It's been an incredible last few months reporting on the build up
to the biggest annual sporting event in the world coming to Yorkshire. Now I've
experienced what it's like to report on the Tour de France across the channel -
as well as covering Stages 1 and 2 in Leeds and Sheffield I went to the
Pyrenees and Paris to watch and report on five stages.
What struck me was the passion for the race in France both in
smaller communities that it ran through like Saint-Lary-Soulan to cities like Pau that hosted
the start of Stage 18. The French may not all be committed fans of the sport of
cycling, but they are proud to host the Tour de France - and I've never seen
grown men so enthusiastic about collecting freebies than when the Caravane
whizzes past with sweets and salami thrown into the crowds!
With my press pass giving me access behind the scenes, I spoke to some
of the key players in the race before and after the stages. This included a
feisty interview with Sir Dave Brailsford about disparaging comments from
another (very different) knight of the realm, Sir Bradley Wiggins. This made it
onto BBC 5 Live – once I'd found 3G signal to send it back to the UK! I also
reported on the finish line in Paris, speaking to the race director Christian
Prudhomme for BBC Radio Sheffield and provided interviews for the BBC 5 Live Tour
de France podcast with Team Sky's Geraint Thomas and the sprinting sensation Marcel Kittel.
I’ve blogged about reporting on the day the race came to Sheffield
so here are my highlights of covering the Tour out in France...
As Christian Prudhomme told me, the good news is that the Grand Départ will be returning to the UK in the near future. That’s
thanks to the enthusiasm shown for the race here in Yorkshire. My enduring
memory of covering the Tour will be the huge crowds that turned out for the
“grandest Grand Depart” (as Prudhomme likes to say!). I was so proud to be an
honorary Sheffielder when the race came here. It seemed like everyone had ventured out to be on the route as the race passed by – from Bradfield to Oughtibridge, Pitsmoor to Wincobank – bringing huge amounts of enthusiasm, noise and colour. It was a truly special day when the city
was united as one behind the most captivating sporting event.
Here are a couple of 6
second video recordings I made on the Vine mobile app. Click on the audio icon at the
top left of the videos to turn the sound on.
The finish of Stage 18 at the Pyrenean mountain, Hautacam
The riders completing a lap of the Champs-Elysées in Paris just before the end of the Tour
There's a lot to learn about the Tour de France - the team tactics, how the riders win the 4 different jerseys and the names of the 198 riders etc!
BBC 5 Live Tour de France Podcast. Commentator Rob Hatch and former rider Rob Hayles look back at the day's action including interview clips with some of the riders after the stage. At around 10 minutes it's 
The Telegraph Cycling Podcast. Journalists Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe go into some depth reacting to the day's stage. The podcast lasts for around 30-40 minutes so is far longer than the other two but deeper analysis on the day's racing. They also include extended interviews with some of the big names in cycling including UCI (governing body) President Brian Cookson and Team Sky Principal Sir Dave Brailsford. It's a podcast for people who already have a good understanding of what's going on at the Tour de France.
I've been busy covering lots of cycling stories in the run up to the Tour de France starting in Yorkshire.
