Tour of Britain today

blazing_saddles

Pross wrote:

I haven't been down there for a while and never cycled it but I thought were were old tracks across the road outside the steelworks. Thinking about it the tracks may have been removed and there's just some ruts. Whatever, it's a horrible road to use if they want to show off the city!

There were.
The horrible road sums up this edition.
Had the race been vaguely interesting I would have made the effort to get out to Usk.

salsiccia1

Drove through there last week and some of the tracks have gone but there are still some others left. There was still the usual crap at the side of the road and in the gutters, and of course the horses.

Lanterne_Rogue

No tA Doctor wrote:

Have to say it's a sad state of affairs when even the BR forum can't get it up for the ToB.
Past years have have some excellent stages

In previous years the Vuelta hasn't really fired, whereas this year it really went off. I think that's had an impact on the attention paid to the ToB.

I understand the idea of trying to attract the sprinters (and unlike most, I don't mind the odd boring stage that ends in a mass sprint, because the boring hours are the price you pay for some of the most thrilling moments in cycling) but I think it's fair to say that it hasn't really produced a decent race this year.

blazing_saddles

If the race parcour isn't bad enough, today they face a raging headwind for pretty much all of the stage.

Mad_Malx

That finishing circuit on a rainy day isn't really going to get the tourists in, is it?

Question for you Welshies: I've been there a few times and, apart from central location of the stadium and excellent good humoured vibe on a 6 nations match day, haven't really been very impressed. Just came across as an anonymous shopping centre. Am I missing something? (not done the waterfront)

Mad_Malx

Eddie giving a good effort

Mad_Malx

That was actually quite a good finish

Richmond Racer 2

bloody well-deserved, Edvald

salsiccia1

Mad_Malx wrote:

That finishing circuit on a rainy day isn't really going to get the tourists in, is it?

Question for you Welshies: I've been there a few times and, apart from central location of the stadium and excellent good humoured vibe on a 6 nations match day, haven't really been very impressed. Just came across as an anonymous shopping centre. Am I missing something? (not done the waterfront)

Depends what you want. There's usually a fair amount going on, the museum and Castle are good and the Bay is nice. But it's a handsome place in parts rather than beautiful. I've always maintained that Cardiff is probably a better place to live in than visit as it's got everything you'd want with some beautiful scenery in easy reach.

salsiccia1

Good effort that in manky conditions

awavey

whats the thoughts on that whole bunch getting "same time" at the end there :?

havent been to Cardiff for nearly 10 years, tbf it didnt look like much had changed but yeah it always feels like the gateway to other places to go round there, not the place in itself necessarily,

blazing_saddles

Mad_Malx wrote:

That finishing circuit on a rainy day isn't really going to get the tourists in, is it?

Question for you Welshies: I've been there a few times and, apart from central location of the stadium and excellent good humoured vibe on a 6 nations match day, haven't really been very impressed. Just came across as an anonymous shopping centre. Am I missing something? (not done the waterfront)

I think we missed several tricks: not so much the city centre circuit, but a just outside the city centre circuit.
Westgate Street and the Stadium have been done to death.
To me it wasn't technical enough.
I would have sent them through Morgan's Arcade



and onto the Hayes.



That would have been spectacular with the shops still open.

rick_chasey

Erm.

A day late, but.



GROENEWEGEN WOOP WOOP

RichN95.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Mad_Malx wrote:

That finishing circuit on a rainy day isn't really going to get the tourists in, is it?

Question for you Welshies: I've been there a few times and, apart from central location of the stadium and excellent good humoured vibe on a 6 nations match day, haven't really been very impressed. Just came across as an anonymous shopping centre. Am I missing something? (not done the waterfront)

I think we missed several tricks: not so much the city centre circuit, but a just outside the city centre circuit.
Westgate Street and the Stadium have been done to death.
To me it wasn't technical enough.
I would have sent them through Morgan's Arcade



and onto the Hayes.



That would have been spectacular with the shops still open.

With the feed zone in Caroline Street, of course

blazing_saddles

RichN95 wrote:

With the feed zone in Caroline Street, of course

Cardiff's very own Allez Cipo?
Absolutely.

Frank Wilson

Mad_Malx wrote:

That finishing circuit on a rainy day isn't really going to get the tourists in, is it?

Question for you Welshies: I've been there a few times and, apart from central location of the stadium and excellent good humoured vibe on a 6 nations match day, haven't really been very impressed. Just came across as an anonymous shopping centre. Am I missing something? (not done the waterfront)

Cardiff is to Wales is what London is to England, gets all the money and none left for the north.

Dorset_Boy

Well let's pray that the organizers realize what a dreadful parcours they put together this year, and do something about it next year. This has to have been the worst stage race of the year.

bendertherobot

TOB finishes in Caerphilly were always good, Caerphilly mountain was used twice on year and Cav looked wrecked. Massive crowds on there too. It's possible to create a good course around Cardiff but it's not the city centre (surprised there weren't more offs yesterday)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kpfnD0TAhvDliZPh1

DeVlaeminck

What's Cardiff like for students? My eldest is applying to university and she is set on a biggish city?

bendertherobot

From one of the previous ones:

carbonclem

bendertherobot wrote:

Caerphilly mountain was used twice on year and Cav looked wrecked.

Cav looked wrecked on British Camp yesterday!

Caerphilly is a good finish though, you can see them come through town and then be at the finish.

salsiccia1

DeVlaeminck wrote:

What's Cardiff like for students? My eldest is applying to university and she is set on a biggish city?

It's got everything a student wants - lots of cheap-ish accommodation and loads of bars with student nights!

I've never been a student here but I gather it's a popular destination.

RichN95.

DeVlaeminck wrote:

What's Cardiff like for students? My eldest is applying to university and she is set on a biggish city?

Very good I believe. They seem to be constantly building student accomodation. It's apparently one of the most affordable cities for students*. The buses are good, it's fairly cycling friendly. There's a definite centre to the city, with most things of interest in a small area. And there's always plenty of things happening . It has a high graduate retention rate (40%)

*Source: https://www.topuniversities.com/where-t ... k-students

bobmcstuff

Couple of my friends went, loved it. This was a decade ago now though.

RichN95.

bobmcstuff wrote:

Couple of my friends went, loved it. This was a decade ago now though.

Cardiff's only got better since

Pross

Cardiff Uni is a good one with a proper city centre campus. Cardiff Met is a bit more spread around the outskirts but as a city Cardiff is very compact and so the bars and everything else are very accessible. The Student Union has always had decent bands and it's a 5 minute walk from there to the main streets. Cardiff Met has a very strong sports department as well.

DeVlaeminck

Thanks all, she's into clubbing, bassline whatever that is but a year or two ago it was indie bands so who knows what she'll be into next year, personally I'd rather she went to a small university in some backwater but she seems set on a big city.

Bo Duke

Apparently Manchester now has a student population of 100,000! In comparison accommodation in Cardiff will be both easier to find and cheaper no doubt.

rick_chasey

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Thanks all, she's into clubbing, bassline whatever that is

In which case, Sheffield would be a better shout, for that....