A York granddad who has followed the Tour de France since boyhood is shouting the message that it is coming to Yorkshire from the rooftops.

Retired factory worker Geoff Cooper, 70, of North Moor Road, Huntington, has had a passion for cycling since he was a child and has followed the event since the 1950s.

Before it was televised he would keep up with the racing action through magazines. So when it was announced the tour was coming to Yorkshire he was “ecstatic”.

He added: “I could not believe it. Coming to England was amazing. Coming to Yorkshire was out of this world.”

So when it came to marking the event he took a leaf out of the book of French fans – who often paint bikes yellow in tribute to the winner’s jersey.

But he decided to go one stage further – by hoisting the racing bike up a 10ft ladder and installing it on his porch roof decked out with flags and flowers.

So far the reaction has been bemusement. “But now the message is getting through that the Tour de France is coming and everyone should go out and see it,” he added.