Where to watch a pro race close to km0?

macs
macs Posts: 209
edited June 2016 in Pro race
The women's tour is coming through my town this year and km0 is iny town so thought I'd take the kids to go see it. Should I go a bit before km0 when they'll be cruising, close to km0 or about 2km after? Where would get the best chance of picking out individual riders and showing kids some pro riders? Any advice appreciated.

Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    At the start when they're all held in a kind of pen, stationary
    _
  • macs
    macs Posts: 209
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    At the start when they're all held in a kind of pen, stationary
    Haven't got time to get to the start otherwise I'd have done that.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Start or Finish are the best options - you can get up close.

    If you can't get to the start then a steep hill where they will be as slow as they're going or find out where the official start is and get near there. Once the flag drops they will be off like a shot. Even before the start they won't be that slow.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,576
    macs wrote:
    The women's tour is coming through my town this year and km0 is iny town so thought I'd take the kids to go see it. Should I go a bit before km0 when they'll be cruising, close to km0 or about 2km after? Where would get the best chance of picking out individual riders and showing kids some pro riders? Any advice appreciated.

    Probably best before km0, where they will be held back by the lead car and not quite at full race pace. At 2 km after the race could be full on, or they could still be cruising, it really depends on what plans teams have for the stage.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    Go to where the team buses are and where the riders sign in before the start. Riders will be milling around giving interviews maybe chatting to spectators. It's not the Tour de France, you'll be surprised how easily accessible the riders are.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    I'd go to 0 km - its a symbolic part of the race and they get to see the flag dropped (they could take one!) - everyone looks a bit pensive as well
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    If you can't get to the start area itself for the ceremonial start then the actual 0km mark isn't bad, if there's a decent sightline. It might be outside town though, so harder to get to than the ceremonial one and possibly less interesting for the kids.

    For the first TdF stage in Yorkshire I was on the first rise overlooking the actual start of racing. We'd informed those who didn't know about racing that the pace would be manic, with everyone desperate to get off the front. The flag dropped, Jens Voigt immediately made a move with two others, the peloton thought briefly about spending the next hour suffering Jens repeatedly attacking, suffered a mysterious collective radio failure and sat up.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships

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