Tour of Britain 2018

ShutupJens

TheFog wrote:

ShutupJens wrote:

Also York has hosted the TDY

Sorry, did mean to type "in the last few years". A stage finished in York in 2015, first year of the tour.

Ah I see. Yeah I don't doubt that it will get it again though, there's only so many big cities and Leeds is getting it's share too isn't it

No_Ta_Doctor

birdie23 wrote:

Dave L wrote:

Looks like there will be a Cumbrian stage this year....
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow/Tour-of-Britain-to-come-to-Barrow-and-Ulverston-84d6ee5b-c381-4df0-9c01-9a338f9d6759-ds
Doubtless they'll manage to miss all the best climbs, but one can always hope.

Sunny Bank up to the Range Rover garage at Torver was resurfaced because of this a few weeks ago, rumour I heard was that it's earlier than the 7th though.

From that article:

"As far as I'm aware it's going from Barrow to Ulverston," he said. "From Ulverston to Greenodd and Penny Bridge, Lowick, Torver, Coniston, Hawkhead Hill and then I assume they would turn left and go to Ambleside and from Ambleside to Grasmere."

That's only a smidgeon over 50km, so either it's a long TT or they're going to take a detour or two.

jam1e

Great, it sounds like a Cumbrian stage which misses any actual hills.

birdie23

No tA Doctor wrote:

birdie23 wrote:

Dave L wrote:

Looks like there will be a Cumbrian stage this year....
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow/Tour-of-Britain-to-come-to-Barrow-and-Ulverston-84d6ee5b-c381-4df0-9c01-9a338f9d6759-ds
Doubtless they'll manage to miss all the best climbs, but one can always hope.

Sunny Bank up to the Range Rover garage at Torver was resurfaced because of this a few weeks ago, rumour I heard was that it's earlier than the 7th though.

From that article:

"As far as I'm aware it's going from Barrow to Ulverston," he said. "From Ulverston to Greenodd and Penny Bridge, Lowick, Torver, Coniston, Hawkhead Hill and then I assume they would turn left and go to Ambleside and from Ambleside to Grasmere."

That's only a smidgeon over 50km, so either it's a long TT or they're going to take a detour or two.

I heard talk of it going over Whinlatter Pass. Guess we'll find out for sure tonight.

carbonclem

A lady I know texted me yesterday saying she'd seen 'Team Sky' and 'another tour team' riding through the Stroud valleys. I would credit her with not being mistaken, so can only assume they may have been looking at routes in the area? Cant imagine any other reason. Could have been a few blokes in knock off replica kit I guess ...

Mad_Malx

I'd be suprised if Sky would bother recon for ToB.

Some nice classics-style riding round there though.

larkim

How do they manage to keep the routes such a closely guarded secret? You'd have thought that various planning or council traffic department processes need to be gone through in triplicate to get the amount of temporary road closures put in place, and those will presumably all already be in place otherwise they'd be publishing a detailed route without approval from the petty bureaucrats some of whom might delight in sticking two fingers up to their lycra-clad enemies because form A-234/C needs endorsing by a member of the chartered institute of public road safety PRIOR to submission through the planning portal, but only if form B-765/2 (2017 revision) has box A1 ticked in black meaning all forms needed to be in three weeks ago, and you missed the deadline, sorry.

fenix

I guess people aren't really THAT excited about the route ? I may pop over if its close and convenient - but other than that - mehhh.

rick_chasey

TbF Tour of Britain peaked on stage 6 in 2006.


In hindsight this is a pretty strong podium

andyp

birdie23 wrote:

I heard talk of it going over Whinlatter Pass. Guess we'll find out for sure tonight.

Twice. A 14 km TTT which finishes on it, then a stage finish the next day after 170 kms from Barrow-in-Furness.

An uphill 14 km TT is novel.

figbat

Route launched. Not coming my way, nor within two counties.

florerider

Stage 1 KoM on Bethlehem Hill, used to go there to get Xmas cards franked Bethlehem!

RichN95.

This is an interesting Team Time Trial

iainf72

Rick Chasey wrote:

TbF Tour of Britain peaked on stage 6 in 2006.


In hindsight this is a pretty strong podium

Ahhh, memories. My eldest threw his Fruit Shoot bottle onto the road just before the riders got there. And then demanded we left because he was bored.

