Ah, Yorkshire, God’s Own County. This beautiful corner of Britain, famed for everything from sweets and tea to rhubarb, is a cyclist’s dream. But we’ve found seven lesser known cycling facts there just that little bit more interesting…
1. 1st August every year is Yorkshire Day, a celebration of everything Yorkshire. Activities take place across the county, with everything from costume parades to afternoon tea and cake while being serenaded by a traditional band adding a little sparkle to your day.
2. The Rhubarb Triangle, an area between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell, once produced 90% of the world’s forced winter rhubarb. Grown in the dark, it grows so quickly you can actually hear it pop and squeak!
3. The inspirational Beryl Burton from Morley was World Cycling Champion seven times and in 1967 even completed 277 miles in the men’s 12 hour time trial, a record that is still unbeaten.
4. Every Easter Monday is the World Coal Carrying Championship, where men must run one mile with a hundred weight sack of coal. The ideal weight of the winner is said to be 10st 7 and are often window cleaners, farmers and builders.
5. According to the Royal Society for Chemical Sciences, if your Yorkshire pudding isn’t at least four inches tall, it’s not a Yorkshire pudding.
6. Claimed to be the most haunted county, Yorkshire even has a ghost goose which is said to haunt a churchyard in Melsonby, following travellers as they pass though before disappearing through a gate.
7. A county of athletes, Yorkshire would have finished 12th at the 2012 Olympics if it were an independent country, picking up an impressive seven Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals.
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