George Square is the main fan zone with big screens and there's a large crowd on the infamous climb of Montrose Street but to be honest anywhere is good. There are tens of thousands of people lining the barriers, clapping, banging the boards, cheering for everyone from first to absolute dead last rider. Good atmosphere.
Be prepared to wait a while if you want to cross the course, the crossing points are busy and only open for limited periods in between the back of the race clearing it and the front coming around again.
Loads of cafes, bars etc so no issues getting food.
Weather has picked up a bit too. 🙂
Great info, thanks very much and will pass it on. Good news about the weather, however in Scotland you can be subjected to all 4 seasons in one day! Enjoy your time there.
scaredypants
Full Memberyeah, multiple riders as it turned out, I think
Pretty much has to be that way, anyone on course and above the red on the track is going to have their run stopped. Sucks tbh but without 5 minute gaps it's always just one of those things.
Men's RR stopped by protestors... 🙄
Just Stop Oil? TV coverage (understandably) hasn't given any airtime to them.
Here in George Square. Brilliant atmosphere
You'd think the Polis would head from the other way, but nah.
Easier to bring the existing resources from the back rather than try and send new resources from Glasgow the wrong way along the route.
Totally fair enough, thanks for the info.
How's the atmosphere been during this break?
Relaxed at first, getting a bit more frustrated now.
Been all about the ladies for me so far. Watched Katie Archibald and team win pursuit at the velodrome last night and just been out to cheer on all the GB team in marathon, but mainly smiling Isla.
Bored now
Can well imagine.
Wonder if the the nuclear option of sending André Greipel up the road to have a 'chat' with the protestors was offered up?
what do we think of the course? Not entirely popular with some of the comments I've seen on twitter who seemed to want a 220km social ride followed by 30km of racing at the end, but this is more like a long crit - where you need to be switched on, tactically aware, as well as just having good legs.
commentators suggesting any mechanical/puncture with this circuit is race over. Far too tight in places could hardly get past neutral service :/ Single file the whole circuit!
Just Stop Oil? TV coverage (understandably) hasn’t given any airtime to them.
Appears to have been This is rigged. Same people who have been blocking grangemouth
Go on, why?
Course looks like it was designed entirely by the local council.
Gah, this course is dreadful!
It's making for some entertaining riding but can't be much fun to ride
That course must be exhausting to ride with all that cornering and acceleration. Great for spectators, shite for the riders
is that not better than just going to whoever has a strong team to manage the pace and bunch and then can sprint at the end?
The course is resulting in them racing like they are in the last 10km, despite there being 100km+ to go. Great entertainment and equal opportunity for all riders so no complaints from me.
WHO IS IN THE BREAK FFS ???
is that not better than just going to whoever has a strong team to manage the pace and bunch and then can sprint at the end?
Guess that depends if your belief is that cyclings an individual sport or the team sport that it is.
Belgium doing a good job of controling it as a team for time being
Is the problem (not that I think it's a problem, I think this is interesting in a way that other WC's or flat TdF stages aren't) that there is such a big field and TBH some of the team riders are not of the same capability as the top guys - those from the smaller nations, etc. Consequently there are splits likely to happen, as a result you have to be at the front to not get stuck behind one and hence it's racing from as soon as they hit the Glasgow circuit.
I'm lovin' it.
that depends if your belief is that cyclings an individual sport or the team sport that it is.
Fair point, but it's still won by an individual. Sagan won it 3x in a row without a strong team.
I suspect that it will calm down once there's been a selection, and then race again for the last 2-3 laps.
he's a canny ol' racer Pog! made the front group and not once seen the wind 😀
as i type he just does the shortest turn on the front. 🙂 I think the rest of them noticed him loitering 🙂
This is brutal, not sure anyone will be able to get away.
rain !!!! this is going to get more mental!
Given central Glasgow is (mainly) built on a grid system and there is a motorway box around the centre meaning its difficult to close off roads outside of that box as well as loads of small hills in and around the centre its always going to be a course like this unless you either close off the whole city centre or just have an out and back into the suburbs. Thats my guess of why the course is like it is. Geographic and political constraints
This is brutal, not sure anyone will be able to get away.
you timed that perfectly!
As Bettiol goes 😀😀😀
That climb up Kelvingrove park is a belter, used to do it 39x16 back in uni days.
Standing next to the course it's tight but from my utterly clueless perspective not impossible to pass on the straights. Support cars are ****ing mental though, some of the drivers really need to calm down.
for a 'shit course' it's created a brilliant race between the best riders in the world.
drama! There's no radio but will his team car get that message and would they have a spare shoe in any case, or in the pit?
[edit, he's pulled the flappy bit off]
Just got back from the watching in the city center, I thought I'd take a quick run in on my bike, that was a mistake, could barely move and couldn't really see anything.
Beast mode engaged!
how far are they riding - it's saturated one moment and three corners later dry as a bone and sun's out.
It's almost like the magic tunnel under the Thames on Zwift, porting to a totally different place!
Support cars are **** mental though, some of the drivers really need to calm down.
I was out photographing the race at the right turn from Lennoxtown over to Torrance - probably more luck than judgement that there wasn’t a collision as the cars and bikes took the corner, in some cases undercutting each other. Those KIA’s squeal a bit when they’re cornered 🤪
Few miles across at most
@ditchjockey yeah we were standing at the corner or West Regent Street and West Nile Street and one driver looked quite sketchy. Glad we were on the inside!
On what was essentially a 14km crit course for the last 140-150km would they have been better banning cars static neutral service every x hundred meters and if you take a bike you can swap back at the pits?
Would take a bit of organising but would have got shot of a load of cars.
That race was outstanding entertainment.
Brilliant, wasn't it. I wouldn't like the same course type every year, you want to also let sprinters have a go too, but that had me watching a lot of it - in the past it has been watching the start, then do something else for 5 hours, then come back to watch the racing.
would they have been better banning cars static neutral service every x hundred meters.
Kind of - but every few hundred metres would have been 6 corners which on a flat tyre and in the wet would have been like wacky races!
My wife has zero interest in cycling. She watched the last 100km and loved every minute of it.*
*she pointed out that she liked wout van aert the most and would watch him all day long…
