TdF for Scotland?!

Comments

  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    I don't know how likely it is to happen, but it would be good. Edinburgh could offer some good prologue course options and with enough imagination you could route a pretty good road stage round that area.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • Omar Little
    Omar Little Posts: 2,010
    A Glasgow to Inverness (or something like that) stage would be great.
  • dulldave
    dulldave Posts: 949
    "The race route may link the two cities or head as far north as the Trossachs"

    It could easily do both of these things. You'd probably want the first stage to stop in either Glasgow or Edinburgh to cut down on the overall transfer time.

    It'd be great to see a prologue going up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle after a loop of Arthur's Seat. I reckon Edinburgh would work better for a prologue than Glasgow, it's just prettier. Glasgow has some good options for a hill sprint finish as well.
    Scottish and British...and a bit French
  • mattybeck
    mattybeck Posts: 135
    Prologue Edinburgh

    Then next day:-

    Stirling - Crianlarich - Loch Lomond - People's Palace (Glasgow Green)....is what i'd suggest - Great way to show off the countryside and cities....but Glasgow's roads? Deary me
  • dulldave
    dulldave Posts: 949
    mattybeck wrote:
    Prologue Edinburgh

    Then next day:-

    Stirling - Crianlarich - Loch Lomond - People's Palace (Glasgow Green)....is what i'd suggest - Great way to show off the countryside and cities....but Glasgow's roads? Deary me

    That sounds like a good stage. A route I'd personally never want to do without closed roads.
    Scottish and British...and a bit French
  • Coyote
    Coyote Posts: 212
    They would need to keep the prologue off Princess Street if they were to go for Edinburgh - it seems to have some random lengths of railway track on it these days. No idea what they're for! :wink:
  • Gavin Cook
    Gavin Cook Posts: 307
    A TT from Loch Lomand to Loch Fyne, finishing at the Oyster bar would be a cracking stage.

    Gav
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    <tinhat>Personally I'd sooner go to France to watch it than Scotland :) </Tinhat>

    But that's just the warped pointless opinion of a know nothing Londoner
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    dougzz wrote:
    <tinhat>Personally I'd sooner go to France to watch it than Scotland :) </Tinhat>

    But that's just the warped pointless opinion of a know nothing Londoner

    It's a perfectly sane opinion. From London it's probably easier, quicker and cheaper to get to Paris than Glasgow. The same as here in Cardiff
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pigtail
    Pigtail Posts: 424
    Aye - well getting to France, which I do most years, is about a 22 hour drive. Getting to Edinburgh is about 2 and a half - guess which I'd prefer?
    :?

    James
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Coyote wrote:
    They would need to keep the prologue off Princess Street if they were to go for Edinburgh - it seems to have some random lengths of railway track on it these days. No idea what they're for! :wink:

    Tell me about it almost did myself some damage by tripping on them outside Waverley station last night...ok the 8 pints and the light snowfall might have been a factor but still.............but back to the point in hand i am all for this hope it gets off the ground. A stage up around the Trossachs has a certain appeal and i think it would be good for TV as well.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    TT following the Tour de Trossachs course :D
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    My next door neighbours in Aviemore actually run a ski school in France! They get the ferry from Rosyth which is just next to Edinburgh. There's actually quite a lot of French folk up here in the oil business.

    TdF in Scotland, wow can't wait - bring it on :-) Edinburgh is a very pro-cycling city, it'd be a natural match.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
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  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Be great if it does come to Scotland, or anywhere in the UK, even if you didn't want to go and watch it'd give the sport some more exposure in Britain.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Kit manufacturers will be happy too. Chance to show off all the wet-weather gear on a big stage :twisted:

    Seriously though it sounds a really good idea. Achievable too, they went to dublin which isnt quite as far but not by much. Be time to come overseas again as well by that time.
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    You can hear the infighting already at the council roads dept !! That Pothole is not ours it your side of the boundary - Maybe the Tour coming to Scotland will get the awful road surfaces fixed at last. They coped with the tour in ireland so why not scotland do they not have things called aeroplanes,ferry`s etc to make it happen.
  • Mad Roadie
    Mad Roadie Posts: 710
    A brave shout! hope they do it - stranger things have happened - like when Liverpool got European City of culture!!!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    I'll have a £10 bet it'll never happen. Anyone?
    _
  • dgstewart
    dgstewart Posts: 252
    I'd love to see it in Scotland too and being from Glasgow would love that, but I second the Glasgow's roads comments - you might not have any riders left for the rest of the race after several pothole related pile ups!

    They need to bring it further north to get some hills. Leave from St Andrews next to the Old Course, then head up over the Cairn O'Mount, the Gairnshiel and the Lecht summits on to Inverness. Fly south from there for next stage. Probably a bit long though, as its around 160 miles, and St. Andrews is not the easiest/most convienent place to get to either.

    Probably best from Edinburgh and head south for some hills and back to Edinburgh.
  • pneumatic
    pneumatic Posts: 1,989
    And we're getting Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo! :D

    I reckon they should run a stage through the route of the Etape Caledonia, just to cheer up the (small minority of miserable protesting) locals! :evil:

    Fast and Bulbous
    Peregrinations
    Eddingtons: 80 (Metric); 60 (Imperial)
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    Why the negatives from some, it would be great if it happened - and I can't see why not. A prologue in Edinburgh and the 1st stage from Stirling to Glasgow would showcase Scotlands cities. Transport no problem.....truck equipment overnight (with police co-operation to ensure minimal delays) from Glasgow for a 2nd stage start in France and a 90 min direct flight to France for the riders and staff. Another alternative idea could for Wales to get on board for hosting a 2nd UK stage and split the transition journey.

    Such is the terrain, the chosen routes into Glasgow could be as hard or easy as they want for a TdF opening.
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  • Spender45
    Spender45 Posts: 78
    they would have to clear it with me first. I run the ythanbank 10 in august. i don't want a clash of dates
  • zippypablo
    zippypablo Posts: 398
    Spender45 wrote:
    they would have to clear it with me first. I run the ythanbank 10 in august. i don't want a clash of dates
    it's ok, the Tour is in July :D
    If suffer we must, let's suffer on the heights. (Victor Hugo).
  • Spender45
    Spender45 Posts: 78
    Doh, it's been a long week already :roll:
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    A Grand Depart in Scotland? The Auld Alliance again?


    Please, oh please. We could trump all the other Grand Departs put together.
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    Just need the relatives, if any, of Bonnie Prince Charlie to flag them off........ :wink:

    I can imagine Chateau d' Edinburgh/ Stirling.......followed by some waffle of when it was built....
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    ........and can you hear the Paul and Phil commentary as the helicopter shows shots of the Irn Bru factory.........
  • dulldave
    dulldave Posts: 949
    Tusher wrote:
    ........and can you hear the Paul and Phil commentary as the helicopter shows shots of the Irn Bru factory.........

    The route would need to go through Manchester for that.
    Scottish and British...and a bit French
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    It's made in Manchester??

    The Things I Learn In Bikeradar.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Tusher wrote:
    It's made in Manchester??

    The Things I Learn In Bikeradar.



    Its not made in Manchester that is a regional office and distribution site. In the UK there are 5 production sites Cumbernauld,Forfar,Tredegar,Mansfield and Dunbar so its gonna be made in one or more of them, more than likely Cumbernauld.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !

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