# Why are we pretending to be French?



## Oldfentiger (3 May 2018)

There may be a good reason, and if there is I’m ready to be educated.

Why Tour de Yorkshire and not Tour of Yorkshire?
Why Tete de la course and not Front of the race?
Cote de Lofthouse sounds ridiculous to me.
Etc. Etc.

The Spanish retain their own language, as do the Dutch for example.

The race is in England FFS!!!!


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## cisamcgu (3 May 2018)

I agree about Tour de Yorkshire, but "Tete de la course" is by far the best phrase, along with "General Classymont", that your hear on Eurosport - I never want them to change


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## Sharky (3 May 2018)

Le Jog


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## I like Skol (3 May 2018)

Because 'Some lads ridin't'bikes around't'hills reet fast' doesn't quite sound the same.....


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## Oldfentiger (3 May 2018)

User3094 said:


> So what, get over it.



It won’t spoil my life, so don’t worry about me


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## ColinJ (3 May 2018)

Oldfentiger said:


> Why Tour de Yorkshire and not Tour of Yorkshire?


Pourquoi pas?


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## Tin Pot (3 May 2018)

The sport of road cycling has huge French history around the Tour de France, using French both keeps in keeping with the norms of the sport and leveraged the TdF popularity to promote the sport in Britain.

Nothing wrong with it at all.


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## DCLane (3 May 2018)

The Tour de Yorkshire is organised by the same people as the Tour de France. Who are French.

Oh, and it makes our local destinations seem more attractive in doing so.


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## I like Skol (3 May 2018)

DCLane said:


> Oh, and it makes our local destinations seem more attractive in doing so.


Ay, Le Upperthong! I was going to google some images so people could see what it was like, but thought better of it!


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## alicat (3 May 2018)

^^^ wot @DCLane said. And it makes the race seem more exotic. As a Yorkshirewoman I am allowed to say that.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (3 May 2018)

It's just a word play on the name.

My commute takes me through Hood Green, where I'm glad to say the fastest set of road works in history have been completed. Dug the road up and had it finished within two days where it usually takes 3 weeks.
It's also good that a really shitty set of roads have had their potholes filled.

The police rehearsed the road closures yesterday leaving several Facepalm users foaming at the mouth at the 2 minute delays - Demands for more criminal catching and being late for somesuch woes abounded. Just wish I had the day off to see it again.


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## ColinJ (3 May 2018)

I like Skol said:


> Ay, Le Upperthong! I was going to google some images so people could see what it was like, but thought better of it!


In my case these days, more likely to be _Netherthong_!


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## Shut Up Legs (3 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> In my case these days, more likely to be _Netherthong_!


There's something fundamentally wrong with that name...


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## ColinJ (3 May 2018)

Shut Up Legs said:


> There's something fundamentally wrong with that name...


I thought that the first time I cycled through nearby Upperthong! 







Friend: What have you done today?

ColinJ: I went t' Upperthong.

It just sounds so, er ... _rude! _


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## Nigel-YZ1 (3 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I thought that the first time I cycled through nearby Upperthong!
> 
> View attachment 407167
> 
> ...



The turn at the base of Thurgoland Bank is called Cheese Bottom.

BTW some great art has been painted on the field beside the hill again.


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## smutchin (3 May 2018)

User3094 said:


> Isn't the Tour de Yorkshire a legacy of the success of the Tour de France being in Yorkshire?



Indeed. What's more, the TV coverage of the Tour de France is supplied by the organisers - every broadcaster gets fed the same pictures. So that's why you get French captions regardless of which country they're riding through at the time - they also give French names to the Italian and Spanish cols.



DCLane said:


> The Tour de Yorkshire is organised by the same people as the Tour de France. Who are French.



This is also true. I spoke to a _grand fromage_ from ASO about this once and he said they're very keen to bring a bit of Tour de France glamour to the event, so they really play up the association for all it's worth. I quite like it - it's a bit of fun rather than pretentiousness.

ASO also have connections with Human Race who run the TdY sportive, so you'll see a lot of the same at other Human Race events as well (the Dragon Ride being rebranded as L'Etape Wales, for example).


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## Lozz360 (3 May 2018)

Why does a water bottle become a bidon when it is attached to a bike? The French appear to claim ownership over the sport of road cycling. We (Brits) have similar claims over other sports, like AC Milan are not called AC Milano.


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## Venod (3 May 2018)

It will always be Tour of Yorkshire for me and any Cote's are hung up in't wardrobe.


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## Gary E (3 May 2018)

One word - Chapeau


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## mjr (3 May 2018)

Afnug said:


> It will always be Tour of Yorkshire for me and any Cote's are hung up in't wardrobe.


That must be awkward for putting the baby in!  (It's a short ô - audio on https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/côte )

Edit: just heard the commentators on itv4 saying coat. Hmmm. David Millar is a francophile so now I'm doubting myself.


