24/02/2014 Inside Out Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Tonight, as Yorkshire prepares to welcome the greatest cycling show on

Earth, we ask just how cycle friendly we are. We travel to

Holland to see how we prepare. Every town in Holland is connected by

cycle roads. We visit a Yorkshire village

prepared to welcome the Tour de France twice.

And Sue Smith attempts a section of the race to see how she shapes up.

Britain has lagged behind its European neighbours when it comes to

spending money on making cycling safe to.

The reasons are many and varied but however you look at it, the

resurgence in cycling is taking on a momentum of its own. Success in the

Tour de France, the buzz of its arrival in Yorkshire and the

emphasis on a healthier lifestyle have seen us dramatically rekindle

our love affair with the bike both for sport and as a key form of

transport. But away from the excitement of the race itself,

exactly how bike-friendly are we as a nation? And more importantly, how

safe is it to cycle on Britain's traffic-clogged roads as more and

more people are being encouraged to take to two wheels rather than four?

To find out how our true commitment to cycling shapes up, I've travelled

to Holland, whose capital, Amsterdam, always appears on lists

of the safest and most enjoyable places to cycle in the world. I'll

be comparing my experience there with a journey from Harrogate to the

centre of Leeds, the headquarters of Yorkshire's Tour De France Grand

Depart. The first thing you notice in Holland is the sheer number of

cyclists and the amount of information about exactly where

they're supposed to go and when. I'm heading into Amsterdam from a

dormitory town called Purmerend, and for people using a bike, it looks

like there's plenty of safe options. In Holland, there are more bikes

than inhabitants, so more than 16 million bikes, an average of two or

three bikes per person. It's part of our DNA. Now from this town, using

this cycleway provsion in both directions, fantastic. Loads of

traffic on the road all day long but loads of cyclists as well using

these cycleways as a way to get to work.

Back in Yorkshire, the start of my journey from Harrogate to Leeds is

not nearly so trouble-free. Here, I'm battling with the traffic from

the off, and for regular cycling commuters, like these hardy souls,

it's no joke. I encounter a little bit of a cycle path at the end of my

right. There's no reason why people can't do this route. It takes less

than an hour, door-to-door. My journey along the A61 today is among

the 2% of trips annually undertaken in the UK by bike, well behind that

in Holland, where cycling accounts for more than 25% of all trips. Fear

is part of the problem, with nearly 60% of people in the UK believing

that biking is simply too dangerous. Not as fit as I'd like to be, it's

time to say goodbye to my Harrogate chaperones and complete the rest of

this Yorkshire section on my own. Well, that's about five miles done.

Not really any provision for cyclists on the road to be seen at

all. The rush-hour is nearly over. Not for the faint-hearted! At the

moment, many passive cyclists are scared of going on the road. They

contribute by being part of the traffic. There's got to be a tipping

point where a family feel it is safe to go on the road. Back in Holland,

the Dutch have been outstripping us on creating a safe cycling

infrastructure for decades, spending around ?25 per head per year against

just ?1 per head in the UK. Now, this thing in Purmerend is fabulous

as the lights. Special provision at the traffic lights to tell you when

to stop and go and lots of space, not just between the cyclists, but

also away from the heavy goods vehicles and all the commuters in

cars. In Holland, everyone owns at least one bike. It's the only

country in the world where there's more bikes than people. And they

start young. 49% of primary school children cycle to school. Here, less

than half of us may have access to a bike and many of those that do won't

bother to ride it more than once a year. Now we're almost at the end of

our journey from Harrogate. We have got a classic problem piece of

English cycling territory. Three fast dangerous lanes of traffic with

no provision for cyclists at all, and here, is stripped of cycle lane

which is neither here nor there, really. But there are signs of

change here. A ?29 million boost has recently been announced in West

Yorkshire to create a cycling superhighway connecting Leeds and

Bradford, with seven other cities around the country getting further

significant cash. Back in Holland, my stress-free commute is

continuing. Well, this journey has taken us no time at all. We are half

an hour on an already modelling -- hurtling through the northern

suburbs of Amsterdam. There is still so much room between the traffic and

cyclists. If I can show you a map, every town is Holland is connected

by cycle roads. In the towns themselves, the most important parts

of the towns, schools, shopping centres, where most people go, you

can reach them by cycle roads. And that is very important to do

something like that. It took us 14 years. Your government could do a

little bit more on supporting your cyclists, your people, to do the

same as we do. I grew up with cycling. It's safe. Annual figures

show around 200 people die in cycle related accidents in Holland, where

more than a quarter of all journeys are undertaken by bike. In the UK,

only 2% of trips are made by bike but there are still more than 100

fatalities each year, a statistic which suggests the risk per journey

in the UK is far greater. How safe are we? Individually, fairly safe.

