n the 5th and 6th July 2014, the World’s Greatest Cycle Race came to Yorkshire where an estimated 2.5m people lined the route to cheer 198 riders as they took on the two stages through some of Yorkshire’s most famous sights and landmarks.
Here the team at HMA share some of their most memorable highlights from what was described by Tour de France Race Director Christian Prudhomme as the ‘Grandest’ of Grand Departs in its 111-year history.
Live tweeting at Wellington Place
HMA client; Wellington Place in Leeds, owned by British commercial property company MEPC, was host to the Media Centre for the Tour de France, for which 2,000 journalists arrived on Thursday and Friday.
As well as supporting MEPC by live tweeting the events happening within the Media Centre, HMA’s Social Media Manager Joyce Cowles got to live tweet the MEPC, ASO, Sky and Welcome to Yorkshire’s Tour de France Lunch on Friday, which included the Tour de France Race Director Christiane Prudhomme, Welcome to Yorkshire’s Gary Verity – as well as lots of former Tour de France winners and this year’s hopefuls!
Highlights of the day included meeting Chris Froome and seeing the Jerseys!
HMA photo competition
To celebrate the race coming to Barnsley, we invited cycling enthusiasts to share their photos to be in with a chance of winning a £100 prize of cycling goodies. Thank you to everyone who took part, we received some fantastic entries! However, there could only be one winner and we’re delighted to announce that Jennyruth Workshops won the competition with their entry of four large wooden jerseys and a wooden bicycle which were handmade and placed on the roundabout at Boroughbridge. The judges felt that this entry really captured the spirit of the Yorkshire Tour de France feeling!
Jennyruth Workshops is a registered charity and a social enterprise based in Ripon, North Yorkshire which provides a productive workshop for adults with learning disabilities who gain work and life skills and a sense of pride from making and selling a wide range of everyday products.
Stage two of the Grand Depart
On Sunday 6th July, several of the HMA team got up at the crack of dawn to take their spots by the side of the road and witness ‘Yellow Fever’ sweep through Yorkshire as the riders raced 201km from York to Sheffield in glorious sunshine.
It’s been a week since the Grand Depart but the excitement of the day, not just of the race itself, but also the atmosphere and community spirit will live long in everyone’s memories.
Were you gripped by ‘Yellow Fever’? We’d love to hear your thoughts.