Team Grumpy visits the Tour de France in Yorkshire

Well one of the Team Grumpy riders, anyway! We walked over from Yeadon and down East Chevin to Otley. We got there about half an hour before the publicity caravan was due to arrive, and found the town was completely full. We located a standing spot on the steps of a shop and awaited events to unfold. The crowd was very good natured, and cheered mightily as each element of the Tour passed by. Particularly loud cheers seemed to be reserved for anything with a Sky logo, and for the British police motorcycles. We didn't manage to grab any of the goodies being chucked out from the caravan (I just get Haribo when I order from Wiggle!). The publicity caravan took ages to come by, then we had a bit of a wait before the race proper came by. The sun had come out, and the other side of the street was bathed in sunshine. On our side, we were still in shade, and blasted by a stiff (and rather cold) breeze. The riders came through only a few miles after the finish of the neutralised section in Harewood, but nontheless, there was a break with Jens Voigt (riding his 17th and final TdF) and two others. After all the riders were through, we filed back up the Chevin via the Cat Steps and back to Yeadon, pausing for an ice cream while we enjoyed the view from the top of the Chevin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz_uFw4Zqqo Of course, the big news of the day was the crash in the finishing sprint in Harrogate. Here's a video from a spectator which gives a real feel for the speed at which these events unfold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B96ldgjS_kw