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## mjr (3 May 2018)

Gary E said:


> One word - Chapeau


Boulting and Rendell used to say "hat!" in some of their podcasts, I think. Which was nice.


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## I like Skol (3 May 2018)

Next time I'm out on the bike I'll ask my domestique......


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## MiK1138 (3 May 2018)

[QUOTE 5232357, member: 259"]It's just that French has got a certain genessay kwah.[/QUOTE]
He's my favourite for this years race #Go Gennesay


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## derrick (3 May 2018)

Oldfentiger said:


> There may be a good reason, and if there is I’m ready to be educated.
> 
> Why Tour de Yorkshire and not Tour of Yorkshire?
> Why Tete de la course and not Front of the race?
> ...


The French ain't got a lot going for them, let them have it.


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## ColinJ (3 May 2018)

Well, I am off to watch the Tour DE Yorkshire for the next 3 days then - I would rather _not _get soaked!


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## Dayvo (3 May 2018)

'Why are we pretending to be French?'
_
Qui, moi!? 





_


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## Venod (3 May 2018)

mjr said:


> That must be awkward for putting the baby in!  (It's a short ô



Its pronounced coit as

Al get mi coit on, its nithering out.


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## smutchin (3 May 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> It's all about the message that is conveyed.
> 
> Tour de Yorkshire = An international event. Visitors flock to watch. A carnival atmosphere prevails. It doesn't rain all that much.
> Tour of Yorkshire = It's pissing down. Two old blokes in anoraks stand at the roadside glaring resentfully at foreigners on bicycles.



A chap I know organised a ride recently which he called the Ronde van East Kent. Apart from sounding vaguely preposterous, calling a bike ride Ronde van [Whatever] conjures up certain associations, but as it turned out, there were no cobbled sections, hardly any climbs (let alone 25% knee-busters), and the day of the ride was gloriously sunny... What a let down!


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## DCLane (3 May 2018)

My son's club organises the Ronde van Calderdale, which tries to take in all the most awful cobbled climbs it can find in West Yorkshire.

Calling it "hard ride up t'cobbles" wouldn't go down as well.


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## I like Skol (3 May 2018)

DCLane said:


> My son's club organises the Ronde van Calderdale, which tries to take in all the most awful cobbled climbs it can find in West Yorkshire.
> 
> Calling it "hard ride up t'cobbles" wouldn't go down as well.


Oh, I don't know, it has a ring to it. Where do I sign up.....


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## Nigel-YZ1 (3 May 2018)

I'm just hoping it doesn't get hijacked and rerouted by foreigners (ie anyone outside Yorkshire).


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## smutchin (3 May 2018)

DCLane said:


> My son's club organises the Ronde van Calderdale, which tries to take in all the most awful cobbled climbs it can find in West Yorkshire.
> 
> Calling it "hard ride up t'cobbles" wouldn't go down as well.



That ride lives up to the name though - some of the cobbled climbs round Halifax are truly vicious!


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## Lozz360 (3 May 2018)

[QUOTE 5232357, member: 259"]It's just that French has got a certain genessay kwah.[/QUOTE]
Or
je ne sais quoi as we say in the Cote de Oxford.


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## Tin Pot (3 May 2018)

DCLane said:


> The Tour de Yorkshire is organised by the same people as the Tour de France. Who are French.



Gah! Did brexit mean nothing? Rant, rant, rant, etc!


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## ColinJ (3 May 2018)

Lozz360 said:


> Or
> je ne sais quoi as we say in the Cote de Oxford.


Aaargh - look at the hiatus on that - _d'Oxford_, if you don't mind!


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## mjr (3 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Aaargh - look at the hiatus on that - _d'Oxford_, if you don't mind!


But Oxford doesn't respect French language rules


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## Brandane (3 May 2018)

I always wondered why this site is not called "Bicycle Cat" instead of it's pretentious French title.


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## gavroche (3 May 2018)

I don't pretend to be French, I AM French.


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## Fonze (3 May 2018)

Sod this , I'm off to Le Cafe ..


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## User33236 (3 May 2018)

Following the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow there’s a hill now known as Cote de Montrose in the city centre 

But the you still have Cote de Buttertubs in Yorkshire which must be among my favourite climb names.


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## Richard A Thackeray (3 May 2018)

Nigel-YZ1 said:


> The police rehearsed the road closures yesterday leaving several Facepalm users foaming at the mouth at the 2 minute delays - Demands for more criminal catching and being late for somesuch woes abounded. Just wish I had the day off to see it again.




No doubt complaints about Officers eating too?


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## Fab Foodie (3 May 2018)

gavroche said:


> I don't pretend to be French, I AM French.


Quelle domage....


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## NorthernDave (3 May 2018)

Comme ci comme ca



Nigel-YZ1 said:


> I'm just hoping it doesn't get hijacked and rerouted by foreigners (ie anyone outside Yorkshire).



