Sir, – Few mind some complaining about the Tour de France or anything else, but complaining persistently in a peevish or irritating way is a dictionary definition of whinging.

In the D&S last week three letters seemed to do just that.

C Saunders calls the 1,500,000 spectators on the race first stage “gawpers”. Does he/she count our likely future King, Queen and Prince Harry, featured on television at Harewood, West Tanfield and Harrogate during the race, as gawpers?

Chris Green says the road from Leyburn to Ripon is “just too narrow for cyclists”, yet he/she travels the route by car. A car is wider and less manoeuvrable than a cycle.

Does that mean this route should not be used for commuting by car?

Ninety per cent of cyclists own a motor vehicle and when cycling on narrow roads with bends hear vehicles long before a car driver sees them. Safely passing cyclists can be an issue. Most cyclists assist overtaking – but only when it is safe to be overtaken. Blowing a horn rarely makes overtaking safer.

Mr Rainforth says if I asked locals for their views most would be rude. Wrong again. Speaking to 18 locals at the Leyburn 1940s weekend all said how much they enjoyed the race and none uttered the rude words he implied the majority would use.

Ignoring the whingers, the event benefited charities. The official UK Tour charity, MarieCurie, remains open for text donations and the price of more than 750 yellow wooden bikes made locally included £5 for local charities.

LEONARD SHEPHERD Ellerclose Road, Leyburn.