Le Grand Depart - Stage 2

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Once upon a time, the most famous cycle race in the world came to a small town in Yorkshire. They raced up the cobbled High Street. The Bronte sisters - Haworth's most famous former residents - couldn't have written the script better. The parking script couldn't have been better for us either. The woes of public trasnport the previous day had clearly caused a move towards the car, but at 9 o'clock - some 4 hours before the race was due through - it was easy to get right into town.

The cobbles of the High Street would be destined to become one of the iconic photos of the race, but they were surprisingly empty. The talk yesterday had suggested that there would be a mass covergence on the town, but there had clearly been a rethink with press coverage tempting the crowds with the long climb at Holme Moss. We secured a spot by a bookshop, having made sure it would stay closed. A family from Keighley roled up next to us, possibly attracted by proximity of the Fleece Inn opposite. The bar was already open and they indulged from the word go. It could be a long morning. A family arrived from Aberdeen on the other side of us.

It was difficult to believe that the Caravan would all be allowed to pass through. The giant Robinsons bottles for one would dismantle the bunting across the road and would probably struggle with road width near the turn for the Bronte Parsonage at the top of the hill. The main Caravan did head up the hill, but at a cinsiderable slower speed than it had raced through in Ilkley. The freebies were less copious this morning and the crowds proximity to the vehicles clearly made some of the drivers a bit more cautious. The team back up cars slowed to a halt as the congestion increased, allowing some to reach out and touch the spare bikes - at £15,000 each allegedly, each car had some stock on board. The Sky Jags were the most impressive - sleek in their black livery.

The crowd was not barriered in, as it had been in Ilkey and Harrogate. There was some obvious concern from the Police and security about stray people ending up being flattened by a support vehicle or a cyclist. As a number of cycle enthusiasts headed up riding the course, the potential recipe for disaster was demonstrated.

The weather stayed fine, so the riders would have the advantage of dry cobbles. There was talk of the crowds being restricted on the cobbled stretch, but the hordes turned up. The majority headed up towards the top of the hill. We stayed put. They did close the route from the Fan Park, so the numbers arriving eventually ceased. The commonsense prevailed as the race closed - most stepped back to the kerb edge. The beer had been flowing from the pub opposite and from supplies of cans, so there was still a frequent bout of activty as those in need nipped across the road to utilise the toilets.

We waited over 4 hours and it was all over in 10 minutes - but it was 10 minutes that will stay with us forever. If you'd said that to me about the effect of cycle race the weekend before, I wouldn't have believed you! Le Grand Depart Yorkshire. The French crowds will have a lot to do to compete in the next 3 weeks!

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Comments

[Chris Rodda]

Great day out
We should have gone!