Why are we pretending to be French?

[smutchin]

Isn't the Tour de Yorkshire a legacy of the success of the Tour de France being in Yorkshire?

Indeed. What's more, the TV coverage of the Tour de France is supplied by the organisers - every broadcaster gets fed the same pictures. So that's why you get French captions regardless of which country they're riding through at the time - they also give French names to the Italian and Spanish cols.

The Tour de Yorkshire is organised by the same people as the Tour de France. Who are French.

This is also true. I spoke to a grand fromage from ASO about this once and he said they're very keen to bring a bit of Tour de France glamour to the event, so they really play up the association for all it's worth. I quite like it - it's a bit of fun rather than pretentiousness.

ASO also have connections with Human Race who run the TdY sportive, so you'll see a lot of the same at other Human Race events as well (the Dragon Ride being rebranded as L'Etape Wales, for example).

 

[Lozz360]

Why does a water bottle become a bidon when it is attached to a bike? The French appear to claim ownership over the sport of road cycling. We (Brits) have similar claims over other sports, like AC Milan are not called AC Milano.

 

[Venod]

It will always be Tour of Yorkshire for me and any Cote's are hung up in't wardrobe.

 

[Gary E]

One word - Chapeau

 

[mjr]

It will always be Tour of Yorkshire for me and any Cote's are hung up in't wardrobe.

That must be awkward for putting the baby in! (It's a short ô - audio on https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/côte )

Edit: just heard the commentators on itv4 saying coat. Hmmm. David Millar is a francophile so now I'm doubting myself.

 

[mjr]

One word - Chapeau

Boulting and Rendell used to say "hat!" in some of their podcasts, I think. Which was nice.

 

[I like Skol]

Next time I'm out on the bike I'll ask my domestique......

 

[MiK1138]

[QUOTE 5232357, member: 259"]It's just that French has got a certain genessay kwah.[/QUOTE]
He's my favourite for this years race #Go Gennesay

 

[derrick]

There may be a good reason, and if there is I’m ready to be educated.

Why Tour de Yorkshire and not Tour of Yorkshire?
Why Tete de la course and not Front of the race?
Cote de Lofthouse sounds ridiculous to me.
Etc. Etc.

The Spanish retain their own language, as do the Dutch for example.

The race is in England FFS!!!!

The French ain't got a lot going for them, let them have it.

 

[ColinJ]

Well, I am off to watch the Tour DE Yorkshire for the next 3 days then - I would rather not get soaked!

 

[Dayvo]

'Why are we pretending to be French?'

Qui, moi!?

 

[Venod]

That must be awkward for putting the baby in! (It's a short ô

Its pronounced coit as

Al get mi coit on, its nithering out.

 

[smutchin]

It's all about the message that is conveyed.

Tour de Yorkshire = An international event. Visitors flock to watch. A carnival atmosphere prevails. It doesn't rain all that much.
Tour of Yorkshire = It's pissing down. Two old blokes in anoraks stand at the roadside glaring resentfully at foreigners on bicycles.

A chap I know organised a ride recently which he called the Ronde van East Kent. Apart from sounding vaguely preposterous, calling a bike ride Ronde van [Whatever] conjures up certain associations, but as it turned out, there were no cobbled sections, hardly any climbs (let alone 25% knee-busters), and the day of the ride was gloriously sunny... What a let down!

 

[DCLane]

My son's club organises the Ronde van Calderdale, which tries to take in all the most awful cobbled climbs it can find in West Yorkshire.

Calling it "hard ride up t'cobbles" wouldn't go down as well.

 

[I like Skol]

My son's club organises the Ronde van Calderdale, which tries to take in all the most awful cobbled climbs it can find in West Yorkshire.

Calling it "hard ride up t'cobbles" wouldn't go down as well.

Oh, I don't know, it has a ring to it. Where do I sign up.....