ToB back to Scotland in 2011

sonny73

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/498739/tour-of-britain-set-for-scotland-start-in-2011.html

inkyfingers

That's rubbish, they're not going down my street...what a rubbish race.

There we are, no need for anyone else to say it now.

rick_chasey

The Romans never stayed in Scotland, so why should the Tour of Britain?


*ducks!!*

DaveyL

At least it's a welcome sign that the ToB will actually take place again in 2011. Given that regional development agencies are under threat there was a worry the race would be scrapped.

inkyfingers

DaveyL wrote:

At least it's a welcome sign that the ToB will actually take place again in 2011. Given that regional development agencies are under threat there was a worry the race would be scrapped.

I won't believe it until the race starts next year. Don't get me wrong, I hope it does happen, but I can't see a cycling race as having a high priority when government agencies are spending their much reduced budgets.

afx237vi

Didn't the Tour of Ireland announce that there would a Northern Irish stage shortly after the race ended last year? Announcing stuff is no guarantee that stuff actually happens. Look at the Tour of America :shock:

cougie

Oh yes - the Tour of America ! What happened to that. Cos it sounded soooo plausible.
Was the organiser a loon, or just having a laugh ?

afx237vi

cougie wrote:

Oh yes - the Tour of America ! What happened to that. Cos it sounded soooo plausible.
Was the organiser a loon, or just having a laugh ?

I suspect both.

eh

Its only just in Scotland, hardly show casing what scotland has to offer is it? Just some crappy grass covered boring humps. When it comes to watching cycling in Scotland I'll stick to a proper race at a proper venue i.e. mtbs at Fort WIlliam.

gsk82

looks like another opening stage starting in a nothing place, they need to stop been so gutless and take the start to a big city, regardless of short term loss

verylonglegs

But how many big cities or towns are prepared to close off the roads for a bike race on a Saturday morning?

takethehighroad

Sheffield certainly isn't, that's why it's not been there since Pippo won in 2006

top_bhoy

verylonglegs wrote:

But how many big cities or towns are prepared to close off the roads for a bike race on a Saturday morning?

Been done plenty of times before in Glasgow so closing off roads once more for a bike race on a Saturday morning shouldn't be insurmountable. However I'm guessing that EventScotland wanted to support other areas of Scotland outside of the Central belt.

moray_gub

Rick Chasey wrote:

The Romans never stayed in Scotland, so why should the Tour of Britain?


*ducks!!*

We have in common only with the Germanic tribes across the Rhine the distinction of not only
stopping but defeating the Roman armies' (MacGregor 1987).
The [Roman] frontiers are a symbol of abdication and failure' (Mann 1974a, 508)


They never quite could subdue us Scots and built a wall or two to keep them safe from us unlike our soft Southern neighbours who rolled over and had their belly tickled.

dulldave

eh wrote:

Its only just in Scotland, hardly show casing what scotland has to offer is it? Just some crappy grass covered boring humps. When it comes to watching cycling in Scotland I'll stick to a proper race at a proper venue i.e. mtbs at Fort WIlliam.

Forgive me if you come from Fort Bill mate but if you think sending people there as an experience of what Scotland has to offer is a good thing then you need to get out of town more.

Peebles perhaps? It's quite a nice place, people are relatively friendly and they serve food there that is palatable and everything.

moray_gub

dulldave wrote:

eh wrote:

Its only just in Scotland, hardly show casing what scotland has to offer is it? Just some crappy grass covered boring humps. When it comes to watching cycling in Scotland I'll stick to a proper race at a proper venue i.e. mtbs at Fort WIlliam.

Forgive me if you come from Fort Bill mate but if you think sending people there as an experience of what Scotland has to offer is a good thing then you need to get out of town more.

Peebles perhaps? It's quite a nice place, people are relatively friendly and they serve food there that is palatable and everything.

Peebles is only good for passing through on the way to Glentress, other than that its a somewhat dull grey place far removed from what Scotland has to offer, although it has issues give me Fort William any day of the week.

RichN95.

So the Scots moan that it misses them out for the first time in six years and then when it comes back they moan that it's in the wrong part of Scotland or not there enough.

What a miserable populace they are. Mind you, if my football team had struggled to beat a country which is basically a couple of banks and a duty free shop*, I'd be grumpy too.


*I'm not even sure it's got a duty free shop.

moray_gub

RichN95 wrote:

So the Scots moan that it misses them out for the first time in six years and then when it comes back they moan that it's in the wrong part of Scotland or not there enough.

What a miserable populace they are. Mind you, if my football team had struggled to beat a country which is basically a couple of banks and a duty free shop*, I'd be grumpy too.


*I'm not even sure it's got a duty free shop.

Does your region of England have a football team then ?

