Watching bike racing?

muzzan

So I have recently had my my 1st & 2nd experiences of watching pro racing as a spectator. 1st was the british national road race champs a few weeks ago in Glasgow & I have to say I enjoyed it. I think a fair amount of this enjoyment was the experience of walking round my home city with the streets closed on a nice summers day & every so often a group of world class cyclists would pass. The key think was that I could get a sense if the race developing. For example for the 1st several laps 2 guys (stannard & somebody else - team mate of cavs I think) were ahead & gradually I could see the gap coming down to the chasing group (including cav of course) & I actually saw the moment when they caught up. I then made my way to the finish to see cavs triumph, though I couldnt really see too much through the people in front of me. all in all though a good day out & a bit of exercise to boot.

The 2nd experience was the Tour. I was staying in Annecy & went to see the finish of the 19th stage to Le Grand Bornand & the start of the 20th stage from Annecy itself (we were leaving that day). While I enjoyed the atmosphere in the towns & some of the caravan nonsense (though really its just all corporate advertising), the experience of actually watching the cycling was rubbish, ie hanging around for hours to see a group of cyclists pass once without any idea of the context of the race. Can someone explain the appeal of this? I understand the appeal of seeing the guys up close as a novelty factor, but once thats done why would you repeat it? Genuinely interested in the appeal of bike racing as a spectator sport, as apart from possibly darts its the most disappointing spectating experience I've had at a sports event.

Omar Little

The appeal for me is the atmosphere and the unique nature of feeling involved in the event - you can ride up the mountain before the riders pass, get all the build up then eventually see them up close (when climbing they are going to be going slower and more spread out over the mountain). It is like going for kick about with a bunch of mates at Wembley before the Champions League final then moving to the touchline to let the game get under way as the players come out the tunnel.

However to see the race develop etc then it is much better to watch on TV and generally i wouldnt bother watching from the roadside unless it was a climb.

Graculus

I've been to a start, a finish and roadside for the Tour of Britain, and we try and go to the Tour series if there is one nearby. Every time, when we are getting ready to go I wonder to myself why I am bothering to make the effort, but I've always been really pleased that I did.

Did our first TdF stage this year, as we were on holiday in Brittany for the St Gildas de Bois- St Malo stage. It was sweltering and once again I wondered why we were bothering to drive an hour to go and watch guys cycle past, in a blur, at 40 km/h. But it was amazing! Even my cynical, seen-it-all, teenage son loved it.

It was exactly like that rouleur cartoon 'A Day in July'. There were lots of grandparents with young grandchildren, and boy were they good at scavenging for the goodies. (They managed to get enough stuff for a full picnic, we only managed a post card of Tommy Voeckler and some 'official' madeleines!).

But after the madness of the caravane it goes very, very quiet. Everyone is peering up the road straining their eye to see them coming (as if the peloton was going to sneak up on us unawares!). Then, in the far off distance come the sound of the helicopters, gradually getting closer and closer. Then the cars and motor bikes start coming through, then suddenly there are, the sound of 200 bike chains whirring along, there is Froome in yellow with the Sky team powering along in front...

And then it's all over! Brilliant!

deejay

Graculus wrote:

But after the madness of the caravane it goes very, very quiet. Everyone is peering up the road straining their eye to see them coming (as if the peloton was going to sneak up on us unawares!). Then, in the far off distance come the sound of the helicopters, gradually getting closer and closer. Then the cars and motor bikes start coming through, then suddenly there are, the sound of 200 bike chains whirring along, there is Froome in yellow with the Sky team powering along in front...

And then it's all over! Brilliant!

On the TDF, you must relax until you see the Blue Lights coming.

I would love to have been on the course in the suburbs of Lyon where the real French atmosphere seemed to be.
Allez, Allez.

epc06

muzzan wrote:

The 2nd experience was the Tour. I was staying in Annecy & went to see the finish of the 19th stage to Le Grand Bornand & the start of the 20th stage from Annecy itself (we were leaving that day). While I enjoyed the atmosphere in the towns & some of the caravan nonsense (though really its just all corporate advertising), the experience of actually watching the cycling was rubbish, ie hanging around for hours to see a group of cyclists pass once without any idea of the context of the race. Can someone explain the appeal of this? I understand the appeal of seeing the guys up close as a novelty factor, but once thats done why would you repeat it? Genuinely interested in the appeal of bike racing as a spectator sport, as apart from possibly darts its the most disappointing spectating experience I've had at a sports event.

