Now I’ve not rung church bells for the Tour of Britain yet, but I have rung handbells, hooted horns and taken my portable speaker to get the crowd going. Here’s a snippet from 2024, 2023 and 2021 in that order.
2024 – fog and rain at the start in Sheffield led to an atmospheric stage up some steep climbs. I rode up Ringinglow to one of my favourites climbs (Roper Hill) which the Tour carefully descended early in the stage. I then went to the village of my childhood, Hoylandswaine, for a Frozen Mooghurt from Hills Dairy before cheering the riders past one of Hills cow troughs. Great atmosphere at both places.
2023 – a drier day in North Yorkshire. I took my Mum along. She came to most stages of the Tour de Yorkshire with me and always likes a good day out at a bike race. We find a nice village or town, a nice cafe, meet some nice folk and immerse ourselves in the community events. This day we stopped for coffee in Great Ayton and who should be in the cafe but the Tour de France Beefeaters!! They were getting ready to host their usual TdF disco on a suitable bend (a Beefeater bend) for the ToB this time round. First time we’d met but we certainly knew of each other!! Mum and I then had lunch at The Witching Post in Egton. The King of the Mountains line was at the edge of the village, near a good ripe blackberry bush. Zoom and the race was past. We spent the rest of the day in Whitby, with a trip on a boat and a climb up to the church and abbey. Oh, and Whitby Bookshop kindly agreed to stock my book. Another good day was had by all.
2021 – I spent ages on google street view looking for a bit of road where I could get a zoom photo of the riders with Jodrell Bank behind them. Not to be. And it was raining. Anyway me and Mum drove over Bakestonedale Road, found a fabulous coffee grinder cafe and then got lost with a non google based satnav. In and out of Congleton we went. In and out, trying to get to the church and pub in Astbury. On about the fifth time round we ground to a halt – the road was closed for a bike race a mile ahead. Yes the bike race we were here to see. So, instead, we listened to the TV helicopter whirring in the distance. In the end the pub meal was excellent and it would have been an idyllic photo of the riders passing Astbury church. The photo of the traffic jam will have to do instead. Must try harder. Subsequent to this I now consistently use Auto Android as satnav and tend to get there now.
bells and bikes 