No_Ta_Doctor

RichN95 wrote:

This is an interesting Team Time Trial

Still doesn't go anywhere near my house.

briantrumpet

The Devon route should be fun - up and down the whole time. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27714260

It's got the punishing Chineway Hill right near the start, draggy, ramping up, with a slightly extended 25% kick near the end. It'll be interesting to see how hard they go at that, as there's a lot of hard work to do afterwards.

graeme_s-2

Stage 4 will come right past the building I work in.

I however will be on holiday in Cornwall

briantrumpet

Graeme_S wrote:

Stage 4 will come right past the building I work in.

I however will be on holiday in Cornwall

And the Devon route is nearly all roads I know, and I won't be working...

...but I'll be in the south of France.

Pross

It's an odd route, doesn't feel very joined up with some fairly long transfers. They're riding in some lumpy areas but generally the tougher climbs seem to be fairly early in stages where they are less likely to play a part (the Cumbrian stage being the exception). Interesting TTT though.

The final climb on Stage 1 is within walking distance of my house, it's fairly steep (up to 15%) but is only half a mile long. It's leaving me with a dilemma of watching there or at the finish, a hard attack there could be decisive as only about 5 miles to the finish. On the whole the stage feels like a wasted opportunity as it could have had some proper climbs but I guess they wouldn't want it smashed up on day 1. Defynnog is a fairly steep climb, regularly used in the Ras de Cymru but again not very long and half way through the stage where they'll be soft pedalling.

DeadCalm

iainf72 wrote:

[
Ahhh, memories. My eldest threw his Fruit Shoot bottle onto the road just before the riders got there. And then demanded we left because he was bored.

Memories indeed. That was the race that got me back into cycling. I was just getting into photography and thought it would be fun to pop along and take some photos. Had no idea who any of the riders were.

cougie

The TTT does look an interesting development. But yeah. Nowhere near me either.

There's often long transfers between stages. They have to go where they are welcome I guess. Thursday can't pick and choose to start and finish at X and y.

jimmythecuckoo

Good line up of teams.

larkim

The end of the Devon stage could be interesting - up from Woolacombe and down through some very very narrow and twisty lanes via Georgeham to Croyde just when the race should be getting busy is a recipe for some chaos. Wouldn't want to be in a group having to ride fast through there with some fairly solid walls very close by!

carbonclem

Mad_Malx wrote:

I'd be suprised if Sky would bother recon for ToB.

Some nice classics-style riding round there though.

Yeah, it seemed like a red herring anyway. Comes close enough to these parts - Newport, Bristol, Nuneaton - but not through it.

briantrumpet

cougie wrote:

The TTT does look an interesting development. But yeah. Nowhere near me either.

There's often long transfers between stages. They have to go where they are welcome I guess. Thursday can't pick and choose to start and finish at X and y.

And by "where they are welcome", that means which authorities are prepared to pay £100k (might well be more now). I'm glad to say that Devon are enlightened, and realise that it beings in far more in tourism than the initial outlay.

bobmcstuff

Stage 4 goes close to my parents. Have ridden most of those roads, I might try to get down and be in Bristol for the start and finish.

Possibly watch the start, go to Mud Dock cafe and watch the race, then go and watch the finish (depending exactly where the finish is).

bobmcstuff

And stage 7 isn't too far for me.

graeme_s-2

bobmcstuff wrote:

Stage 4 goes close to my parents. Have ridden most of those roads, I might try to get down and be in Bristol for the start and finish.

Possibly watch the start, go to Mud Dock cafe and watch the race, then go and watch the finish (depending exactly where the finish is).

Do you mean Stage 3 (which confusingly is on 4th September)? Stage 4 is in Warwickshire (on 5th September).

bobmcstuff

Graeme_S wrote:

bobmcstuff wrote:

Stage 4 goes close to my parents. Have ridden most of those roads, I might try to get down and be in Bristol for the start and finish.

Possibly watch the start, go to Mud Dock cafe and watch the race, then go and watch the finish (depending exactly where the finish is).

Do you mean Stage 3 (which confusingly is on 4th September)? Stage 4 is in Warwickshire (on 5th September).

Oh, yes. That is confusing...

birdie23

andyp wrote:

birdie23 wrote:

I heard talk of it going over Whinlatter Pass. Guess we'll find out for sure tonight.

Twice. A 14 km TTT which finishes on it, then a stage finish the next day after 170 kms from Barrow-in-Furness.

An uphill 14 km TT is novel.

My local roads for the stage from Barrow, will be interesting to watch. Will be interesting to look on Strava afterwards for the roads we often ride that they're covering too.