Tour De France in Yorkshire

It was a lovely sunny day on Sunday as the cyclists rode past our house in Hebden Bridge on the way from York to Sheffield. The roads had been cleared and the 'caravan' of cars and trucks giving away small cycling gifts had gone by when suddenly... whoosh, the breakaway group sped by. Then, two minutes later the peleton. All over in a flash. 

Tour De France in Hebden Bridge

We went over the road to the park to watch the rest on the big screen. Everyone has been saying how wonderful it was but I'm not sure it was really the cycling that they enjoyed. After all the cyclists went by in about three minutes. I think they enjoyed each other! Everyone was out on the streets having a good time together instead of being stuck in their boxes (homes) watching TV.

Calder Holmes Park

There was something slightly surreal about watching the race on television then popping out of your house and being in it. Then going across the road to what seemed like a festival or a protest rally.

The day before I'd returned from a week leading for HF at Brecon. We had some excellent weather and I think the wide empty expanses of the Brecon Beacons made a packed Hebden Bridge even more of a contrast.

Bannau Sir Gaer and Llyn y Fan Fach