Teams prepare for the upcoming Grand Depart in Leeds
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Christopher Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team Sky out for a training session in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Team Sky's Chris Froome and Richie Porte training in Leeds (Image credit: AFP photos)
Tour de France defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: AFP photos)
Team Sky out training in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) before heading out on a training session with his team in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Tinkoff-Saxo squad gets ready for a pre-Tour spin in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo) before a training session in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Tinkoff-Saxo sports a new shade of yellow for the Tour de France(Image credit: AFP photos)
Albert Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) thumbs up before a training session in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo)(Image credit: AFP photos)
Alberto Contador riding with his Tinkoff-Saxo teammates in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Team Sky's Chris Froome, Richie Porte and Danny Pate riding in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Tinkoff-Saxo (Image credit: AFP photos)
Team Sky training in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Tinkoff-Saxo's Tour de France team checks out the stage 5 cobbles(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tinkoff-Saxo previews the stage 5 cobbles a few days before the start of the Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Chris Froome (Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma - QuickStep)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Bernhard Eisel (Team Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma - QuickStep) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Xabier Zandio (Team Sky) heads out on a warm-up ride(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Xabier Zandio (Team Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team Tinkoff-Saxo arrive to preview the stage 5 cobbles in Oleg Tinkoff's private jet (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tinkoff-Saxo's Alberto Contador in Oleg Tinkoff's private jet(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Oleg Tinkoff and his Tinkoff-Saxo squad check out the stage 5 cobbles ahead of the Tour de France's start on Saturday(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo) leads his team on a pre-Tour ride over the cobbles a few days before the start(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Orica-GreenEdge parade the streets in Leeds(Image credit: AFP photos)
Public excitement surrounding the Tour de France is growing ahead of its start on July 5 in Leeds, Yorkshire. That momentum is pushed along by the event's nearly 200 professional cyclists, who have taken to the streets for pre-race training rides.
Cycling is one of those few sports where the public has almost direct access to the athletes, and as they emerged from the race hotel, fans were there to get photos taken with their favorite riders, autographs and to watch the team mechanics set up the bikes for the morning training sessions.
Click here to view the gallery of photos from the team training rides during the days leading into the Tour de France start in Leeds.
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