[Closed] The Tour of Britain

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

I don't think the quality of light in sept shows it Best. Certainly these first 2 days. That said much of Britain is nice enough but not wow amazing. It still looks a lot better than the spring classics.

Oh, I agree with you there, Drac. I think what I am getting at is probably close to what eddie11 said, above. The light has something to do with it.

Bamburgh is amazing!

Grey skies make it look very bleak. Still though, every town they enter looks like a right shithole... Patchwork roads. Building sites. Ropey looking houses... Maybe we just have to accept we're not the easiest on the eye?

Very odd parcours, very very flat, one of today's kom points was over a motorway flyover 😕

I'm a S****horpe resident, was nice to have it roll though, kids loved it, some serious money must have changed hands for the hosting - the roll out to Alkborough for km 0 is a filthy farm road, looked horrendous this morning, minging before 175km of riding

Onwards and "upwards" Newark on Trent tomorrow 😆

Past our street tomorrow and through Sherwood / Clumber.

Will go out with the camera. Light could be better tomorrow.

Depends where it it. The Tour looked splendid in Swaledale. But then it would.

It doesn't help when the racing is absolutely dross. It's been a long while since I've been so unexcited by a road race. What were the organisers thinking?

The Tour looked splendid in Swaledale. But then it would.

Very odd parcours, very very flat, one of today's kom points was over a motorway flyover

Still though, every town they enter looks like a right shithole...

TT to look forward to in Clacton on Thursday.... 😀

Yeah the grey skies didn't help, there's better pictures and videos out there then the ones I quickly grabbed.

Still though, every town they enter looks like a right shithole... Patchwork roads. Building sites. Ropey looking houses... Maybe we just have to accept we're not the easiest on the eye?

You must of watched a different tour.

[quote=IdleJon ]I was planning on finding a hill to watch the final stage, something that would separate and slow the field. But no, the big climb is the Celtic Manor Hotel in Newport (even more dismal than S****horpe.) It's a little lump. Can I be bothered to drive 50 miles or more to watch a bunch fly by on the way to another sprint?

There is a proper hill on the final stage, properly steep too, enough to cause splits and only 10 miles from here. The trouble is it's also only 15 miles from the start so might be a factor for breakaways forming, but the main field won't be giving it gas (and for some reason gets the same category as the bump near the finish, though there doesn't appear to be anything more than a cat 2 on this year's race).

rone - Member
Past our street tomorrow and through Sherwood / Clumber.

Will go out with the camera

And spectacular climb of Kilton Hill...

*not spectacular....

One of the reasons that ToB has become so much bigger recently and why so many big names come to ride it is that the organaisers have made the conscious decision to model the route along similar lines to that years World Champs course. It then becomes the perfect 'tune up' race before the WC as it's not the Vuelta which is usually so hard that it drains the legs too much..

Doesn't always make for the most interesting race to watch though, but the riders like it which means a lot of the 'fans' that come to see their heroes rather than see a good race, get what they want too..

I thought about going over to my home village of Harworth tomorrow to see the race past the Tom Simpson memorial. But no, it would take more than that to tempt me back.

Despite the rain I thought it looked good today. Miserable sods will be miserable.

Dull course = dull race.
KOM's on small rises is pathetic.

I'm a big fan of this race and I went to Kelso for the finish but this years edition is boring.

Day 1 - bunch sprint, Day 2 - bunch sprint, Day 3........

I don't know the areas well enough to know if it's going to get any more exciting in the next stages.

Watched it cone through Seahouses yesterday. Couldn't believe the number of support motorbikes, police bikes, support cars etc.

Probably not the most exciting spot to watch it but the pints of Directors after made up for the few seconds of racing!

Passes through the 'village' this morning (Watnall), look out for the idiot with the cowbell and the orange sweatshirt 🙂 Pub after!

Needs a Haytor finish. And some better weather. The closed roads makes for some interesting parcours. Loopy!

[quote=simmy ]I don't know the areas well enough to know if it's going to get any more exciting in the next stages.

Looking at the profiles it seems unlikely - with a bit of luck stage 5 might not be a bunch finish though.

I can't figure out how they block every street off? Or do they?

the organaisers have made the conscious decision to model the route along similar lines to that years World Champs course

this makes a lot of sense.
so far I've recorded the highlights and fast forwarded to the last 3km. watching Vuelta and ToB highlights back to back makes the ToB look dire.
last year was a lot better, or was that the Tour of Yorkshire?

I can't figure out how they block every street off? Or do they?

They don't block every street they pass off, at the finish the last Km or so will be barriered off but on route the police motorbikes work on a system where they stop at major junctions, stop the traffic, then the next motorbike comes along, first one moves off and so on.

