is more
:13:08. > :13:09.than just a bike race. I cannot guarantee you getting out. For many,
:13:10. > :13:14.it's the fear that they're being left alone to deal with the impact.
:13:15. > :13:17.There is still not enough information about what is going to
:13:18. > :13:20.happen in the village. The Tour de France Yorkshire on the weekend of
:13:21. > :13:22.the fifth and 6th of July dominating 250 miles of road between Harrogate
:13:23. > :13:30.leeds yorks and Sheffield. All roads affected will be shut for
:13:31. > :13:33.a minimum of eight hours. And for Addingham, residents are having to
:13:34. > :13:42.plan for virtual lockdown of 48 hours. Everyone along the route will
:13:43. > :13:44.be affected. And even if you're not a sports fan, its impact on the
:13:45. > :13:52.region's infrastructure can't be ignored. At the moment we have no
:13:53. > :13:56.idea how many people will be swarming to the village, coming and
:13:57. > :13:59.watching that difference, so we have got to ensure that we have got
:14:00. > :14:03.enough facilities for all of those people and the residents. But along
:14:04. > :14:10.with problems comes opportunities. Some businesses are licking their
:14:11. > :14:16.lips at the prospect. We are in the kitchen, tell us what we have got
:14:17. > :14:22.here. We have some baked camembert on the menu. Out in the marquee we
:14:23. > :14:25.will have a lot of different things on the go, we will have the
:14:26. > :14:30.Yorkshire stand, was quintessential Yorkshire food, and then a French
:14:31. > :14:34.stand with quintessentially French food. Craig's pub The Fleece is one
:14:35. > :14:39.of the businesses on the Main Street where the tour goes right past their
:14:40. > :14:42.front doors. Through the narrow West Yorkshire streets will tumble a two
:14:43. > :14:44.and a half hour cavalcade of publicity vehicles and floats - 130
:14:45. > :14:54.professional riders and crews and an army of press trailing along in its
:14:55. > :14:57.wake. I think it is going to be phenomenal. I do not think we will
:14:58. > :15:03.be struggling for trade on those days. Yes, all hands on deck and
:15:04. > :15:08.crack on with it. Obviously it flashes past year, it is not
:15:09. > :15:12.finished there and then, there is a lot more to it. We will try to bring
:15:13. > :15:15.people into the village of the calf to them so that they can see the
:15:16. > :15:18.whole race. A few doors down the road the picture isn't quite as
:15:19. > :15:26.rosy. With a freeze on any local transport, the landlady of The Crown
:15:27. > :15:28.can see problems racing towards her. Tell me what your first thoughts
:15:29. > :15:36.were when you heard that the true difference was coming to? Fear and
:15:37. > :15:40.dread. As bad as that? Definitely. The result it to him many people you
:15:41. > :15:45.conserve and look after. If you are going to do it, you will have to do
:15:46. > :15:52.it properly. I do not have the toilet facilities are a big enough
:15:53. > :15:58.kit tend to cater. -- big enough kitchen to cater. It is a bit of a
:15:59. > :16:00.nightmare. Understand the problems and concerns. But this is
:16:01. > :16:06.once-in-a-lifetime, it will never back again. We are just talking
:16:07. > :16:10.about adding, but we need to look across the whole region. We need to
:16:11. > :16:13.make sure that it comes in and goes out again and is not forgotten. Like
:16:14. > :16:16.the Olympics, the Tour de France is a huge money-making machine and its
:16:17. > :16:19.passage through Yorkshire is expected to generate millions of
:16:20. > :16:21.pounds' worth of tourism and free publicity for this unique part of
:16:22. > :16:24.the world. At Addingham's nearest bike shop, the benefits of the Tour
:16:25. > :16:28.de France effect are already beginning to show. Within the last
:16:29. > :16:30.few weeks this cycle shop has just moved into new purpose-built
:16:31. > :16:40.accommodation and business is booming. We are definitely busier
:16:41. > :16:46.and we're seeing more cyclist on the road. We have gone from 2-3 staff to
:16:47. > :16:49.six staff. The main area of growth is the maintenance side. People are
:16:50. > :16:55.bringing their old wakes out of the shed and tried to get them safe so
:16:56. > :17:03.that they can enjoy raiding down -- riding again. What benefits will
:17:04. > :17:06.there be? 100 million is what we're looking at at the moment. What we
:17:07. > :17:10.are trying to do is catch the audiences that are coming in and
:17:11. > :17:18.say, stay bit longer, see what this region is all about. Another key aim
:17:19. > :17:21.is to use the momentum to massively boost the number of regular
:17:22. > :17:26.cyclists. But that's all for the future. We're looking at at least
:17:27. > :17:30.another 10% of the population starting to cycle. One man who's got
:17:31. > :17:33.first-hand experience of the race as both a competitor and TV commentator
:17:34. > :17:39.has some advice about how people in Addingham and elsewhere on the route
:17:40. > :17:43.can make the most of the experience. Having the true difference is like
:17:44. > :17:48.having the Olympics come to town for the day. There are 3500 vehicles
:17:49. > :17:54.associated with this event and I think that there is a similar number
:17:55. > :17:57.that follow the race every day. It is just enormous, it is a real
:17:58. > :18:05.spectacle. I have seen it when it has come to the UK before, it is an
:18:06. > :18:08.amazing thing to see. It is just a celebration of sport, it is a reason
:18:09. > :18:14.to get together with family and friends, have a party and celebrate.
