TOB Stage 2 Cancelled (SPOILER)

davelakers
davelakers Posts: 762
edited September 2011 in Pro race
Due to high winds.

Thats a waste of a days holiday!!
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Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Such a shame.
    _
  • Guyzie
    Guyzie Posts: 79
    I have two friends doing their LEJOG at the moment.

    They passed a few signs for the ToB while heading into Scotland two days ago,

    They're out there again today so clearly made of tougher stuff than the pro boys ;-)

    http://barbaraharmer.blogspot.com/
  • Yogiboys
    Yogiboys Posts: 12
    The safety of all involved, riders, marshalls and spectators must surely come first. Its already stormy in the north and with wind gusts of 80mph+ forecast later common sense has prevailed imho.
    Giant TCR Composite (race), Giant TCR (summer commute) & Giant Revel for winter commute. Ironman
  • davelakers
    davelakers Posts: 762
    I fully understand the decision. I was due to be marshalling KOM 2 on Harris End Fell and to be honest I wasnt looking forward to being up there, its very exposed from the south west where the wind is coming from.

    It means Ive missed out on seeing the race, wasted a day off work and I dont get my goodie bag for volunteering!!
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    Communications fail by the organisers though. Lots of reliable sources (riders, teams, sponsors) have tweeted that it's cancelled. But the organisers have simply promised "a statement will be made available shortly" without even saying what about.
  • B3rnieMac
    B3rnieMac Posts: 384
    not good for cavs worlds prep if this continues.
  • Guyzie
    Guyzie Posts: 79
    Yeah, not for one minute suggesting the ToB guys should ride.
    Conditions looks atrocious and to be honest I suspect my mates might stop by lunch time.
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    B3rnieMac wrote:
    not good for cavs worlds prep if this continues.
    I can't see them having the same problem in Stoke-on-Trent tomorrow. They're forecasting 12mph winds, gusting to 24mph. It was windier than that when I cycled 20 miles into work into a headwind last Tuesday morning. Windy enough to effect the racing, but not dangerous.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Guyzie wrote:
    I have two friends doing their LEJOG at the moment.

    They passed a few signs for the ToB while heading into Scotland two days ago,

    They're out there again today so clearly made of tougher stuff than the pro boys ;-)

    http://barbaraharmer.blogspot.com/

    Your 2 friends are getting a nice tailwind, I'd pray for those kind of conditions if I was coming to the latter part of a LEJOG.

    Now if they were heading into the wind, then your claims of them being tougher might hold some water :wink:
  • Guyzie
    Guyzie Posts: 79
    Yeah, not for one minute suggesting the ToB guys should ride.
    Conditions looks atrocious and to be honest I suspect my mates might stop by lunch time.
  • giropaul
    giropaul Posts: 414
    A similar thing happened in the Milk Race in the past - stage from Preston over the Pennines .

    It was cancelled on the road, riders loaded into team cars and taken to the finishing circuit - Malcolm won that day I think.

    It was a good call, I was playing catch-up after having to get some spares for the team, and I watched a line of lorries blown over, one by one, over the hills.

    Rider and race personnel safety has to be paramount.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    And remember when they shortened the stage over the Galibier in the Tour due to snow ?
    Drove over the tops and restarted in the sunshine the other side.

    Riis won the shortened stage. Looking ridiculously strong for some reason.
  • ollyridesfirst
    ollyridesfirst Posts: 486
    I was commuting last week and nearly came off due to the wind in Blackpool. That's with low profile rims on and less wind than today, and these guys could well have 30mm rims on or more?

    I'd say the final 7km today down the front would have been deadly!
  • jp1985
    jp1985 Posts: 434
    http://www.bigringriding.com/post/4001723929/crosswinds

    A bit of wind didnt stop these guys riding!!
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I was doing the 1k Arch for the last Pru Tour we had. We had decent weather most of the way - obviously not Scotland though - it always rains there.

