Tour of Britain: Rate the race?
I know it's not over yet but I have really enjoyed the race the last couple of years. It seems to be maturing really well and the parcours gets better every year.
I always think back to when the 'big crowds' were 90% school kids and not really fans of the sport. Contrast that with the crowds on Haytor. Fantastic to see.
A lot of hard work combined with a cycling boom in the UK have made this into a decent race. We know the limitations of a UK par ours but this race has captured what I recognise about UK cycling.
I suppose having thrown in a 10 mile TT because of its UK heritage, the London stage should actually be a really short twisty crit rather than the longer loop they use.
I always think back to when the 'big crowds' were 90% school kids and not really fans of the sport. Contrast that with the crowds on Haytor. Fantastic to see.
A lot of hard work combined with a cycling boom in the UK have made this into a decent race. We know the limitations of a UK par ours but this race has captured what I recognise about UK cycling.
I suppose having thrown in a 10 mile TT because of its UK heritage, the London stage should actually be a really short twisty crit rather than the longer loop they use.
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Seems to be getting bigger and better each year and as above there are more and more supporters
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I think it makes up for that just because of where it is (Home soil) and the areas it passes through that many will ride themselves or live nearby
Agree with that. Doing it over two weeks would be better
PS. maybe a bit of a silly question..Why is it the 10th anniversary of the TOB when i watched Kelly,Millar,McLoughlin etc ride the TOB in the 80's ??? 8)
History of the tour of Britain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Britain
This.
The worst edition for several years, if not longer.
The ITT basically killed the GC competition and even the entertain Madrazo
hasn't been challenged for the KoM.
None of the usual animation of recent years.
Nearest stage too far from your house? Assuming your profile location is correct it had a start town within an hours drive!
For me no-one has really tested Wiggins for the GC since he won the TT, he only had a 30 odd second advantage and I know he looks in good form but no team seemed to try. It's been a decent route and the Stage 2, 4 and 6 finishes were pretty good but not enough racing so a 5 out of 10 for me. Not as good as last year.
Bit annoyed as I was in the Lake District 7-14th and was off work until 18th but had to come home on the 14th as the wife was working
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Shame some on here are so negative and expect Alpine climbs in Britain, the organisers are doing there best to come up with a well balanced route, given the time constraints.
Here is a thought. If a specialist climber had attacked on Haytor and gained 45 second lead on GT would people on here still be complaining "That mountain top finish killed the race"?
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But anything that is a positive for cycling in the widest sense in the UK is "a good thing".
"Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
The problem isn't the TT itself, I feel, but the fact that Wiggins is in a class of is own in this race. Only Dowsett, who was ill, had any real TT pedigree - Stannard was a comfortable second. If someone like Boom, Chavanel, Costa, Hushovd or Kwiatkowski (riders who have ridden the race recently or have teams here) were here things might be different.
Who said the negativity had anything to do with the climbs?
Just about the best stage ever, in the event, was last year's stage along the Dorset coast.
Brilliant action using hardly a categorized climb , only the constant undulations. Great to see Ivan Basso and Samu Sanchez making a real effort, not just stretching their legs, training for the worlds.
The negativity comes from the GC being predictably sewn up on stage 3.
As for a specialist climber managing to take 45 seconds on Haytor, how often do you see them manage that on an big Alpine climbs?
That's not a thought, it's a dream.
I don't get this idea that everybody has to think it's great. Different horses prefer different courses.
It must be a tough race to ride - the weather in the north feels like it's been terrible over the last few years, the road surfaces aren't good, and the hills are tougher than they generally expect.
Sadly that was the devon coast, not the Dorset one last year!
GC has been very dull.
individual stages have had some good action.
weather made it dramatic at times.
nice stage winners.
for the future I still hold out hopes of one day seeing them visit the Isle of Man if the race was to expand.
Quite excellent ... Ticked all my boxes. With sky and an in form wiggins in the field it's not going to be that much of a race and the weather early on was rubbish but that aside they've done a good job. Most of the people I chatted to have no connection with cycling but just enjoy the spectacle and it was good to have the primary school challenge up the last k was a great idea
I think they said they are hoping to go up to cat 2 next year and also have a women's TOB
nice to see the domestic scene getting stuck in there
- but too much variation - tour podiums and crit racers - needs more WT/ pro conti teams
I didnt say the negativity had anything to do with the climbs.
You said the ITT killed the race. I said what if a specialist climber took 45 seconds on the GC on Haytor. Would you say that climb "Killed the race"?
I remember Chris Day of this Parish saying in 2004 that the ToB needed to embrace its spot on the calendar and be a sort of week long Belgian one day race - short, hard, wet and nasty. Getting there Chris, definitely getting there!
Also is the podium girl Carol Vordermans daughter? A very striking woman who has an air or confidence and authority that is a welcome change. Although the whole idea of podium girls is questionable still :?
However, some new pro-conti teams involvement is good - great to see IAM and MTN. Probably against the normal, but I believe they need to reduce the number of UCI continental teams [on the whole, they just aren't competing] and perhaps even drop the GB U23 team [which I believe is a requirement of the HC status the tour of Britain are aiming at].
I know they also want to increase the event to 10 days, which means they are going to need to change the schedule and start earlier in September, ensuring no conflict with the worlds. The only way I can see it becoming a major success is with a big name sponsor on board - "British Airways Tour of Britain" or the "Virgin Tour of Britain" to raise the prize money. Given the crowd numbers and increased interest in the sport now, I think a major sponsor is very likely.
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