On Your Mark!

Bikes, bikes, and more bikes!!!

Another way North Yorkshire decorated for Le Tour is by spray-painting a junk bike (usually yellow, but sometimes in the other jersey colors), and strapping them onto their business, home, tree, what have you. 

Typical Tour de France decor

Here's a random bike across a river in Knarsburough. Please note: the bikers didn't come by here, it's just the home-owner's way of feeling involved and showing their spirit. So many bikes were used as decoration, I honestly don't know where they all came from! 

Bike over the river

A bike and bunting on a village square pub.

Bike and bunting near Blind Jack's pub

A tiny bike next to a tiny, yet decorated, shop window. (And next to a second floor half-door that opens onto air?)

Wee yellow bike and Le Tour window display

Even churches got into the spirit! 

Bike on a church wall

And pubs well out into the countryside.

Bike on The Welly wall

Here's a tiny King-of-the-Mountain bike on a village pharmacy wall. 

King of the Mountain bike decor

And right next door a rather whimsical flower-power bike. 

Pedal Power bike display 

The oldest sweet shoppe in England displayed an old-timey penny farthing bike. Note the garlic and baguette on the bike to honor the French :-)

Sweet shoppe penny farthing bike

Another bike in a village centre.

Village centre bike

More wee bikes.

Another King of the Mountain bike

Leader in points and yellow jersey bikes

Look! Up in the tree! In the graveyard! Yet another bike!!

Bike and bunting in a graveyard tree

And when a shop doesn't have much display space, they still make it happen! 

Sideways bike in the dales

Thankfully, the closer we got to the actual event, the less windging was heard. As you will see in my future posts (or have already seen if you are my Facebook friend), North Yorkshire put on one heck of a Grand Départ and a good time was had by all!!!