Spectating at Tour of Britain - Updated with pics!

kitten2010

I was hoping to pick a few of your guys brains.

I want to visit the Tour on the Stoke On Trent stage but I'm not quite sure where it would be best to view.

I've been mulling over seeing the start at Trentham Gardens then travelling into town to see the finish. I also quite fancy seeing them going over Gun Hill but I'm not sure about parking nearby. Has anyone got any suggestions?

I am also thinking over heading down to London to view the final stage and planting myself somewhere round the Temple Area.

thegibdog

If you want to go up to Gun Hill it's probably best to park up on one of the lanes off the course and walk up to the top. Some people drive up and park on the course but then a) you're parked on the course and b) it'll take you longer to drive down the hill than walk down afterwards.

kitten2010

Thanks for that. I will have to do some more research before I decide where to go.

prawny

Gun Hill is really really busy, I went there in 2009 and it took ages to get out for about 20 seconds worth of riders. Last year I took the family to the feed zone which was great, riders came through quite slowly and we got loads of freebies.

This year me and whyamihere are planning to get to a sprint one of the other catagorised climbs and the finish. Quite looking forward to seeing the finish to be honest, it's weird watching te race but having no idea who won until the evening.

Mad_Malx

I have a similar question for the loop around Wells on stage 6. Apologies for maybe stupid question, but haven't tried to catch the race before:
Looks like it is only 2 or 3 miles back downhill from the Old Bristol Road climb to the finish in Wells, but the race via Shepton is sheduled to take the riders 35 minutes.
Will it be possible to do both (by bike), or will roads be closed for too long or be too busy to make it back down the hill?
Also, I'm guessing that trying to wheel a bike anywhere near the finish will be impossible - any suggestions?

RonB

For Stage3 I'm hoping to checkout the sprint at Stone then cycle across (no need to hurry) to watch the cat2 climb just south of Cheadle. Hope it works out and the roads don't stay closed for too long (I doubt it will be a problem).

Dorset_Boy

Mad_Malx - last year in Glastonbury there were plenty of people with their bikes at the finish (and no, not just the racers!)

Beatmaker

I'm going to watch the sprint at Stone but have a meeting I can't get out of in the afternoon so won't be able to catch the finish. Does anyone know if ITV are televising the highlights again this year?

ilikecycling

Does anyone know if ITV are televising the highlights again this year?

There will be an hour long highlights programme each night from 8-9pm on ITV4.

By the way, does anyone have any tips for good viewpoints on the Welsh stage from Welshpool to Caerphilly?

durhamwasp

Sunday night is 7-8pm, after the Vuelta highlights at 6.30-7

Hoping to watching Sundays sprint in Dumfries, Thor vs Renshaw & Cav!

parsons1927

ilikecycling wrote:

Does anyone know if ITV are televising the highlights again this year?

There will be an hour long highlights programme each night from 8-9pm on ITV4.

By the way, does anyone have any tips for good viewpoints on the Welsh stage from Welshpool to Caerphilly?

I'll be watching on Caerphilly mountain just as they leave the town, around 20% climb there and hopefully I''ll be able to get down to the finish behind the castle as they loop round the other side of the mountain.

iesous77

ill be catching sprint in stone or cycle to millwich and catch them up the hill there, got work after that so cant see the finish but seeing as i live a whole 1 min from sprint what the hey

prawny

RonB wrote:

For Stage3 I'm hoping to checkout the sprint at Stone then cycle across (no need to hurry) to watch the cat2 climb just south of Cheadle. Hope it works out and the roads don't stay closed for too long (I doubt it will be a problem).

That's our plan then try to burn it into town for the finish, but well have to see what the time is.

jackfeeder

By the way, does anyone have any tips for good viewpoints on the Welsh stage from Welshpool to Caerphilly?

You could watch them all come up the climb from Brecon to Storey Arms. There's a few laybyes there but it will be busy I'd imagine - also toilets and burger vans. If you walked a short distance up the path to PenYFan you'd have a good viewpoint to see them climbing up the mountain road for quite a while.
The stretch from there to Penderyn will be a fast run across the moors so places along there you could get to as well.
I'm going to Caerphilly mtn, did that on the tour sportive ride after 113miles so really looking forward to seeing the pros go up there and more than likely the stage winning attack, it's brutal!

Pross

I think I'm going to try to watch them either coming up Storey Arms or where they turn off the A470 towards Penderyn then drive down to Caerphilly and cycle up Caerphilly Mountain. Incidently, does anyone know why the climb out of Newtown isn't categorised? It's not a monster but quite a long drag so would have thought in context of other climbs like the bump at Llyswen it would be a cat 2 climb

Pross

According to Map My Ride the steepest section of Caerphilly mountain the way the race is going up it is 12% :?

jackfeeder

Well that's the steepest bloody 12% I've been up - they may have a shock (maybe)!

