Pubs along the route of the Tour de France Grand Depart showed their support for Team Sky, donning the black and blue colours of Chris Froome and his teammates.
Once in a lifetime opportunity
Sky supplied a selection of pubs across all three stages of the Tour with bunting, banners and branding in the build-up (pictured above) and throughout the three days that the peloton sped through the English countryside, to help them make the most of this once in a lifetime occasion. More than 3.5 million spectators lined the streets of the opening three stages, offering pubs en route a great opportunity to draw in the crowds.
While the cyclists pass through each location in a blink of an eye, coverage of each stage lasts all afternoon, so locals packed into the pubs en route to watch the build-up and continue the excitement right through to the final sprint.
Team Sky’s Chris Froome said: “The crowds out there were incredible. Going up Holme Moss [Yorkshire] I had goose bumps all over. The support we’ve had from Yorkshire has just been out of this world.”
Participating “Team Sky” pubs gave out flags, goodies and lollipops to turn tongues blue. Throughout the 21 stages of the Tour, Team Sky used the hashtag #TourFever to encourage everyone get behind the home team.
David Holmes, landlord at The Board Inn, Knaresborough on the Stage 1 route and pictured below with his ‘team’, said: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! We were kitted out for the event, with Team Sky flags, bunting and merchandise. On the day, we had a street side BBQ and outdoor bar for those watching outside. In the build-up, we had our TVs tuned into British Eurosport so customers could watch the race as it headed our way.”