these have been added to the streets for the tour de france
The Tour De France brings Yorkshire to a standstill.
Roads all across Yorkshire have been laced with lycra wrapped legs sampling the rural routes upon which the Tour De France riders will voyage on their gruelling journey. This monumental cycling event is the biggest road race in the world;
people have flocked to the streets of Yorkshire from all across the globe to catch a snippet of the fastest men on two wheels thunder down the country roads of the Yorkshire Dales and through the picturesque towns and villages’ along the way. Over the last few weeks, the atmosphere has been electric and spirits are incredibly high! People along the route have been decorating their homes with flags and yellow bikes to mark the occasion, you don’t seem to past more than a few hundred yards until you see another painted bike sat on a garden wall or upon a garage roof. The people of Harrogate are so enthusiastic about stage 1 of the race finishing in their home town; it is joyful to listen to the tone of excitement in their voice when you ask them if they are looking forwards to the TDF being in the town they live.
We spoke to local business owner Daniel Beadle, the owner of Kitchen Warehouse UK Ltd, His company is based in Ripon, North Yorkshire approximately a mile from the TDF rider’s route, but he lives in Harrogate 16 miles away from his business premises.
Due to the race he has been left with no option but to not open his showroom doors on Saturday 5th July, his busiest day of the week. We asked him his option of the Tour De France being there. His response was, “to be honest, I think it is superb that the roads I travel down on a daily basis will be on millions of televisions’ across the world. It has really put Harrogate on the map and in the public eye for the beautiful town it really is, which I’m sure will be a good thing for many years to come, you know for a fact that people will travel from all over the world to ride on the same roads that the Tour De France riders’ raced down. It has begun already! You see cyclists everywhere at the moment and have for several months now, I feel that it is a brilliant thing and we as a community have been very lucky to have the biggest cycling event in the world in our back garden. All of the fantastic sculptures that have been popping up along the route look amazing, a really nice touch to remember the event by, I’m sure some of these will become local land marks. ”
Even people like Daniel who employ several staff and know he will be losing money by not being able to open his showroom on the busiest days of the week are loving the grand depart being on their doorstep. The atmosphere is amazing and the people on the route are really embracing the whole experience and showing their love for the Tour De France.
Here’s hoping the Tour De France legacy long lives on in these smaller towns and villages and continues to bring happiness to those who live within them.
