Friday 5 February 2016

A bit of cycling poetry

I missed Burns Night, which was over a week ago but I guess it does no harm to have a bit of poetry at other times of the year.

I don't see many cycling poems around, but I as prompted to look up a bit of verse when I saw Murray Lachlan Young on the television during The Wright Stuff - a daytime show which has become my vice (along with Celebrity Big Brother) during my extended absence from work.

This guy's a bit of a rock'n'roll poet so I didn't think he'd be that interested in cycling. In fact he wrote something on the occasion of the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire in 2014.

It's not exactly Wordsworth, but I am just impressed that he wrote a poem on this subject at all!

Tour de France

Murray Lachlan Young 03/07/014

Through Aysgarth, Masham, Middleham
Through Otley, Ilkley, Skipton, Reeth
Through Mont Noir, Paris and Carcasson
Via butter tubs o'er lofty peak


The whirr of ten times forty wheels
A carb-fuelled, quad pumped, flying wedge
A jockeying of shifting deals
All balanced on a razors edge


A haw-hee-haw, ah ha, ha, ha!
Le Yorkshire tea au lait, pour moi?
Regarde vous , je ne cest qoui
Le Yorkshire 'Pud' No! Ooh la, la!


From Black sheep ale to Bergerac
St Etienne they journey far
Chris Froome this time? Or Contador!
Le Rosbif Roi? Or, no cigar?


But one thing that we know for sure
Half man machine half whippet thin
As down the champs Elise rides
The ‘Maillot Jaune’ anointed king


This festival of mother France
This grand fromage procession home
Will wear a certain cussed pride:
(born of (among other things) financially prudent pragmatism, also calling a spade a spade and not being afraid to speak its mind)
For this year it be Yorkshire grown.


'Le Yorkshire tour mama it come!
Allez, allez, regarde la!
Le ‘Eee oop’ et le ‘Eee ba goom’
Ou est Le ‘Bobby dazzelar?’



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