Preview: 2014 Tour de France — Stage 1

Leeds to Harrogate (190.5km)

Saturday, July 5th 7:00 a.m. – 11:19 a.m. EDT

As was the case in 2013, the Tour de France will start with a road stage rather than a prologue. In Corsica, Marcel Kittel claimed the yellow jersey that everyone imagined would end up on Mark Cavendish’s shoulders. The British sprinter has good reason for dreaming of revenge. First, because the Grand Départ is taking place on his home ground in Great Britain, where he will be racing in front of his own fans. Second, because the stage finishes very close to the place where his mother once lived. Finally, because he has never worn the famous jersey and deserves to do so based on his immense achievements. Cavendish is the favorite for a 190km stage that takes in superb countryside and features flat terrain over the final 60 kilometers.