So I'm doing a fairly extensive trip across Europe for July, and the 4th - 7th I'll be trying to visit some friends in Harrogate, but they tell me the Tour de France is coming through on the 5th. Apparently, this is going to involve a lot of people coming to the city or something (for some reason). They just moved there from the US recently so they're not sure how bad the crowds will be, but they've been told to expect an insane amount of people.
I'll be training in from London - anyone with experience know how crowded this might get? Is it hopeless, or can I book something really early/late to avoid the crowds?