Brassknocker

The road biking around the Boarders, eg, Peebles, St Mary's Loch, and around/along the Tweed is some of the best, quietiest Britain had to offer (and that's coming from a Sassenach) .... but it would be great to see the ToB head up to the North West of Scotland.... imagine that!

timturpinfleck

Brassknocker wrote:

The road biking around the Boarders, eg, Peebles, St Mary's Loch, and around/along the Tweed is some of the best, quietiest Britain had to offer (and that's coming from a Sassenach) .... but it would be great to see the ToB head up to the North West of Scotland.... imagine that!

But then everyone would be moaning about the huge transfer. I have never walked but never cycled in Scotland and from briefly reading the 100 greatest climbs book I recall Scotland having v few climbs that got a mention as most of the roads go through the valleys - I've just checked and it was 7/100.

We can reasonably expect Blackpool to get a stage finish, so how about a tough climb over the pennines to finish there on stage 2.

RichN95.

Moray Gub wrote:

Does your region of England have a football team then ?

Yeah. Reading. That's where I originally come from.

eh

Focusing on the towns kinda misses the point though of paying for the race, you aren't selling the town you are selling the whole region.

NB: I'm not Scottish thankfully Then again maybe I should look into it as I must have chance of being a footballer, what with being able to kick a ball roughly straight and not being a smack addict :shock:

top_bhoy

Brassknocker wrote:

The road biking around the Boarders, eg, Peebles, St Mary's Loch, and around/along the Tweed is some of the best, quietiest Britain had to offer (and that's coming from a Sassenach) .... but it would be great to see the ToB head up to the North West of Scotland.... imagine that!

From memory of 3 years ago, some of those quiet country roads in Dumfries and Galloway are narrow and twisty....ideal for a breakaway to get away without the peleton having the benefit of 'line of sight' to catch them up in the latter stages.

Philip S

As far as I can tell, the reason the race is going to be in Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders is that they are both regions that are really pushing to promote themselves as cycle-friendly destinations.

Dumfries has just launched a London/Paris style cycle hire initiative so unlike a lot of areas it seems to have the commitment to back up its promises.

And, having cycled in both D&G and the Borders, I'd agree they have some great roads for cycling - picturesque and quiet with it. Okay, there are no alpine climbs, but there is certainly opportunity to send the race over some challenging terrain (how about sticking them up Talla?)

amaferanga

I'm a little biased since I grew up in the borders, but anyone who thinks the cycling there is boring and lacking in proper hills should go there some time. Admittedly there are no massive hills (same goes for the rest of the UK), but there are plenty of great little roads between valleys that could make for a very interesting stage. Whether or not these will be used is another matter, but there is potential for a stage that's as interesting and challenging as anywhere else in the UK. For us recreational cyclists it also benefits from being wonderfully traffic free compared to e.g. the Lakes, the Dales and the Peaks.

A route starting in Edinburgh and heading south on the B709 through Innerleithen - Eskdalemuir - Langholm then over the hill to Newcastleton for a finish in one of the border towns would be cool.

Tom Butcher

The borders is certainly a very nice part of Britain and worthy of a stage. Like a lot of others though I would like to see a really tough stage set in the Highlands. It's not just the roads but the backdrop too that would make it something special.

Maybe the quiet Highland roads are too small and the ones that would suit racing on are too important for through traffic ? Or maybe it is just that nobody up there thinks it's worth stumping up for the publicity a bike race would bring.

timturpinfleck

eh wrote:

Focusing on the towns kinda misses the point though of paying for the race, you aren't selling the town you are selling the whole region.

I have always felt that myself and the regions seem to miss the opportunity of promoting the area. The Stoke stage always spends too much time in Stoke whereas they should spend more time showing the great countryside on their doorstep - it seems better this year the route going further into the Peak but it could be so much better.

jimcameron

has the ToB or the Milk Race or whatever it was called before ever been up further North of Dundee? It would be brilliant having a highland stage. Ending with the Bealach?

IF transfers are a problem then we could always get two stages? wouldn't be too much to ask? haha

lvquestpaddler

Regardless of what roads it's held on to call it the "Tour of Britain" surely it should have a stage from each of the 4 countries. If you side with the argument that Wales is a principality we have a Tour of England.
As for Scotland- Applecross to the Cairngorm Mountain car park, over the BNB as Jim says. 120miles....every year, forget the manky cities and boring borders :shock: 8)

lvquestpaddler

Obviously something would need to be worked out for the deadlier singletrack parts of the A9...though I reckon most of the top cyclists could keep up with the Tesco lorries clogging up the road anyway!!!

Yellow Peril

I don't think it is necessary to have to go to each home country every year. This year's Tour, to date, has been excellent. Future Tours could have more stages in Scotland and Wales and less in England as long as it promotes quality racing. I think it is important not to hamstring the course designer with "must have" locations all of the time.

I got the opportunity in 2008 to ride the last 60 miles of the final TOB stage into Glasgow ahead of the race itself. I was a guest of the Plowman Craven team and got to ride with a couple of the guys who had abandoned early in the race. We all had team kit on and a team car following behind. The roads were empty and the scenery breathtaking. I remember thinking to myself "it doesn't get much better than this"