Tour de France...in UK?

mazcp · June 2007

How come it's coming to England? I don't get it, it's too complicated. Are they cycling down the channel tunnel? How's it work?

wrong forum room....oops too late.

ChrisKH · June 2007

The same reason it sometimes goes to Belgium. And I have no idea why that is either.[:D]

Baby elephants are so last year, darling.

Roastie · June 2007

The Tour regularly starts off in (and goes into) countries other than France. I'm hardly an expert, but I think the host cities pay long tom to be involved.

ps. Any of the London commuters planning to watch the prologue and/or the first stage?

Greenbank · June 2007

Going to a friends wedding that weekend so I'll be missing both the Prologue and the first stage.

I'm also at a party to celebrate another recent wedding the week before which put an end to me entering the British Cyclosportive Etape.

--
If I had a baby elephant signature, I'd use that.

mazcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ChrisKH

The same reason it sometimes goes to Belgium. And I have no idea why that is either.[:D]

Baby elephants are so last year, darling.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Aye, but there's a bit of water between us and France!

Greenbank · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by maz

How come it's coming to England? I don't get it, it's too complicated. Are they cycling down the channel tunnel? How's it work?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Look at the map of any recent Tour. It's not always completely within France (they often go into Belgium, Germany, etc) and they sometimes get aeroplanes or trains between sets of stages.

And it's not continuous. They don't always start a stage exactly where the last one finished.

On the 2005 tour they took an aeroplane between Mulhouse and Grenoble, and a train between St Etienne and Corbeil Essonnes.

The real answer, of course, is that various palms are greased with vast sums of cash and the tour will go wherever there is money to be collected.

--
If I had a baby elephant signature, I'd use that.

Archcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by maz

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ChrisKH

The same reason it sometimes goes to Belgium. And I have no idea why that is either.[:D]

Baby elephants are so last year, darling.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Aye, but there's a bit of water between us and France!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Aye, but, have you never seen a Campag-equipped carbon race pedallo?[;)]

(It's ok, like Greenbank says, they don't have to ride the whole way...)

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

mazcp · June 2007

Thanks for the explanation.
Taking a train and a plane?!...and I thought Lance Armstrong was a cheat!

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

ps. Any of the London commuters planning to watch the prologue and/or the first stage?

No im planning on trying to get to work.[:(!]

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv 

How not to lock a bike. http://i14.tinypic.com/52355zr.jpg

Roastie · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Hackbike 6

ps. Any of the London commuters planning to watch the prologue and/or the first stage?

No im planning on trying to get to work.[:(!]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Working through the weekend?

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

Yes as per usual.

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv 

How not to lock a bike. http://i14.tinypic.com/52355zr.jpg

thedoctor · June 2007

I believe the Tour has been to Ireland, but it was a bit of a logistical nightmare involving chartering a whole load of ferries. There's also been proposals to start it in Quebec, New York, French Guyana (sp?). As other posters have said, it often goes to Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain ie anywhere that borders France.

OK - I'll just have one more baby elephant...

el_presidente · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TheDoctor

I believe the Tour has been to Ireland...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It's even been to the UK before, I have fond memories of drinking beer in the sun on Ditchling Beacon and next day watching the finish at Portsmouth

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

The ditching Beacon to them must be what the bow flyover is to me.

A mountain.[:P]

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv 

How not to lock a bike. http://i14.tinypic.com/52355zr.jpg

Unknown · June 2007

I was going to be watching the prologue with a friend but as we're driving round France following the Tour between the 14th and 29th it looks like he can't afford it. Maybe not be such bad news as I think it will be a bit of a nightmare getting the train to London on the 7th.

marinated · June 2007

Every other year it starts in a country other than France.

.

rgisme · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ashaman

I was going to be watching the prologue with a friend but as we're driving round France following the Tour between the 14th and 29th it looks like he can't afford it. Maybe not be such bad news as I think it will be a bit of a nightmare getting the train to London on the 7th.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Not if you're already here it wont [^] Got to be some advantage to living here [8D]

el_presidente · June 2007

exactly, I am going to stroll down to HP with a cool box full of beers and mark my spot out early

bobbyp · June 2007

I was going to go to the prologue but I've got a wedding to go to that day. Not sure its a good start to a marriage if I'm watching the cycling when I should be taking my vows.

One of the best mans duties will be keeping an eye on the results for me.

thedoctor · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by bobbyp

I was going to go to the prologue but I've got a wedding to go to that day. Not sure its a good start to a marriage if I'm watching the cycling when I should be taking my vows.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Poor planning that![:D]

Ghost Donkey · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by maz

How come it's coming to England? I don't get it, it's too complicated. Are they cycling down the channel tunnel? How's it work?

wrong forum room....oops too late.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

According to Ken Livingstone it cost œ1.5m to have the tour here this year. I'm not sure if that includes all the cost of organisation, extra police etc or if that's just the payment made to whoever organises the race. As a comparison he said it would have cost at least œ20m for a grand prix. I'd rather have the tour than the cars, and at a fraction of the price.

The race did come through the channel tunnel one year didn't it? THat must've been a riot for the riders.

el_presidente · June 2007

Maybe so GD, but I don't think they actually rode the bikes through the tunnel

Uncle Mort · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by el_presidente

Maybe so GD, but I don't think they actually rode the bikes through the tunnel

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Well there is a service tunnel that runs all the way up the middle between the train tunnels - but it wouldn't be very scenic and the helicopters would have all sorts of problems [;)]

__________________
In his mid forties and still unusual

Tour de France...in UK?

Comments

Categories