Yorkshire churches are preparing to welcome cycling legends Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins this summer, as the Tour de France begins in Leeds. The Tour is famed for bringing together teams of world-class cyclists, who compete for the elusive yellow jersey over an agonising, and exhausting 23 days. This year, the route will take competitors over a total of 3,656 kilometres from Leeds through Harrogate, York, Sheffield, Cambridge and London before arriving in France and finishing in Paris. Scores of churches from all denominations will line the route and a dedicated website has been set up to  allow them to share ideas and resources, giving every community the chance to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Canon John Carter, communications officer for the diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, said ‘It's very much an ecumenical thing, and it's about encouraging churches to work together with their local community which has been really good’.