Aye, one day they might have the Grand Départ in Lancashire...


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## ColinJ (3 May 2018)

User33236 said:


> But the you still have Cote de Buttertubs in Yorkshire which must be among my favourite climb names.


The French have pissoirs, but in Yorkshire we have Buttertubs ...

The thing is, it is pretty hard to kill yourself by peeing into a pissoir, whereas peeing into Buttertubs ....


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## NorthernDave (3 May 2018)

ColinJ said:


> The French have pissoirs, but in Yorkshire we have Buttertubs ...



Actually, there is a pissoir at Glasshougton...


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## BalkanExpress (3 May 2018)

smutchin said:


> A chap I know organised a ride recently which he called the Ronde van East Kent. Apart from sounding vaguely preposterous, calling a bike ride Ronde van [Whatever] conjures up certain associations, but as it turned out, there were no cobbled sections, hardly any climbs (let alone 25% knee-busters), and the day of the ride was gloriously sunny... What a let down!



Was there beer and chips? If so, it was close enough


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## Tin Pot (3 May 2018)

gavroche said:


> I don't pretend to be French, I AM French.



Maia non, je suis France ~ Napoleon


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## mustang1 (4 May 2018)

Tour de Yellow Bracelet
Tour de Down the Pub
Tour de Down the A41


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## scotjimland (4 May 2018)

*WHY IS IT CALLED TOUR DE YORKSHIRE AND NOT TOUR OF YORKSHIRE*
The Tour de Yorkshire race is owned by the ASO, the Amaury Sports Organisation, a French company based in Paris. It therefore has a French name and some of the key climbs have been given a French name as a nod to the French origins of the race.


FAQs


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## Beebo (4 May 2018)

Tennis also has french words, duece, love, volley and racket are all based on french.


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## Welsh wheels (4 May 2018)

Peut-être que nous sentons que les français sont supérieurs


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## smutchin (4 May 2018)

BalkanExpress said:


> Was there beer and chips? If so, it was close enough



Fair point. There were quite a few pubs on the route so plenty of opportunity to imbibe. And it finished at a pub, where food was laid on - don't know if chips were involved though.

My earlier comment probably comes across as a bit harsh - I know a lot of sportive organisers are guilty of overselling their rides with hyperbole but in this case I think the choice of name was meant to be entirely tongue in cheek. It looked like a good day out and I'm sorry I missed it (I was ill on the day).


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## smutchin (4 May 2018)

[QUOTE 5232954, member: 259"]For some reason my ex boss always used to be annoyed when people thought he was French, so he deliberately used to pepper his speech with belgicismes to make his mark. "Allez, depuis tous ces changements je sais plus le faire"| [/QUOTE]

Was your ex-boss Jacques Brel?


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## scotjimland (4 May 2018)

53 French Words You Regularly Use in English
https://frenchtogether.com/french-words-in-english/


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## deptfordmarmoset (4 May 2018)

scotjimland said:


> 53 French Words You Regularly Use in English
> https://frenchtogether.com/french-words-in-english/


True, you can't make an omelette without breaking into French.


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## smutchin (4 May 2018)

I think the French have a much bigger problem with adopted English words than we have with adopted French words.


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## Illaveago (4 May 2018)

Gud moaning !


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## I like Skol (4 May 2018)

Illaveago said:


> Gud moaning !


At last.... Chapeau!


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## pawl (4 May 2018)

Oldfentiger said:


> There may be a good reason, and if there is I’m ready to be educated.
> 
> Why Tour de Yorkshire and not Tour of Yorkshire?
> Why Tete de la course and not Front of the race?
> ...





Aye up lad all these Frenchy words will be banned when we leve the E u


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## Racing roadkill (4 May 2018)

Some of it is a nod to the French events, some of it is because it’s organised and run by the TdF people. Some of it is irritating B.S. where you can just imagine a lot of people who say “yeah” a lot, and refer to Hills as ‘cols’ and refer to “exploring your pain cave” and then probably say “yeah” again, getting all tumescent over it.


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## themosquitoking (5 May 2018)

Racing roadkill said:


> “exploring your pain cave” .


For me, this was very much a once and never again moment.


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## Alex H (5 May 2018)

Welsh wheels said:


> Peut-être que nous sentons que les français sont supérieurs



Well, they certainly think that they are


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## woodbutcher (5 May 2018)

And when the English are given a chance to name a race you get "The Milk race" ....l can hardly contain my excitement


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## Ian H (5 May 2018)

Nobody has mentioned that there might be a soupçon of humour involved...

...But there again, it is Yorkshire.


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## deptfordmarmoset (5 May 2018)

Ian H said:


> Nobody has mention that there might be a soupçon of humour involved...
> 
> ...But there again, it is Yorkshire.


The way Verrity says ''Grand Départ'' mixes a pure Yorkshire grand with a French départ. There's a more than a big soupspoon of playing with the accents there.


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