Not sure what you were expecting? You mention the atmosphere in the town and the caravan. Thats all part of the experience.
I watched the alpe d'huez stage outside a bar on the summit, drinking beer whilst watching on a big screen, only to turn around when the race came past. However I have also sat beside a road watching a TT and mountain stages. Each one is a different experience but excellent all the same.
Omar is spot on, in no other sport can you get so close to the action and on the same day ride the very tarmac that they are.

muzzan

EPC06 wrote:

Not sure what you were expecting? You mention the atmosphere in the town and the caravan. Thats all part of the experience.

Well....neither was I really. I suppose I knew what it would be like in terms of them just passing in a blur, and that is fine for a one off, but i cant really get doing it over & over again. I guess its one of the few sports where the appeal of going along is everything else surrounding the event & the sport is actually a bit of a side show... fair enough. I get the thing about cycling the same tarmac etc, I did that (cycled up the semnoz a couple of days previous) & really enjoyed knowing it was the same hill the tour would be going up.

So the appeal is cycling up a legendary hill, drinking with your mates & watching sport on the telly. Sold

typekitty

Graculus wrote:

But after the madness of the caravane it goes very, very quiet. Everyone is peering up the road straining their eye to see them coming (as if the peloton was going to sneak up on us unawares!). Then, in the far off distance come the sound of the helicopters, gradually getting closer and closer. Then the cars and motor bikes start coming through, then suddenly there are, the sound of 200 bike chains whirring along, there is Froome in yellow with the Sky team powering along in front...

And then it's all over! Brilliant!

Got chills reading that. Spot on! The sound of the machine that is the peloton, the crowd, the build ups, being so close...

Keep in mind that it's also an excuse to travel and see towns and parts of the world you wouldn't otherwise perhaps see. Yes, the bike race is the focus as it whizzs by, but you meet people, sample produce, see sights. All a part of being a spectator of a bicycle race.

Tusher

Finally made it to the Tour this year after decades of waiting- and it was worth every minute of sitting in the scortching Breton heat.

Fabulous, everything I expected it to be, and I'm already saving for Yorkshire.


It was almost meditative, the waiting. And there is a piece of French roadside grass that will forever be mine (sigh).

I'd devoured all I could read about it, but the thing that really surprised me was how small the peloton was. I expected it to be past in a flash (yup), I expected it to be brightly coloured (yup), but 180 men on bikes took up such a small area of road, both in width and length.


I decided there was no point in taking photographs- instead I recorded the peloton passing on my phone.

Graculus

@ Tusher

Whereabouts were you? We were near a little town called Concoret. It was sort of halfway along the course.

oneof1982

3 reasons for watching "live":

1. Spectacle
2. Spectacle
3. Spectacle

I love to folllow on t.v., for the intrigue of the race, but every year, I need to see some of it live. That could be a mountain stage - have "done" the Tourmalet in the rain, and the Alpe in the blazing sunshine. I've been at sprint finishes, where I struggled to see the bikes between the cars, and for the last 2 years I have been on the Rue d Rivoli for the final laps. Best of all though was this year in the small, randomly selected, (for us) hamletof Bruerre Allichamps, where the whole town was out all day in full celebration mode. A big lunch in the local restaurant was followed by watching the stage through someone's front window where they had put the t.v. for all to see. This was the stage of the echelons, and we were 10k from the finish.

And it is not just the TdF. The Arrenberg Trench, Paris Roubaix, and a quick sprint to the velodrome for the finish? Or the Tour of Flanders and the Koppenberg, a real beer a chips fest. And of course the Tour of Britain.

slim_boy_fat

My first experience of the tour this year, I was on the Cote de Dinan for the stage to St Malo, stood in the heat for two hours to see 30 seconds of action, turned up early to see the caravan and the first 30 or so riders on the ITT stage to Mount St Michael and then strolled around Fougeres for the depart, saw the caravan and the riders roll out. All three were a completely different experience but all fantastic.

