TDF in UK - Riding on course on race day

mattmcp

Does anybody have a definitive answer to whether we can ride down the course on race day (Stage 1), e.g. park up and then ride 10-15 miles down the course in advance of the race. The roads in Kent have some crazy raod closures on, like 6 hours before the race comes through.

Of course I don't expect to be able to ride down say 30 mins before the caravane comes through or in fact until the race has passed. Really just want to know if it will be the same deal as watching the race in France when the Gendarmerie 'gently persuade' [:D] you to leave the course just before the caravane comes through.

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Unknown

I very much doubt that the british police will be able to be at all flexible and allow anyone on the route within that 6 hour period.

i can point you in the right direction if want to get on the route in the last 20 or so miles.
Wouldn't suggest it though as i can just imagine some jobsworth copper arresting you

Mleh Mleh Mleh

mattmcp

Thanks Steve, I already have some plans sorted. It just seems a little over the top if they do keep cyclists off the route. They manage it perfectly well in France for 3 weeks.

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monty_dogcp

Depending on the race schedule, but the caravan usually proceeds the race about 30-60 minutes in advance so you need to be well in advance of that. You'll probably be stopped at various points, but like you do in France, you may have to dismount, walk around the barriers etc and then continue. Don't try and get between the caravan and the race - they're very strict on secuirty from that point with various bikes and cars acting as 'sweepers'. Obviously, the Kent police may take a very different attitude to the French and will probably be less flexible than their French counterparts

mattmcp

HI Monty, yes I've been following the Tour for many years in France and would hope we can still ride the course on the day like we can in France until the caravane is approaching, it makes sense. I just wanted to be sure of making the spot I intend to watch from by riding maybe 10 miles down the course.

When the gendarme says 'non', he really does mean 'non'!

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Bonus

The caravan proceeds the race by a good hour. Then loads of police come through, then the breakaway if there is one, then the bunch. You may be able to ride a few hours ahead of the race but you'd need to be a few hours ahead of the riders at the end of the race, not the beginning. . . .

mattmcp

OK, just to clarify, I do not want to ride the entire stage, just a 10 mile section of road which will be used. The road is stated to be closed from 08.30 onwards for a race which passes at 14.30 (which I find a bit weird). I'm aware of what happens on race day, I spend two weeks following the Tour in France every year and see at least 8 stages.

Essentially nobody knows if the police are shutting the roads for a large portion of the day to cyclists as well as motor vehicles.

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cougie

As the others have intimated - you should be able to ride it but could get stopped at bits by over zealous police. Go well before the caravan is going to arrive and you should be OK. I've had gendarmes stop me on the Alpe and had to walk round them before getting back on the bike and getting push started by fans.

mandie

I was a marshall on the Kent section in 1994. As I remember it our instructions about cyclists on the route was something along the lines of up to about an hour before the caravan ignore them, then after that tell them to find a viewing spot fairly quickly. 15 minutes before tell them to stop now, otherwise the police might get aukward.
However dont forgrt that there will also be official tour vehicles on the route before the caravan comes through, team cars, journalists trying to find a place for lunch and the like, who will expect the road to be closed, and some of whom my forget that they are not in France and be on the wrong side of the road.

We'll kick against the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight

ian_oli

Tried http://www.tourdefrancelondon.com/tdf/en/contact.asp ?

mattmcp

Thanks again, I hope they do allow us to ride on the route. Obviously I would not try to to ride in the opposite direction while some idiot from a Dutch newspaper thinks it's ok to drive at 90kmh on closed roads in the UK. Ian, I've sent emails out to a few of those sites, including the Kent one but I suspect they are just going into a black hole.