Minor side roads are not covered. Guess they presume motorists will see all the police passing and stay were they are. There is a police X5 immedialy in front of the peloton.

Thanks for that. That's exactly what happened when the entourage passed.

That wasn't a great place to park!

That wasn't a great place to park!

I missed watching yesterday, so missed this. Holy ....!

I want to think the best of the ToB, but the parked car incident... couldn't that have been avoided?!? Has such a thing happened on any other major tour? (Not counting the crashes with vehicles, etc., actually involved in the said tour.)

couldn't that have been avoided?!?

Obviously in an ideal world, the car shouldn't have been there, or you'd have some cones to deploy on the day to keep the peleton entirely in the other lane all the way around the corner.

Has such a thing happened on any other major tour?

For Example:
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/kruijswijk-confirms-pole-road-caused-broken-collarbone-vuelta-espana-278401

There was an incident a few years ago in Ambleside. Some old duffer decided that they'd ignore the policeman stood in the road and drove straight towards the peloton!

Yes, by riders paying attention.

Really? They're [I]racing[/I]. I would have thought the intensity would have mitigated the expectation that there might be a car around the corner. On a race course.

I don't recall seeing cars randomly parked at the side of the track at any Monaco F1 races, but I'll have to keep my eyes open for them next time.

They're racing

Yes but it is still unacceptable IMO to leave parked cars on the exit of a corner, why weren't they moved? Putting a marshal in the way doesn't mitigate the risk, if anything it puts the marshal at risk. Very poor risk management by the organisation IMO.

https://twitter.com/TourofBritain/status/905459031141220358

Good effort

Quality of light? Have you seen how these cyclists dress?

IMO they should hold these things in the dark. Less road closures to piss off locals just trying to go about their daily lives too.

Same with Marathons.

TT shook things up a bit today, and actually quite enjoyed watching it.
Road surfaces though - wtf! A couple of mine shafts with yellow paint round them.....

James Gullen who did a sub seventeen minute 10 the other week, and seems to win all the local TTs he enters by about two minutes, finished about fifty seconds down on the winner. Certainly shows you how good they are!

It says something when a TT in Clacton is the highlight so far.

And I'm really struggling with that berk of a presenter.

Have they made the course so flat to attract all the sprinters who swerved the vuelta? The finishes have been good at least.

Road surfaces though - wtf!

You don't live in Britain then...?

And I'm really struggling with that berk of a presenter

That doesn't narrow it down much...
The commentary is awful. I thought Hugh Porter was bad but listening to Brian Smith is just impossible.

Everyone is going to get very wet today...

Eurosport are covering it aswell. Matt Stephens and the one who isn't Carlton Kirby. They are much better.

Cheers Eddie.

That doesn't narrow it down much...

The smarmy git who presented the Cycle Show on ITV4 last series, I'd have thought it'd be obvious but maybe he just rubs me up the wrong way. Yanto Barker seems a very nice chap and Rob Hayles is superb as always.

Come to think of it, why isn't Rob H doing the presenting? Or even Jonathan Edwards?

Agreed Brian Smith makes it hard work too. I thought people were exaggerating about him but he is a master of stating the bleeding obvious.

You don't live in Britain then...?

chakaping - Member

Have they made the course so flat to attract all the sprinters who swerved the vuelta? The finishes have been good at least.

I heard that they design the route to mirror the Worlds course to try to attract contenders for the Worlds. I hope this is true as otherwise this isn't exactly the best showcase of what Britain has to offer cyclists!

James Gullen who did a sub seventeen minute 10 the other week, and seems to win all the local TTs he enters by about two minutes, finished about fifty seconds down on the winner. Certainly shows you how good they are!

He lives near me so follow him on Strava. Came top 3 in Nationals in the TT and won the Ras this year and a stage of Taiwan and properly on form. This is what he said on twitter..

I can also confirm a TT after 4 days racing is very different to a TT on a Saturday after an easy cafe spin. Can't imagine a grand tour one

It's a totally different world. The top 10 are all probably dead certs for the Worlds TT I think, apart from Dowsett.

I heard that they design the route to mirror the Worlds course to try to attract contenders for the Worlds. I hope this is true as otherwise this isn't exactly the best showcase of what Britain has to offer cyclists!

Just checked out the world's course profile, and there may be something in this.
https://bergen2017.no/courses/road-race/elite-men/

I wonder why they've gone for such a flat WC course - surely it would have been possible to have a much more testing circuit there? Or is that little climb (when they have to do it 12 times) enough to break things up?

they vary the course over the years, some years its a climbers, some sprinters, some classics guys. although as its always a new course no one has raced before you are never sure quite how it will play out until the day.

aren't they always just a loop with a hill?

Or is that little climb (when they have to do it 12 times) enough to break things up?