We’re counting down the days until the Tour de Yorkshire 2019 arrives in Halifax to begin the final leg of the race.
There’s lots happening at The Piece Hall – where Stage 4 will set off from – with many family-friendly events running through the day.
But if you’d like to whip up some excitement before Sunday, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
Brilliant bunting
A great group activity! Cut out triangles on blue and yellow coloured paper/card/fabric for a quick and effective look, or make shapes to colour in if you have more time. You could choose from jerseys, bicycles or letters and the kids can colour them in. Attach to string and hang up!
Tour-themed baking
whip up some cupcakes with blue and yellow frosting (or even colour the cake batter), cookies shaped with a bicycle cutter or gingerbread men decorated them Tour de Yorkshire jerseys. For an easy one, push large white marshmallows onto lollipop sticks then dip into blue and yellow icing and top with sprinkles. If you are handy with sugarcraft, you could make icing cyclists on a cake depicting the gorgeous Calderdale scenery.
Design your own T-shirts
Buy some cheap, plain white T-shirts, then as a family, colour your own Tour de Yorkshire designs. You could depict words of encouragement for the cyclist, or make your own Tour de Yorkshire jerseys. The official cycling jerseys are:
Fun with food!
For a fun lunch or tea, cut up some food and let the kids use them to design bikes. They could make them on open sandwiches or pizzas! Ideas include sliced tomatoes or cucumbers for wheel and chips, pieces of pepper, spring onions or anything else that is straight for the frame.
Create Land Art
If you own land big enough to create art on, or know someone who will let you do it on theirs, land art is a spectacular way to welcome the Tour! And, you can enter the annual Tour de Yorkshire land art competition!
You can be as creative as you like and if you let organisers know beforehand, they can alert the live television helicopters to look out for it and beam it to their global audience!
All works are welcomed, from a church spire draped in a jersey, a field displaying a mammoth bicycle, or a market square spelling out a message of support.
Paint some rocks!
Calderdale Rocks will be getting into the spirit of things and hiding/finding rocks on race day. You could make Tour-themed rocks then hide them throughout Calderdale with the hash tag #Calderdalerocks. You might even find some yourself! Obviously, no rocks should be on the track or near the cyclists. If you haven’t heard of this phenomenon, read about it here.
Cycle your own ‘Tour’
Not for Sunday as the roads will be busy, but you could do this before or after. Choose a part of the route (that everyone in the family can handle – or make your own route) and cycle it with the kids. Buy some plastic medals (or make your own from cardboard and ribbon or string) and even a special jersey for the winner!
Party at Home!
Photo: Catchmyparty.com
If you’re staying at home for the race, invite friends and family over and throw a Tour de Yorkshire party. Yellow and blue paper plates and cups are easy to get hold of, and you can add balloons and bunting. You could serve Yorkshire-themed food and drink and watch the race on TV. To keep the kids busy, draw a jersey and make several copies, then invite the children to add their own designs, with a prize for the winner.
Make a Mask of Your Favourite Cyclist!
An easy craft for the kids. Either print out large pictures of the cyclists’ faces and glue onto card, or draw your own interpretation of them onto a paper plate. Make a small hole in each side and add elastic to keep the mask on your face, or glue/tape the mask onto a lolly stick.