:18:15. > :18:17.That is how the French use it, as a reason to get together and
:18:18. > :18:20.celebrate. It's half past seven on a freezing Sunday night and the
:18:21. > :18:22.prospect of a good Anglo-French party is exactly what 's bringing
:18:23. > :18:29.these revellers flocking to Addingham Methodist Hall. As part of
:18:30. > :18:31.the Tour's Cultural Festival, they're holding an Entente Cordiale,
:18:32. > :18:34.an evening of French and traditional Yorkshire dance to coincide with the
:18:35. > :18:46.Tour's arrival in the summer, and tonight members are practising some
:18:47. > :18:50.of their Gallic moves. Originally dance was the only way that you
:18:51. > :18:53.could mingle. That is why a lot of the French maids and English mates
:18:54. > :19:00.require eye contact, because it was the only time you ever got to talk
:19:01. > :19:04.to the opposite sex. I'm looking for the whole profile of Yorkshire in
:19:05. > :19:07.general to be lifted and we can show the rest of the world, if the world
:19:08. > :19:11.watches the tour, just what we have got. Perhaps it's the complex
:19:12. > :19:14.relationship we have with the French that's giving this event such a
:19:15. > :19:18.special feel, but as I prepare for my own Grand Depart from Addingham,
:19:19. > :19:25.there's one man who'll be glad when the last visitor has said their
:19:26. > :19:29.final au revoir. And I am guessing you have a holiday booked for
:19:30. > :19:34.shortly afterwards? I will probably have a short break after this! You
:19:35. > :19:38.do need it, it does tire you. But at the end of the day you have to make
:19:39. > :19:42.sure that it is safe, right, and that everybody gets the day that
:19:43. > :19:46.they want. I will probably have a really boring day in the control
:19:47. > :19:51.room, but knowing that the planning beforehand was really good. This has
:19:52. > :20:03.got me right in the mood. Riding a bike, how hard can it be?
:20:04. > :20:10.I have been playing football for nearly 20 years at the top level, I
:20:11. > :20:15.must be pretty fit. I train every day, working on endurance, speed and
:20:16. > :20:21.stamina, offer that 90 minutes on match day. I have played for four
:20:22. > :20:26.different clubs including Doncaster, Leeds and Lincoln and 193 England
:20:27. > :20:32.caps. But what if I swapped my ball for a bike, could I cope with the
:20:33. > :20:39.fitness demands of a totally different spot? I have taken up the
:20:40. > :20:46.challenge of cycling 3.8: The tears. That is not even 2.5 miles, but this
:20:47. > :20:53.is the dreaded Buttertubs pass in North Yorkshire. I want to see if I
:20:54. > :21:02.can not only complete it, but get up in a time that proper Raiders will
:21:03. > :21:08.not laugh at. For novice like me, the National Cycling Centre is
:21:09. > :21:13.adopting place to come, especially when Team GB our training, but at
:21:14. > :21:17.least it is warm and dry. Fortunately I will not be competing
:21:18. > :21:22.against the Olympic and world champions today. My name is John. I
:21:23. > :21:26.have joined a public session at the velodrome to get me started, but
:21:27. > :21:33.this is all very new and a little bit scary. Because of your fixed
:21:34. > :21:38.wheel you can actually get flung off your bike if you stop pedalling.
:21:39. > :21:43.With a fixed wheel, you must keep pedalling all of the time. That is
:21:44. > :21:47.the sort of advice I am not going to ignore.
:21:48. > :21:52.This is much more complex than playing football.
:21:53. > :22:05.So I am off, two laps of the flat part of the track to easily end. --
:22:06. > :22:11.ease me in. That was not very good. I now know
:22:12. > :22:21.that stopping is not so easy, especially when the bike has no
:22:22. > :22:25.brakes. Do not push, just let it go. That could be two or three laps. Do
:22:26. > :22:33.you want to set off? That would be great.
:22:34. > :22:37.I am joined by professional bike racer Dean Downing, he's a multiple
:22:38. > :22:40.race winner in the UK and Europe and as he warms up I am struggling to
:22:41. > :22:46.keep up. I am struggling to catch on.
