Yorkshire theatre company 509 Arts has announced the premier in York and tour dates for its free performances of Bike Story, a brand new outdoor theatre production based on stories from the public about cycling.

The show, commissioned by Yorkshire Festival 2014 and presented in association with City of York Council, will tour festivals and town centres throughout Yorkshire. During the run up to this year’s Grand Départ, it will be staged in venues including Rowntree Park in York, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, Grassington, Saltaire, Ilkley, Harrogate, Halifax and Hebden Bridge and is free to the public.

York Council said, “We joined the call for members of the public to submit stories and pictures to http://www.bikestory.org.uk/. These have been used by award-winning and York-based theatre writer Mike Kenny – who adapted The Railway Children for York Theatre Royal’s 2008 hit show – to create a script based on real tales of life in the bike saddle. This production will be part of the added cultural value building up to the Tour de France coming to York.

The family-friendly production features a cast of three actors and a spectacular new set featuring a seven-foot stainless steel big wheel crafted by Calderdale artists Bryan Tweddle and Steve Gumbley as well as a selection of bicycles, from tandems to a wooden bike donated by Cycle: Recycle in Hebden Bridge.

Bike Story will be on tour throughout Yorkshire from 20 June to 5 July and is part of the Yorkshire Festival 2014. To reserve your free tickets visit http://www.bikestory.org.uk//tour

Yorkshire Festival 2014 is the first ever arts festival to precede the Grand Départ in its 111 year history. Nearly 50 events have been selected to be officially part of Yorkshire Festival 2014 which will also include hundreds of fringe events. Visit http://www.yorkshirefestival.co.uk/, Yorkshire Festival on Facebook or follow Yorkshire Festival 2014 on Twitter – YFest2014.