The irony we have got to look at is that as we do see an increase in the

number of cyclists, we retain the same proportion of accidents or

incidents, but more cyclists getting killed by number. That is where we

have got to be very careful. Well, back in Yorkshire, I've finished my

journey into Leeds. Some of it was OK but some was risky, often scary,

as a way of getting from A to B. The Tour de France will have a massive

impact and potential benefit. We will have lots of people wanting to

come out and watch, lots of people inspired, and we hope the legacy

will be a sustainable cycle culture in Yorkshire and England. Holland is

40 years ahead when they began to address this so we can learn from

their mistakes, but within the next five years, I hope we will see a big

change. In Holland, our journey is about to come to an end and we will

finish it by going across to central Amsterdam on this special ferry. And

if we really want to have a cyling culture, this is the kind of

commitment that it takes. They will be welcoming the pellet

on. But over in west Yorkshire, they will be hosting it twice. Not

everybody, though, is happy about it. I have been to see how the

locals are bracing themselves for the tour. It's a pretty enough

little backwater, but nothing in its past suggests it's ever been one for

hogging the limelight. Just the wrong side of Yorkshire Dales

National Park, just the right side of the teeming cities of Leeds and

Bradford, Addingham is the epitome of the sleepy rural Village. But in

a few months' time, this tiny little place is going to be shaken to its

very core. Addingham's population of just 4,000 people is expected to

explode to tens of thousands as for two head-spinning days, the most

famous bike race in the world passes through its ancient streets, not

just once, but twice. Its whether or not Addingham can cope with it. If

it means shutting it off, we'll have to. We need to make sure we protct

the integrity of the village. Unwittingly, Addingham is about to

become the epicentre of what some regards as the greatest show on

Earth, the Tour De France. What we can't have is differnet messages

coming out, which would be absoltley chaotic on the day if it went wrong.

It's December, seven months before the race is due to hit town and

villagers are getting their first taste of the cycling tornado that's

about to come. We don't want anybody racing up on the second day to get

that corner. Its managing the expectations and people. Mike Powell

is Bradford Council's emergency planning and today he's meeting the

village's hastily arranged Tour De France working group to make sure

the village isn't going to be overwhelmed. We've got a few issues.

I got elderly residents I have got to cater for, a pharmacy round the

corner, a doctor 's surgery, and it's making sure we get here as

well. The Tour De France is going to be the biggest thing ever to happen

to hundreds of unsuspecting communities on the route and as the

invasion looms, people here are split about what effect it might

bring. It's January, and with the countdown

beginning in earnest, the village is starting to realise this is more

than just a bike race. I cannot guarantee you getting out. For many,

it's the fear that they're being left alone to deal with the impact.

