27 People Who Made Le Tour Yorkshire The Greatest Show On Earth

Two and a half million people -- literally half of Yorkshire -- turned out this weekend to see the Tour De France come to God's Own County. It was a mesmerising couple of days for the county, with Tour bosses and participants alike describing the kind of fanaticism they had never seen for the race in their long cycling careers. Yorkshire went full pelt in the way only Yorkshire folk can, and here are some of those who made it the greatest show on Earth...

1. The Yorkshire folk

The whole county gave the race a warm welcome.

2. The translators

The Yorkshire lingo is a tricky one for beginners.

3. West Yorkshire Police

They looked after the Gendarmerie and gave them a convoy into Leeds.

4. The Black Prince

He may not have got on all that well with the French, but he seemed happy to let bygones be bygones, donning a fetching yellow jersey in Leeds.

5. Harold Wilson

This statue in Huddersfield of the Yorkshire-born PM was adorned with his very own baguette.

6. The sheep

Even the animals were enjoying the festivities.

7. David Cameron

Via facebook.com

He joined locals in Wetherby before the race to bask in Yorkshire's glory -- and stopped for a selfie.

8. Geoff Boycott

But the Yorkshire cricketing legend didn't stop for a prime ministerial selfie.

9. The Red Arrows

The only sight more divine than the Yorkshire landscape is the Yorkshire landscape with the Red Arrows in formation above.

10. Prince Harry

The ginger prince made this lass's day, joining Wills and Kate at the official send-off at Harewood House.

11. Three

The mobile phone company rebranded its Leeds store for the Tour.

12. Yorkshire Tea

The world's best tea went French too.

13. God

Yorkshire had some glorious weather sent down from the heavens this weekend. What else would you expect in God's Own County?

14. Gary Verity

The chief exec of Welcome To Yorkshire was the one man credited with bringing the Tour to Yorkshire more than anyone else. #KnighthoodForGary...?

15. Alberto Contador

The best photobomb in cycling history?

16. Mark Cavendish

The British hopeful had his Tour cut short in a nasty crash by the Stage 1 finish line in Harrogate. Especially painful for the Leeds United fan in front of his Yorkshire-born mum.

17. These little Francophiles

18. This northern monkey

19. These two

20. All our Tour Makers

21. This little lady following the news

22. This policeman acquainting himself with the locals.

French kiss...?

23. And this chap making the most of the sunny weather

24. All these people in Skipton

25. And all this lot on the moors

26. The hundreds of thousands who flocked to Leeds

27. The mass of humanity cheering on the riders at every turn

So give yourself a pat on the back, Yorkshire!

And we'll keep 2022 free if FIFA needs a new World Cup venue...