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Yorkshire is gearing up for the Tour de France!
maltshovel
Posts: 9,911 Forum Member
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I work in Leeds and have seen the gradual build up to the Grand Depart this weekend. I am not a big cycling enthusiast and a bit 'meh' generally over the Tour de France. However today I felt a real buzz in the city centre. Leeds City Hall is covered in huge banners, there are flags and bunting everywhere and even yellow flowers in the flower beds. I have now become quite excited about the whole thing and it is fantastic that everywhere you in West Yorkshire you see promotion for the Tour. It's brilliant 
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Aaaah, not everywhere. No displays in Wakefield, but the tour isn't coming here.
I've been fed up of the constant bleating about it on BBC Look North, like we've won the Olympics, but that said, it's good for the region and we will be there on Saturday to watch it.
Sorry Wakefield ;-) but it's good that you are supporting it
Agreed.
I'm already bored with it to be honest.
Sausages!!? would that not be meat pies?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ7ECIumhBM
However, I did notice that a tight, yellow jumper has been put on one of the naked lady statues in City Square and she looks a bit pornographic
I'm dreading trying to get home from work on Friday as I think that's when lots of people will turn up in Leeds and it might get a bit chaotic.
Avoiding Leeds like the plague at the weekend.
I do that even when the TdF is not here...;-)
The first day that year was a prologue time trial in Hyde Park which went on most of the day with almost 200 riders........had a good day out, met a couple of DS chums, beautiful weather and huge crowds
If you're intending to stand on the route they have what they call 'the caravan' comes along an hour or two before the cyclists..........it's like a huge parade with floats and lorries promoting all the race sponsors, team sponsors and advertisers and they chuck goodies into the crowd
Excellent if you're a collector of cheap tat and sweets.......:D
I noticed that jumper today as well
One farmer is dyeing his sheep for the race
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/11315773.Sheep_change_colour_for_Tour_de_France/
The Tour de France started in Ireland about 15 years ago (1998)......but I don't think they went to the North
It was one of the most newsworthy Tours since the war
Britain's Chris Boardman won the opening time trial and wore the yellow jersey for 2 days before crashing on day 3 and having to quit the race
Because of all the crashes and injuries in Ireland the race organisers decided to cut the number of teams for future races
Once the Tour moved back to France there was a series of doping scandals involving Police raids, team cars being stopped on motorways..........one team left the Tour and the riders went on strike for one day, riding that days stage slowly in procession and not racing
It has become known as 'Le Tour de Dopage'
The race was won by the greatest 'climber' of his generation, Marco Pantani, who subsequently committed suicide
No he never.
OK........it's not certain that he committed suicide
he died of acute cocaine poisoning after locking himself in a hotel room......
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/le-tour-cambridge
I was in town the other day and the council is franticly trying to fill in all of the potholes in time. A big pile up due to a crater in the road would be very embarrassing.
Though entertaining.
I remember him........he was a bit of a monster and a nut case
He had massive legs like tree trunks.......:D
He was a sprinter and used to just get his head down and go like crazy in the race finish but without particularly paying much attention to the other 200 riders around him or looking where he was going.
He caused a lot of crashes........
All those beautiful hills in the Pennines and the Dales and they choose Wincobank.
Madness, sheer madness
Yes, he was a bit of a nutter, used to like watching him and Mario Cipollini often contesting the sprints. Cipollini was a bit of a character too of course, always getting fined for wearing a jersey he wasn't supposed to. He didn't care, he just wanted to look stylish. :cool:
They couldn't go to the Pennines as it's close to the Derbyshire County line, lol. Nothing wrong with Wincobank, lovely views of the M1, Meadowhall and the Steel Works...
Wincobank is only in for one reason, Jenkin Rd, one last big hill before the decent and the sprint finish.