There is still not enough information about what is going to

happen in the village. The Tour de France Yorkshire on the weekend of

the fifth and 6th of July dominating 250 miles of road between Harrogate

leeds yorks and Sheffield. All roads affected will be shut for

a minimum of eight hours. And for Addingham, residents are having to

plan for virtual lockdown of 48 hours. Everyone along the route will

be affected. And even if you're not a sports fan, its impact on the

region's infrastructure can't be ignored. At the moment we have no

idea how many people will be swarming to the village, coming and

watching that difference, so we have got to ensure that we have got

enough facilities for all of those people and the residents. But along

with problems comes opportunities. Some businesses are licking their

lips at the prospect. We are in the kitchen, tell us what we have got

here. We have some baked camembert on the menu. Out in the marquee we

will have a lot of different things on the go, we will have the

Yorkshire stand, was quintessential Yorkshire food, and then a French

stand with quintessentially French food. Craig's pub The Fleece is one

of the businesses on the Main Street where the tour goes right past their

front doors. Through the narrow West Yorkshire streets will tumble a two

and a half hour cavalcade of publicity vehicles and floats - 130

professional riders and crews and an army of press trailing along in its

wake. I think it is going to be phenomenal. I do not think we will

be struggling for trade on those days. Yes, all hands on deck and

crack on with it. Obviously it flashes past year, it is not

finished there and then, there is a lot more to it. We will try to bring

people into the village of the calf to them so that they can see the

whole race. A few doors down the road the picture isn't quite as

rosy. With a freeze on any local transport, the landlady of The Crown

can see problems racing towards her. Tell me what your first thoughts

were when you heard that the true difference was coming to? Fear and

dread. As bad as that? Definitely. The result it to him many people you

conserve and look after. If you are going to do it, you will have to do

it properly. I do not have the toilet facilities are a big enough

kit tend to cater. -- big enough kitchen to cater. It is a bit of a

nightmare. Understand the problems and concerns. But this is

once-in-a-lifetime, it will never back again. We are just talking

about adding, but we need to look across the whole region. We need to

make sure that it comes in and goes out again and is not forgotten. Like

the Olympics, the Tour de France is a huge money-making machine and its

passage through Yorkshire is expected to generate millions of

pounds' worth of tourism and free publicity for this unique part of

the world. At Addingham's nearest bike shop, the benefits of the Tour

de France effect are already beginning to show. Within the last

few weeks this cycle shop has just moved into new purpose-built

accommodation and business is booming. We are definitely busier

and we're seeing more cyclist on the road. We have gone from 2-3 staff to

six staff. The main area of growth is the maintenance side. People are

bringing their old wakes out of the shed and tried to get them safe so

that they can enjoy raiding down -- riding again. What benefits will

there be? 100 million is what we're looking at at the moment. What we

are trying to do is catch the audiences that are coming in and

say, stay bit longer, see what this region is all about. Another key aim

is to use the momentum to massively boost the number of regular

cyclists. But that's all for the future. We're looking at at least

another 10% of the population starting to cycle. One man who's got

first-hand experience of the race as both a competitor and TV commentator

has some advice about how people in Addingham and elsewhere on the route

can make the most of the experience. Having the true difference is like

having the Olympics come to town for the day. There are 3500 vehicles

associated with this event and I think that there is a similar number

that follow the race every day. It is just enormous, it is a real

spectacle. I have seen it when it has come to the UK before, it is an

amazing thing to see. It is just a celebration of sport, it is a reason

to get together with family and friends, have a party and celebrate.

That is how the French use it, as a reason to get together and

celebrate. It's half past seven on a freezing Sunday night and the

prospect of a good Anglo-French party is exactly what 's bringing

these revellers flocking to Addingham Methodist Hall. As part of

the Tour's Cultural Festival, they're holding an Entente Cordiale,

an evening of French and traditional Yorkshire dance to coincide with the

Tour's arrival in the summer, and tonight members are practising some

of their Gallic moves. Originally dance was the only way that you

could mingle. That is why a lot of the French maids and English mates

require eye contact, because it was the only time you ever got to talk

to the opposite sex. I'm looking for the whole profile of Yorkshire in

general to be lifted and we can show the rest of the world, if the world

watches the tour, just what we have got. Perhaps it's the complex

relationship we have with the French that's giving this event such a

special feel, but as I prepare for my own Grand Depart from Addingham,

there's one man who'll be glad when the last visitor has said their

final au revoir. And I am guessing you have a holiday booked for

shortly afterwards? I will probably have a short break after this! You

do need it, it does tire you. But at the end of the day you have to make

sure that it is safe, right, and that everybody gets the day that

they want. I will probably have a really boring day in the control

room, but knowing that the planning beforehand was really good. This has

got me right in the mood. Riding a bike, how hard can it be?