    Blackpool we couldnt put the arch up - the winds were too high and I see it was the same yesterday. If its 80mph winds - you'd not even get the thing out of the van before its gone !
  • thomasmc
    thomasmc Posts: 814
    jp1985 wrote:
    http://www.bigringriding.com/post/4001723929/crosswinds

    A bit of wind didnt stop these guys riding!!

    Thats a great video
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    Right decision!

    I'm at work about 4 miles from the finish. I'd arranged an extended late luch to go see the finish, I have my bike in the car and I was dreading just riding the 4 miles.

    Passed a guy on a bike coming into Blackpool and he was all over the road trying to cope with the gusts.
  • Secteur
    Secteur Posts: 1,971
    edited September 2011
    Well I am in Blackpool and can confirm the wind is pretty severe - nearly been blown over a couple of times, bins flying over etc etc

    Have VIP passes and have been promised that Cav will make an appearance for a meet and greet, so hopefully will post some photos 2nite.

    The organisers (bless them) have put us in the ballroom where we are currently having to shout over the whurlitzer organ pumping out music as several bemuzed looking elderly couples are doing the foxtrot.

    Cav, please please PLEASE come and rescue us from this!!!!
  • Mark Bom
    Mark Bom Posts: 184
    I concur with their decision....I looked out of my bedroom window and decided it was too windy to ride to work so took the car.

    Feel totally justified now and I like to think my decision may have influenced the Tour organisers!! :P
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,941
    Some nice pics of the ride through Kendall here

    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 5fe&type=1
  • carrock
    carrock Posts: 1,103
    Guyzie wrote:
    I have two friends doing their LEJOG at the moment.

    They passed a few signs for the ToB while heading into Scotland two days ago,

    They're out there again today so clearly made of tougher stuff than the pro boys ;-)

    http://barbaraharmer.blogspot.com/

    Well a woman was blown off her bike and killed last night in Cumbria- she was doing the LEJOG

    Not sure tough is the word- I'd be scheduling an extra day's rest while the winds die down
  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    Not sure if she was blown off, the reports say she failled to negotiate a bend, either way shxt luck.
    A windy day is ok but when it is so gusty it is dangerous.
    http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/oldwelshman/
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK5Bfqj5fxY
  • thegibdog
    thegibdog Posts: 2,106
    Yeah it felt quite dangerous out there today. The main thing I was wary of was cars not making any allowances for the conditions and giving me about a foot of space when overtaking...
    https://gibworth.mypixieset.com
  • zebra67
    zebra67 Posts: 113
    But would the TdF have cancelled in the same conditions? Am thinking of the description of bad weather that cancelled a TdF stage in Kimmage's ROUGH RIDE book, that was way worse than this... or was it?
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    Any organiser would have cancelled in these conditions, because otherwise I imagine that their insurers would not have paid out.

    Just imagine the furore if a well known rider was taken out by a flying wheelie bin. Or the peloton came racing round a corner, downhill, and there was a fallen tree on the road.

    In fact, even a fallen branch could cause havoc.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,201
    Must be a lot worse a bit further north. I've been in Wrexham today and it was far less windy than had been forecast and I saw loads of cyclists on my travels but rider safety has to take priority, first time I've heard of a pro race being cancelled for high winds though.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Finishing on the sea front in Blackpool would have been crazy - no way could they have safely raced along there. At best today could have been a neutralised stage.
    More problems but still living....
  • disquieting_museeuws
    disquieting_museeuws Posts: 601
    Pross wrote:
    Must be a lot worse a bit further north. I've been in Wrexham today and it was far less windy than had been forecast and I saw loads of cyclists on my travels but rider safety has to take priority, first time I've heard of a pro race being cancelled for high winds though.

    The nearest I can think of is a stage of the Vuelta in the 1990s when the riders rode in the shelter of team cars most of the day because of high cross winds. They just raced the final 5 KMs or so.
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    the highlights on itv show hundreds of spectators at kendal enjoying the faux parade, well done them.
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,201
    Excellent crowds but from the TV pictures at the finish no doubting the right decision was made. I think if it had been like the start over the whole route it would have gone ahead. Cav did a good bit of PR in Blackpool too.

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