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Unknown

I think I read somewhere (this board?) that the French gendarmerie have been given special dispensation to police the Stage 1 route. Possibly in collaboration with Kent Police. Anyone know if this is true?

ian_oli

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by skut</i>

I think I read somewhere (this board?) that the French gendarmerie have been given special dispensation to police the Stage 1 route. Possibly in collaboration with Kent Police. Anyone know if this is true?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Got told about this at the marshall's briefing. Effectively they will be controlling the race. There is a specialist unit of about 50 cops who do this throughout the 3 weeks. There will be up to 2000 UK cops on the two days and they will control road closures etc.

mattmcp

See reply I received yesterday from Kent Highway Services who are looking after the roads in conjunction with the police and organisers. Nobody will be allowed to ride on the roads once the road closures are in place from between 07.30-08.30 on the day of the race.:

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The rules and regulations for road closures in the UK are very different to those applied in France. Once the roads are officially closed by Kent County Council in accordance with the road closure timeline we will not allow anybody to travel along the roads other than official Tour de France vehicles. Therefore you will not be allowed to ride your bike on the race route during the road closure times. Should you wish to ride
the race route on the Sunday 8th July it will have to be arranged to commence and finish before or after the road closure timings.

The only other access onto the highway network during the road closure timings will be by foot using the dedicated footpaths alongside the race route.

These restrictions are put in place purely for the safety of the traveling public and the workforce working inside the road closures putting out the necessary equipment and infrastructures along the race route.

I trust you understand the reasons for these restrictions and that you continue to make arrangements to visit Kent on the 8th July and enjoy the day.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

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rustychisel

I can confirm you do not want to f**k around with the gendarmerie. Wonder if they get a special briefing for UK duty...?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I'm only escaping to here because the office is having a conniption

cougie

They were over here with the race last time it had a few stages too. Very professional.

Unknown

that's a pity, when the tour of Britain did the stage in London around whitehall, it was possible to cycle on it, despite people working on the barriers etc

"These restrictions are put in place purely for the safety of the traveling public and the workforce working inside the road closures putting out the necessary equipment and infrastructures along the race route."

Bikes aren't that dangeous are they?


On the 8th day God made a bicycle, and he saw that it was good. (actually personally he thought it was his best invention yet)

mattmcp

I have sent a reply back saying that they might want to publicise the fact that we can't ride on the roads 4 hours before the race comes through as there will be 1000's if not 10,000's people trying to ride on the course to get to a good viewing spot. It's not some small detail is it.

I also sad that what makes this sport so great is one thing. Access. Remove this and we may as well be paying a fortune to watch F1 behind a big fence 150 metres from the track.

How on earth are people going to get to some of the more remote hills without riding down the road, no one is going to get there for 07.30 before the roads are shut? It'll make for a very empty course in places.

I'm a bit bemused.

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hevipedal

See the closure timesevery where will not be closed at 0730.

<b><font color="red"> Hevipedal </font id="red"></b>
Phrase of the week - <font color="red"><font size="3"><b> 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.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
</font id="red"> </font id="size3"> </b>
51yrs old and Proud of it - Made it to 87kg 2 more to go for the target.
Pedal to Paris Sept 2007

mattmcp

Granted, but are you going to want to sit on a hillside from 08.30 when the race doesn't come through until 14.00? Surely it would be better to roll-up around midday ready for the caravane an hour later then the race an hour after that?

Still doesn't make any sense to me.

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cougie

You can still ride in France when they close the roads ? I'd risk it just watch out for the guys working on the roads although I reckon they'll only barrier the finish ?

samd

I was hoping to organise a club run to watch the Tour pass through. I guess the best bet is to find a road that has a jnction on the route and ride along that to the route itself. From there walk to a chosen location.

Slippery when wet ~

mattmcp

Cougie, yes you can still ride on the roads when they are closed in France, all of the people working on the Tour are pretty used to cyclists being on the courseso will look out for them. When the gendarme says stop though (when the caravane is due) you stop or he shoots you in the foot...twice. Yeah, SamD, was hoping to ride out somwhere nice too. It's a real pain, guess I will do same as you.

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