Le Tour duh Britain is currently in town here. In fact the next stage starts just a couple of miles from my front door.

What a fantastic sporting festival – I’m sure the locals will be thrilled.

Well.. not all of them judging by the facebook comments I’ve been reading.
Here are a few from the North East’s finest:

the roads are closed for cyclists ! Wait for the outcry when someone dies in the back of an ambulance!
..
its a disgrace bring tour through blyth the disruption its causeing. Blyth is working hospital and I dont beleive it should be blocked off for ambulance to the hospital…
..
Why shuts roads that have a cycle path on them?!?
..
Some one has no consideration for people going about their daily life run it at midnight would be easier
..
why not utilise the cycle track network to avoid as many road closures? After all that’s what it was built for?
..
Who is paying for this, i.e. policing ect; not the free loading cycling community
..
If they get in my way on the way to work I hope they can pedal fast cause I’m not slowing down or taking an alternative route!!!

What a bunch of moaning saddos.

It’s just one day and most of the road closures are only last a couple of hours.

Funnily enough it’s the annual Great North Run this weekend which also involves closing major roads – but for some reason that doesn’t seem to get the same stick.

Low level of grammar and spelling tells me all I need to know about the education behind these comments, sadly. 🙁

Miserable gits. I don’t follow road cycling, but as I have a late shift tomorrow, I’ll be able to watch the start from Waterworld, now.

Passes by the bottom of our street, too.

**** ’em.

I’m **** sick of all the cyclist-hating shitheads in this country. I hope someone runs over their kids.

From my experience of the Coast and Castles route, they did today’s stage the wrong way round. I could have beaten any pro trying to cycle out of Blyth, but heading towards it I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to keep going.

Mind you, I do love the mental image of diverting a 120 strong pro peleton with support vehicles and camera crews down a 2 metre wide shared use Sustrans path with gates on it 😀

on a similar tarring all cyclists with the same brush thread.. i was embarressed last week in a remote yorkshire dales pub..4 middle aged- male pensioners rocked up on carbon bikes all blinged up and asked for 4 tap waters (free) and the access code to the free wifi.. they even left the glasses on the outside table when they left.. twonks

I had a beautiful cycle to work in Edinburgh this morning. Police escort and team cars along duddingston low road!

Indeed totalshell. I saw a motorist behaving badly the other day. As a fellow motorist I felt ashamed. He wasn’t a real motorist though. Just some bloke in a car. He didn’t even have proper driving gloves on.
Or a hat on his parcel shelf.

Presumably there are French local newspaper comments sections where a few tedious people complain viciously about the Tour de France ruining their lives.

🙂

Mind you, I do love the mental image of diverting a 120 strong pro peleton with support vehicles and camera crews down a 2 metre wide shared use Sustrans path with gates on it

Did see the first stage of the Vuelta? 😀

It’d be great.

“We’ve just heard that Bradley Wiggins is out of the race after a serious collision with a dog egg hanging from a tree in a rotting poly bag.

Meanwhile it looks like the rest of the breakaway is stuck behind two mums pushing prams and a 3 year old on a micro scooter. The main peleton will be looking to gain some ground just as soon as they all file through this cycle barrier…”

Gutted I’m at work on Friday afternoon just a bit too far away to watch the sprint section through the main narrow street of our town as i can see it being a touch chaotic. It then climbs out of belper up towards Ilkeston. However top marks to the new head (he’s a bell end on other issues) at laddos school as he’s getting all yr2 to yr6 pupils out to watch it ride past.

We get to watch the peloton racing down the High Street in Needham Market on Saturday. Cars will be towed if they are left between 17:00 Friday and 17:00 Saturday. I’m looking forward to getting some pics of a car free town centre with cyclist going for the sprint points.

What a cunch of bunts

Made me laugh with the quote from the driver! Perhaps he ought to consider the reverse when his kids are out on their bikes and another idiot with his attitude doesnt slow down for them or take an alternative route.

It’d be great.

“We’ve just heard that Bradley Wiggins is out of the race after a serious collision with a dog egg hanging from a tree in a rotting poly bag.

Meanwhile it looks like the rest of the breakaway is stuck behind two mums pushing prams and a 3 year old on a micro scooter. The main peleton will be looking to gain some ground just as soon as they all file through this cycle barrier…”

You forgot the bit about the carnage as the peloton all repeatedly mount and dismount as the cycle route gives way to drives and side roads.. 😆

Ha ha “why close roads that have a cyclepath on them”

Proof that Facebook now extends to the village idiot and that he can be taught to use t’internet

I’d be particularly keen to see the bit where the water company have closed the main cyclepath and funneled it instead onto a 30cm wide strip of pavement along the side of a dual carriageway.

Miserable so and so’s.

I went to Monday’s stage, parked the Van a few miles away from the start then Cycled into Clitheroe. My intentions were to leave about 15 mins before the start to get back to the Van before the Riders came through.

Misjudged so only got away 5 Mins before the start so had the benifit of a rolling road closure 😀 Everyone on the route was cheering me on , having a laugh saying things like ” go on you’re winning ” etc, was good fun and good banter.

Low level of grammar and spelling tells me all I need to know about the education behind these comments, sadly

Well it is Blyth.

4 middle aged- male pensioners

I wish I could have claimed a pension in middle age.

Have you been infected by “Surrey”? 😯

Ahhh brings back fond memories of the York Press letters page before the TdF and TdY.
Do you have to work at building up that much vitriol?

I did come across a couple of the TdF riders on the York to Selby cyclepath on the night before the start. Didn’t even respond to the usual cheery wave and a reet Yorkshire ‘Ow Do?’. Probably concentrating too much on the tarmac lifted by tree roots.

Loads of nay sayers

I’m increasingly annoyed with myself that I forgot to take the day off work.

Loads of nay sayers

As usual the nimbys are just a vocal minority. I’ve had lots of non-cyclist folk mentioning that they are spectating and saying how much they enjoyed it.

I’m increasingly annoyed with myself that I forgot to take the day off work.

Yep – me too 🙁

the roads are closed for cyclists ! Wait for the outcry when someone dies in the back of an ambulance!

=

oh I hope someone dies in an ambulance so I can have a proper I told you so whinge

I’m sure the ambulance/fire engine argument came up before one of the Wiggle New Forest sportives.
As if it’s easier to get a fire engine through this:

than this:

😕
It’s not like you can jump out of your car and lift in onto the verge either!

According to my local paper, the UCI regulations have been relaxed for this year’s ToB:

http://www.harwichandmanningtreestandard.co.uk/news/13644739.Villagers_to_see_top_cycle_stars/

That picture is absolutely classic!

What a cracking finish that was thought EBH had it sewn up .

The ride out to, and back from Redstone Rigg yesterday was one of the best Wednesday rides I’ve had in my life. Effective rolling road blocks due to the sheer mass of riders was great, as was the whacky races on the way back down the hill. The Strava Flyby was entertaining too.

Watched the Tour go through Prestonpans yesterday. The police bikes doing the rolling road closures were really impressive and at that location I reckon the traffic was inconvenienced for no more than a few minutes. Not enough for anyone to moan about. Most entertaining moment of the morning was when a bus driver decided to ignore a police biker telling him to move on. He was at risk of causing a real problem to the race and was blocking the view of loads of school pupils lining the route. He eventually moved after 4 police bikers gave him a total bo*****ing!