Verbal

I was on the Champs Elysees last year having cycled to Paris form London with some work colleagues. After a heavy and VERY late night out on Saturday night we were in situ at British corner by the Arc de Triomphe by 10am the next day. Cue several hours standing around in the midday sun, whilst trying not lose your spot, drinking lots and then finally around 4.30pm the bonkers caravan appeared then the helicopters and then finally the riders. After all their laps were completed we all gathered around someones iPad to watch the live stream of Cav winning before sadly having to hot foot it to the Gard du Nord to catch the train home. There was lots of waiting around but half the fun of it was the atmosphere and spectacle, making friends and sharing beers with complete strangers, the fact that a Brit was about to win the tour for the first time ever and the fact that we had all cycled from London to witness it. Great memories and I would definitely do it again!

nolance

I've been to the Tour twice and found it the best sports event I have attended,I suppose it helps when its free but when you explain it to non-cycling people it does sound ridiculous.
AS has been said before it is the whole build-up from getting to your spot to sitting waiting,talking to people from all over the world most of whom are very friendly, to watching the approaching helicopters to the whoosh as the riders go past.Even on the top of Alpe d'Huez and Ventoux they go by so quickly that it's difficult to tell one from another and definitely don't waste your time looking through the viewfinder of a camera for pictures,just watch and enjoy.Savour the whole thing with your own eyes.
Oh another thing, after you've stood all day on a mountain waiting you can see why the people on the big climbs are all so "manic".The combination of time,drink and heat is a heady mixture and it's no wonder some go stir crazy.

RoadPainter

Love it!

Worked out while travelling that Paris would be my 46th GT stage, I can't get enough of it.

Such an amazing experience, wherever you watch it- but the mountains are really where it comes to life.
I got a couple of good videos this time to show people what it's like - as someone said earlier, you just can't explain it! I reckon TvG and Riblon going thru Dutch corner 2nd time will enlighten a few. Potential problem brewing is football 'fans' now being interested - though they're all going to dutch corner next year (!) so we might be ok after all!

alihisgreat

Graculus wrote:

I've been to a start, a finish and roadside for the Tour of Britain, and we try and go to the Tour series if there is one nearby. Every time, when we are getting ready to go I wonder to myself why I am bothering to make the effort, but I've always been really pleased that I did.

Did our first TdF stage this year, as we were on holiday in Brittany for the St Gildas de Bois- St Malo stage. It was sweltering and once again I wondered why we were bothering to drive an hour to go and watch guys cycle past, in a blur, at 40 km/h. But it was amazing! Even my cynical, seen-it-all, teenage son loved it.

It was exactly like that rouleur cartoon 'A Day in July'. There were lots of grandparents with young grandchildren, and boy were they good at scavenging for the goodies. (They managed to get enough stuff for a full picnic, we only managed a post card of Tommy Voeckler and some 'official' madeleines!).

But after the madness of the caravane it goes very, very quiet. Everyone is peering up the road straining their eye to see them coming (as if the peloton was going to sneak up on us unawares!). Then, in the far off distance come the sound of the helicopters, gradually getting closer and closer. Then the cars and motor bikes start coming through, then suddenly there are, the sound of 200 bike chains whirring along, there is Froome in yellow with the Sky team powering along in front...

And then it's all over! Brilliant!

Couldn't have put it better myself! Chapeau! (I'm still going to have a crack though )


I saw the TdF prologue in London in 2007 - that's before I was remotely interested in cycling and it was still a great experience.

My first 'proper' experience was Box Hill for the Olympic road race and that was just mental - the excitement of the peloton coming past with team GB driving the front would have been worth it just for the few seconds of excitement, but we got it EIGHT times. It was awesome! You could see the dynamic of the race, count back from the breakaway, pick out different riders on each pass etc.

At the end of the day though its all about how excited you get at the prospect of seeing the professionals in the flesh and feeling the air parted by the peloton as it whooshes past. Because lets admit it.. 200 guys cycling past isn't always going to be the most exciting thing in the world - and its like any other sport, you've got to pick and choose the best times to see it.

tigerben

If you want more bang for your buck try and get to a TT stage. I saw my first TT this year - 3km from the finish at Mont Saint Michele - and absolutely loved it. 6 hours sitting under a shady tree eating a picnic and having a drink and every couple of minutes a cyclist shot past. The atmosphere was awesome with the ripple of cheers announcing each approaching rider. You could tell from the way people jumped to the feet when one the big guns were coming. The family next to us had the stop watch out and the start times and were doing a pretty neat job keeping us updated on progress - although for some it was very clear who was taking it easy. Even my non cycling wife loved it - enjoying the challenge of capturing the riders as they went past on her phone....(not easy - lots of photos of roads, feet and

I also think it is great to experience seeing the peloton shoot past a full speed. The physical mass of riders, bikes and cars just takes your breath away. It is so intimidating you have to step back and let it thunder past. Whilst it is a case of blink and you miss it - it's a sight worth waiting for. Personally I like caravan and the noise and style euro pop and the fact the whole village turns up to watch.

