A couple of months ago, we found out our roles for the weekend and I couldn't believe it when I was told that I would be part of the dignitary management team. This would mean that I would be part of a close knit team of 15 volunteers at the finish in Harrogate who would get to look after a range of people from the Prime Minster, MP's, French mayors and even Mark Cavendish's family! Safe to say I was pretty over the moon!
As the day finally dawned, me and the parents had decided to go out for some breakfast in town and then go for a wander to soak up some of the early atmosphere, as I wasn't starting my volunteering until midday. However before any of that, I had my uniform to put on, which had been proudly hanging in my cupboard since I'd picked it up at my training day a couple of weeks before.
And as Mummy Warbs was a just a little bit proud, she couldn't resist snapping a photo of her very own Tour Maker before we left.
After breakfast we headed down to the town centre and it was amazing to experience the buzz that was already starting to build so early on in the day. Even though people had been camping out since 8am to get a good view of the finish, we were still able to get pretty close and see not only the finish line but also the presentation area, (never did I think I would be so close to these again, later on in the day!)
From here, I quickly headed home, managed to see the ceremonial start of the race from Leeds on TV and then made my way back into town to the Mercer Art Gallery for the start of my time as a Tour Maker.
When we arrived, we were briefed by our supervisors on what the days events would hold and then went off to do a bit of a dry run of the walk to the grandstand that we would have to carry out with all the guests a little later on. Once back at the gallery, it was action stations as the guests started to arrive and as I had been given the role of a chaperone later, I had time to relax a bit and talk to guests, fellow tour makers and enjoy the surroundings.
After an hour or so, everyone was then directed outside so that we could begin what would become the most stressful part of the day, shepherding almost 80 guests through the packed streets of Harrogate down to the grandstand at the finish line. It was definitely challenging but we got in to the swing of it quite quickly, with the tour makers spotting each other in our highly visible blue t shirts (we were very glad to be in them then!), so that we didn't get too split up. This also gave us more opportunity to talk with the guests, many of whom were asking about why we got involved and what the rest of the day was entailing.
Once we arrived safety at the stand and everyone was seated, we found out the most amazing news of the day, that as tour makers we would be able to stand on the roadside in front of the seats and watch the race with a clear view of the finish line and the presentation area! Never in my wildest dreams did I think when I signed up to volunteer, that I would get such a good view and be in the heart of the action and so we were all incredibly grateful.
All throughout the race I was only really paying attention to one man's progress, Mark Cavendish. The finish in Harrogate was going to be a sprint, and as Harrogate is his mum's home town and sprint's are his speciality, the hype had been massive around him for many months and he wanted to win it so badly, as it would also mean he would start day two of tour in the much desired yellow jersey of the race leader.
As the race continued and made it's way to the finish, the atmosphere built and built around us at the anticipation of what was to come and within the last 10km or so, the cheers around us were already starting. The buzz and noise as the riders made their way up the hill towards the finish was like nothing I'd ever experienced and for a while it looked like the dream for Cav was going to be a reality until he was involved in a nasty crash just metres from the finish. From such a high to such an almighty low, it really was quite a bitter sweet end to an amazing day as all the riders came right past us and eventually Cav managed to ride across the finish as well, to the most almighty roar from the crowd.
Once the drama of the finish was over, our attentions then turned to the medal presentation, which much to my delight saw the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, present the jerseys! It really did seem like Harrogate was full of dignitaries and VIP's to be part of a most special day.
After an action packed Saturday, and the disappointment that Cav wouldn't be starting the race in York, I wasn't quite sure what to expect on Sunday as we went out to try and see the race again as it made its way through the outskirts of Harrogate. However it was a very different but really nice atmosphere, where with the crowd only 1 to 2 deep in places, we had a really good view.
We even made a little friend who was sporting some adorable on trend bunting as a neckerchief!
By the time we arrived, the caravan of promotional cars and lorries had already passed, however it wasn't long until the team cars started to make their way towards us.
Before we knew it, we saw the TV helicopter on the horizon, so we knew they were close! And with that the peleton were upon us and with the most amazing stream of colour, the riders dashed past us.
It was even more exciting as Team Sky rode past but blink and you miss them!
And just like that it was all over! I was really glad that I managed to experience the race like this as it was so different to the hype of the finish in Harrogate.
Afterwards we decided to finish off the day at the Fan Park in the town centre, which was home to big screens so that we could see the race unfold as well plenty of food and drink to keep un entertained.
As the race drew to a close, we headed off home to catch the finish in Sheffield on the TV.
The whole weekend really was an amazing experience full of highs and lows and the atmosphere, whether I was at the finish or out on the route was just amazing and something that I won't forget for a really long time. I was so glad that I had signed up, those many months ago (almost two years in fact!) to volunteer as I had such an brilliant time and go to see the event from a whole other perspective.
Christian Prudhomme the Director of Le Tour de France summed it up perfectly by saying it was the grandest grand depart ever! After all the hype, it really was as amazing as everyone said it would be and one things for sure, it made me incredibly proud to be from Yorkshire and to see it showcased on the world stage.