Tour de France spectators in Holmfirth are in for a musical treat when the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra performs from the fire station on July 6.

And you'd be surprised how many pop hits have taken cycling as their theme - or fit surprisingly will with Le Tour!

Members of Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra with their new conductor Robert Guy
Members of Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra with their new conductor Robert Guy

Composer Nicholas Simpson has been commissioned to write a special piece for the Huddersfield Philharmonic for the day, featuring novelty sounds including a bicycle bell.

'Ilkley Moor sans Chapeau' will be debuted by the orchestra as the crowds wait anxiously for the sporting spectacular to pass through.

Many other musicians have been inspired by cycling, or have written about bicycles.

Queen's Freddy Mercury wrote whimsical tune Bicycle Race after witnessing a stage of the 1978 tournament in France, when the band were recording Jazz.

And German band Kraftwerk wrote Tour de France after becoming obsessed by cycling - and even went on to release an entire album inspired by Le Tour, Tour de France Soundtracks.

Here's 10 cycling songs to inspire the Tour de France competitors:

  1. Queen - Bicycle Race - Actually inspired by the Tour de France, the song offers a simple message: the overwhelming desire to ride a bicycle.
    Here's an alternative video for the 1978 hit - the original is a little bit too risqué for our site (you can Google it if you don't remember why).
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  2. Kraftwerk - Tour De France - This features actual cycling sounds and reached number 22 in the UK charts in June 1983. It did even better in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, reaching number four.
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  3. Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles - There are nine million bicycles in Beijing - or at least there was in 2005, according to Katie Melua's lilting top five hit.
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  4. The Mixtures - Pushbike Song - The Mixtures' 1970 number one hit is all about chasing a pretty girl on a pushbike - before joining her on a bicycle made for two. Example lyric: "Well, I put on the speed/ And I tried catching up/ But you were pedaling harder too/Ridin' along/like a hurricane, honey/Spinning out of view". Poetry on two wheels.
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  5. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain - Ok, so it's not about cycling. But we're pretty sure the competitors will echo the sentiment of praying that their chains don't break. The lyric "chain, keep us together" is like a ready-made team motto.
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  6. Elvis Costello - Pump It Up - This could be what unlucky cyclists will be doing roadside should the worst happen - maybe the sweet sound of Elvis Costello will make the setback less painful.
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  7. Salt-N-Pepa - Push It - The perfect motivation for the Holme Moss climb (and all the other Tour de France climbs, for that matter). All together now: "Push it, push it real good!" Or, get off and push, if it all gets a bit too difficult.
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  8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Bicycle Song - A little known bonus track from the band's By The Way album, containing the lyric "How could I forget to mention the bicycle is a good invention". They've given us music about aeroplanes and bicycles - what's next? Trams? Cruise ships? Fingers crossed.
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  9. Pink Floyd - Bike - A song where the protagonist uses a bicycle to woo a girl with the following lyrics: "I've got a bike/You can ride it if you like/It's got a basket, a bell that rings and/Things to make it look good". More two-wheeled wooing - what girl can resist a bell and a basket?
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  10. Vivian Stanshall - Terry Keeps His Clips On - And last but not least, some silliness from Vivian Stanshall with Terry Keeps His Clips On. Example lyrics: "Terry keeps his clips on/Let me tell you why/Terry keeps his clips on/ As his dad would say - "To stop those wasps and creepy crafties crawling up your trousers!" Sound advice for Le Tour cyclists.
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There's been 100 Tours, and 100 winners - here's 15 memorable moments from Le Tour

And here's 20 facts you may not know about the Tour de France

For more Tour de France Yorkshire 2014 news and information, visit our dedicated page

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