Graculus

tigerben wrote
If you want more bang for your buck try and get to a TT stage

Yes, we thought that a TT might be a good one to try next, particularly where it starts and finishes in the same place (like Nice this year).

Apparently if you own an enthusiastic child it's fun to go and lurk near the team buses. Apparently the mechanics and riders are (mostly) very kind to young fans. At the Vendee a couple of years ago a friend of my son got to hold Cav's bike while he adjusted something.

alan_a

Graculus wrote:

tigerben wrote
If you want more bang for your buck try and get to a TT stage

Yes, we thought that a TT might be a good one to try next, particularly where it starts and finishes in the same place (like Nice this year).

Apparently if you own an enthusiastic child it's fun to go and lurk near the team buses. Apparently the mechanics and riders are (mostly) very kind to young fans. At the Vendee a couple of years ago a friend of my son got to hold Cav's bike while he adjusted something.

/\This. The younger the better. Having a 3 month old strapped to my front blagged me access to lots of places.

Better still if you can base yourself near the rest day location for a few days before it and the day after. That way you get all the razzamatazz of the tour arriving for what is typically a mountain top finish on the Sunday, then on the Monday spend time cycling between all the team hotels and chat with the mechanics and if you're lucky chance upon the teams going out for spin. Then on the tuesday you get to enjoy all the pre start festivities.

Paul 8v

I've been to a few races live but nothing can match the Champs Elysees, the roar of the crowd when the first helicopter comes over and the noise is amazing. Much nicer atmosphere than a football match where the crowd can get aggressive at the other team/ref etc

thegreatdivide

I was on the last hairpin on the Croix Fry under the crazy thunder and lightning storm that made the ones we’ve just had in the UK look a bit 'wet'. By the time Costa arrived the atmosphere was amazing! We made it onto Eurosport too ;-)

Not my first Tour/Pro race experience but certainly my best. We were soaked to the bone but buzzing all the way home.

Mikey23

Went up to the top of pork hill on dartmoor on a beautiful day last September to see the tob go through and it was absolutely brilliant. I've never seen so many people in one remote place before, lining up several deep all the way up the hill. Chatting and drinking beer, watching the circus come through and all the local riders doing the climb. Then the helicopter getting closer ... And then they all whizz past in a flash... Going uphill at that speed???? And theres cav ... yay... And picking myself out on tv later as I caught up with the race. Happy days. Must do the tour soon

muzzan

Ok .... Ok.... I realise now that I may have made a school boy error... I didnt drink enough beer!

Will certainly be giving it another chance, maybe at the tour of britain as the 1st stage is in scotland. I think maybe the beer helps the romance come out in cycling not just in life!

Mikey23

Oh and I was supporting a guy so got paid for it ...

dottigirl

Being a relative newbie, one of my first experiences of watching was for the Olympics. In particular, the TT. Our club's regular pub was right in the middle of the course: we watched them start on tv, got on our bikes and saw them going south, then cycled across to the other side (some stopping for a quick one in the pub) and saw them going north, then returned to the pub for the finish. Repeated for the men's race. All the atmosphere, seeing them live and on telly. Perfect.

Been to see several of the Tour Series events this year and they're a good way to get into it. You only really appreciate how fast they're going if you've seen the amateurs first.

clanton

Pretty much as everyone has said above.

Amongst my favourite memories - the prologue in London with amazing weather and an incredible atmosphere, my first mountain stage (Ventoux 09). Non tour wise the Olympics was simply amazing. Headley for the mens, a very wet Boxhill for the womens, and Kingston for the TT. The roar as Wiggo approached was insance.

One particular memory that stood out was the eerie near silence of 4000 + people standing in drenching rain watching Lizzie Armistead nearing the finish of the Olympics RR on the big screen on top of Boxhill.