I have been playing football for nearly 20 years at the top level, I

must be pretty fit. I train every day, working on endurance, speed and

stamina, offer that 90 minutes on match day. I have played for four

different clubs including Doncaster, Leeds and Lincoln and 193 England

caps. But what if I swapped my ball for a bike, could I cope with the

fitness demands of a totally different spot? I have taken up the

challenge of cycling 3.8: The tears. That is not even 2.5 miles, but this

is the dreaded Buttertubs pass in North Yorkshire. I want to see if I

can not only complete it, but get up in a time that proper Raiders will

not laugh at. For novice like me, the National Cycling Centre is

adopting place to come, especially when Team GB our training, but at

least it is warm and dry. Fortunately I will not be competing

against the Olympic and world champions today. My name is John. I

have joined a public session at the velodrome to get me started, but

this is all very new and a little bit scary. Because of your fixed

wheel you can actually get flung off your bike if you stop pedalling.

With a fixed wheel, you must keep pedalling all of the time. That is

the sort of advice I am not going to ignore.

This is much more complex than playing football.

So I am off, two laps of the flat part of the track to easily end. --

ease me in. That was not very good. I now know

that stopping is not so easy, especially when the bike has no

brakes. Do not push, just let it go. That could be two or three laps. Do

you want to set off? That would be great.

I am joined by professional bike racer Dean Downing, he's a multiple

race winner in the UK and Europe and as he warms up I am struggling to

keep up. I am struggling to catch on.

So what have I let myself in for? You took to it quite quickly, to be

honest, it takes quite a lot of people quite a few times when they

visit the track. What would you say is the difference with road cycling?

The differences that you can look out when you're on the road, but you

still have to concentrate on putting your power to the pedal and

concentrate on getting a decent speed. You will have to transfer

that, because if you stop pedalling in the velodrome is, you will go

backwards. -- on the Buttertubs. The next one is the gears, you have lots

of choices of gears. It will be trial and error as to what your you

want to be using to get you up the hill. You're letting yourself in for

something pretty big. Sadly I am off to mystery earlier, to spend a few

weeks with my team training camp. I will be checking in to see how you

are doing. Sorry about that. That is all right. So I am on my own then,

but I am going to need a break. -- bike. The beam of light tracks the

sensors on my body. That is quite tough, I thought it was going to be

a nice little bike session. You are probably at an intermediate

pedalling technique. You are retaining most of your momentum and

starting to use the calf muscles. All of my measurements go into my

made-to-measure bike. With just a few weeks before my attempt at the

Buttertubs, I really need to get out on the road. But combining preseason

football training and time on the bike is not proving that easy. I

wonder how many it -- how my friend Dean Downing is getting on down

under. Hollow from Adelaide, it has been pretty hot. I hope that the

baked treats you nice and you get used to the gears -- the bike treats

you nice. This is the picturesque deals

village of horse. In just over four months time this North Yorkshire

beauty spot will be heaving. I feel like I have not done enough

training. I hope that my winning mentality gets me through this.

If I'm going to make it to the top I am going to have to claim 732 feet,

that is a lot of pedalling. My word... Early on in the claim, what

is coming back to me is the advice I was given about not putting into

much effort to start off with, but it is released deep, this is tough.

-- it is really steep. This winding route with stunning views is Jeremy

Clarkson's favourite stretch of Yorkshire road. I'm certainly not

travelling as fast as hem and sadly too preoccupied to enjoy the

scenery. But I'm not just battling the road, I have set myself a goal

of getting all the way up in less than 20 minutes. The stopwatch is

ticking away and I'm up against the clock. The average gradient is 6%

and in one part it is 20%, but there are some surprising relief I had not

expected. Downhill it is amazing. But it is soon uphill again. I am

minutes away from the end now and I really need to put all I have got

left into those pedals. I just got soaked! That was hard work, I have

to say. At last, the finishing line, I have made it. Finally, a

chance to enjoy some of the amazing scenery. My reward for completing

this incredible claim in a time of 15.24, not too bad for a novice. I

have just heard your time for the Buttertubs challenge, that is pretty

impressive and puts you at third place on the website.

Congratulations, well done and I will speak to you soon. I have done

Buttertubs, I am really pleased. It is only four kilometres, just think

of the lead Raiders, they have to do 190 kilometres in one day. I did

just small part of that and that was hard enough stop.

That is all for tonight. Make sure that you join us next week when we

will have a special programme about the penguins being brought all the

way over from the United States to their new home in Hull.

Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90 second update. Two women and four

dogs have been found shot dead at a house in Farnham. An 82-year-old dog

breeder has been arrested on suspicion of