Yorkshire are about to be put on the map in a very big way very soon, and I for one couldn't be more excited! You might already have heard (It's only been all over the news for the last few weeks), Le Tour de France is coming to God's own county and making it's way across the amazing landscape of Yorkshire this weekend, 5th and 6th July. Everyone I know at work is talking about it, and my family are preparing themselves for the momentous occasion - it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity and not something that I'm likely to see again! I live very close to the route that is planned for Stage 1 on Saturday, and everywhere I go there are yellow banners, posters, artwork and decorations left, right and centre. I see that Leeds city centre has adorned some of it's statues in yellow jerseys, which tickles me no end!

With Le Grand Départ drawing ever closer, there is a competition being run by the Yorkshire Building Society that is really quite the corker (That's the Yorkshire in me coming through there, sorry). All you have to do is upload a Tour de France related picture to either Instagram or Twitter, and use the hashtag #TDFYBS (Tour de France Yorkshire Building Society) to be in with a chance of winning a trip for two to Paris, for the Grand Arrivée on Sunday 27th July! The picture can be of anything, as long as it's Tour de France related - a picture of some artwork, someone riding a bike or even a map showing the route. If you live in Yorkshire, there are hundreds of opportunities for a picture, so get snapping away!

Included in the prize is a two night stay in Paris in the beautiful Hotel Colisée, situated just off the Champs Elysées. I've had a sneaky peek at the hotel and it really does look stunning - the perfect base for a weekend in the capital. Travel to and from Paris is also included, leaving on 26th July and returning on the 28th, as well as breakfast on both mornings of your stay and even a Paris guidebook thrown in too.

As always, there are rules with these sorts of competitions but they are easy enough to live by. One entry per person, the winner must be over 18, or if under 18 must have the consent of a parent/guardian and be accompanied by an adult on the trip. The competition closes at 8pm on Monday 7th July, and a winner will be chosen at random at 5pm on Tuesday 8th July. If you are the winner, you will be notified via the social media you entered on (Either a comment on Instagram or a tweet on Twitter), and you will have 48 hours to respond and redeem your prize. That's pretty much it, but for the full terms and conditions and more information about the competition, visit the Yorkshire Building Society competition page.



Here is my entry, that I uploaded to my Instagram yesterday. You will probably recognise this from my previous post, where I went to Otley for the day. These yellow painted bikes were all over the town - presumably along the route that the cyclists will be following - and are Otley in Bloom's way of celebrating the event. I loved this quirky idea, so decided to snap one of them to show you guys!