RichN95.

Pross wrote:

According to Map My Ride the steepest section of Caerphilly mountain the way the race is going up it is 12% :?

It damn well isn't. The way they go down is 12% max. Are you sure you've got the right route - it's the one starting by the station you want.

Salsiccia

RichN95 wrote:

Pross wrote:

According to Map My Ride the steepest section of Caerphilly mountain the way the race is going up it is 12% :?

It damn well isn't. The way they go down is 12% max. Are you sure you've got the right route - it's the one starting by the station you want.

What he said. Either that or they've flattened it out since I last rode it...

calvjones

Salsiccia wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Pross wrote:

According to Map My Ride the steepest section of Caerphilly mountain the way the race is going up it is 12% :?

It damn well isn't. The way they go down is 12% max. Are you sure you've got the right route - it's the one starting by the station you want.

What he said. Either that or they've flattened it out since I last rode it...

It's Welsh %age. Each worth x1.5 English; a little more since the credit crunch.


Undecided on Caerphilly, Penderyn or Storey myself... Possibly take the mtb to hoon around Castell Coch for an hour then watch on Caerphilly/

Tom BB

Definitely head to the start at Trentham Gardens OP. You'll meet loads of riders-I was chatting to Simon Richardson from Sigma Sport for a good 10 minutes last year-met G, Russ Downing, Rob Hayles and a load more. You also get loads of freebies. I went over to Gunn Hill afterwards-I rode there-and it was crap tbh as its pretty narrow and you just see them flash past in the bunch as it isn't really a hard or selective climb (unless you're Ed Clancy ). As somebody else has said, it gets very busy there too-I'd just go out for a ride around the latter part of the route-find a place that is about to be closed and watch from there.

I'll be sat at work this year Typical!

nicked

Hi all at what point do they close the the roads timewise?Work permitting i'm hoping to have a ride round Brecon and catch a glimpse of the tour at the top of the climb.
Thanks in advance
Nick

jackfeeder

Good article in this months Procycling on the Welsh stage - their Garmin hit 23%, that's more like it! I'm going there in plenty of time, get a beer+grub & a good spot & pray 2 the weather gods. Come on G :-)

Pross

nicked wrote:

Hi all at what point do they close the the roads timewise?Work permitting i'm hoping to have a ride round Brecon and catch a glimpse of the tour at the top of the climb.
Thanks in advance
Nick

They don't actually close the roads other than at the finish. You will just need to get ahead of the rolling closure which will probably be 5 - 10 minutes ahead of the race convoy. Estimated timings are on the race website.

Pross

RichN95 wrote:

Pross wrote:

According to Map My Ride the steepest section of Caerphilly mountain the way the race is going up it is 12% :?

It damn well isn't. The way they go down is 12% max. Are you sure you've got the right route - it's the one starting by the station you want.

Yep, the route up from the east. I've been doubting some of the gradient data on Ride With GPS (not Map My Ride sorry) ever since it claimed Symonds Yat Rock was only 12% when I rode it, looks like I may be right. Could be fun dragging my lard ar*e up there, hope 39 x 27 is low enough!

carl_p

Not sure where to watch the Norfolk stage. I could do a nice leisurely bike ride out to Wymondham and catch a few seconds worth as they blast path, or I do the fairly longish drive to Sandringham for the sprint finish.

The latter is likely to trash the entire day. How soon do you reckon I would need to be there ahead of the finish to get a decent view? Yes, I'd get to see Cav doing what he does best, but I'm wondering if it's worth it. Any ideas what other 'events' are likely to be at the finish to make it worthwhile? Do you really get to see much?

If it's going to be a nice day I'm quite fancying the bike ride tbh

Turnbull2000

Is there no TV coverage?

durhamwasp

Not live, but highlights each night for an hour on ITV4. Think thats pretty much the best we could hope for.

rbarcan

Anyone else planning 3 viewings. I was hoping to catch them ascending Cheddar Gorge, then Old Bristol Road and then at the finish in Wells.

Is this feasible (in therms of closed roads - I know I can ride it!

jackfeeder

Just wondering if the weather will cause disruption, looks bad 4 2moro, but could be dangerous on mon - 60-70mph winds - changed race route is that a plan b do you think?

Tom Butcher

Met office is predicting 50mph gusts WSW in Blackpool - so I make that a cross headwind with the wind coming right off the sea - nice.