:22:47. > :22:50.So what have I let myself in for? You took to it quite quickly, to be
:22:51. > :22:55.honest, it takes quite a lot of people quite a few times when they
:22:56. > :23:02.visit the track. What would you say is the difference with road cycling?
:23:03. > :23:06.The differences that you can look out when you're on the road, but you
:23:07. > :23:10.still have to concentrate on putting your power to the pedal and
:23:11. > :23:15.concentrate on getting a decent speed. You will have to transfer
:23:16. > :23:23.that, because if you stop pedalling in the velodrome is, you will go
:23:24. > :23:29.backwards. -- on the Buttertubs. The next one is the gears, you have lots
:23:30. > :23:33.of choices of gears. It will be trial and error as to what your you
:23:34. > :23:44.want to be using to get you up the hill. You're letting yourself in for
:23:45. > :23:50.something pretty big. Sadly I am off to mystery earlier, to spend a few
:23:51. > :23:54.weeks with my team training camp. I will be checking in to see how you
:23:55. > :24:04.are doing. Sorry about that. That is all right. So I am on my own then,
:24:05. > :24:13.but I am going to need a break. -- bike. The beam of light tracks the
:24:14. > :24:24.sensors on my body. That is quite tough, I thought it was going to be
:24:25. > :24:27.a nice little bike session. You are probably at an intermediate
:24:28. > :24:33.pedalling technique. You are retaining most of your momentum and
:24:34. > :24:38.starting to use the calf muscles. All of my measurements go into my
:24:39. > :24:45.made-to-measure bike. With just a few weeks before my attempt at the
:24:46. > :24:49.Buttertubs, I really need to get out on the road. But combining preseason
:24:50. > :24:55.football training and time on the bike is not proving that easy. I
:24:56. > :24:59.wonder how many it -- how my friend Dean Downing is getting on down
:25:00. > :25:04.under. Hollow from Adelaide, it has been pretty hot. I hope that the
:25:05. > :25:11.baked treats you nice and you get used to the gears -- the bike treats
:25:12. > :25:17.you nice. This is the picturesque deals
:25:18. > :25:41.village of horse. In just over four months time this North Yorkshire
:25:42. > :25:44.beauty spot will be heaving. I feel like I have not done enough
:25:45. > :25:52.training. I hope that my winning mentality gets me through this.
:25:53. > :26:02.If I'm going to make it to the top I am going to have to claim 732 feet,
:26:03. > :26:10.that is a lot of pedalling. My word... Early on in the claim, what
:26:11. > :26:13.is coming back to me is the advice I was given about not putting into
:26:14. > :26:21.much effort to start off with, but it is released deep, this is tough.
:26:22. > :26:25.-- it is really steep. This winding route with stunning views is Jeremy
:26:26. > :26:30.Clarkson's favourite stretch of Yorkshire road. I'm certainly not
:26:31. > :26:38.travelling as fast as hem and sadly too preoccupied to enjoy the
:26:39. > :26:42.scenery. But I'm not just battling the road, I have set myself a goal
:26:43. > :26:45.of getting all the way up in less than 20 minutes. The stopwatch is
:26:46. > :26:58.ticking away and I'm up against the clock. The average gradient is 6%
:26:59. > :27:06.and in one part it is 20%, but there are some surprising relief I had not
:27:07. > :27:18.expected. Downhill it is amazing. But it is soon uphill again. I am
:27:19. > :27:36.minutes away from the end now and I really need to put all I have got
:27:37. > :27:50.left into those pedals. I just got soaked! That was hard work, I have
:27:51. > :27:54.to say. At last, the finishing line, I have made it. Finally, a
:27:55. > :28:01.chance to enjoy some of the amazing scenery. My reward for completing
:28:02. > :28:08.this incredible claim in a time of 15.24, not too bad for a novice. I
:28:09. > :28:14.have just heard your time for the Buttertubs challenge, that is pretty
:28:15. > :28:16.impressive and puts you at third place on the website.
:28:17. > :28:23.Congratulations, well done and I will speak to you soon. I have done
:28:24. > :28:27.Buttertubs, I am really pleased. It is only four kilometres, just think
:28:28. > :28:32.of the lead Raiders, they have to do 190 kilometres in one day. I did
:28:33. > :28:41.just small part of that and that was hard enough stop.
:28:42. > :28:46.That is all for tonight. Make sure that you join us next week when we
:28:47. > :28:50.will have a special programme about the penguins being brought all the
:28:51. > :29:06.way over from the United States to their new home in Hull.
:29:07. > :29:12.Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90 second update. Two women and four
:29:13. > :29:15.dogs have been found shot dead at a house in Farnham. An 82-year-old dog
:29:16. > :29:16.breeder has been arrested on suspicion of