And so looking forward to riding to the Cote du Blubberhouses (Kex Gill) tomorrow.

See you there!

Chris

After a year and a half’s anticipation, I saw about ten minutes on the telly, spent most of my evening dealing with a broken down motorhome, which means plans for tomorrow are completely **** too (and a ton of money has been totally **** wasted) and I can’t even get itvplayer on a chrome book to show me the **** highlights of what I’ve missed. Although given that I’ve been told what happened, there’s no **** point watching anyway.

I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I haven’t had a day this bad for a while.

Saw the stage 1 tt in London a few years ago, and it was brilliant. Even my wfe enjoyed it, and she doesn’t like sports generally. Was great to be able to enjoy it over several hours, and see loads of acton. feel a bit sorry for those who’ve stood around in yorkshire for ages, just to see it all blur past in 30 seconds or so.

Watched it in Yorkshire. Saw it go by then wandered down to the big screen.

No need to feel sorry for me.

I do feel sorry for edlong. 🙁

edlong, whats wrong with it? Start a thread unless there is absolutely no hope/the engine has fallen out…

Edlong.. is your motorhome French?

edlong where you coming from / trying to get to ?

I went to see it near Grinton Moor, saw them coming from about half a mile away.
Quite a spectacle as they went past and I’m glad I went to see it.
I don’t think I’d go again though, an awful lot of waiting for 30 seconds or so of action and no idea what’s happening.

I’m going to try and see it tomorrow in Cambridge. Wife keeps telling me I am stupid for trying to get into the city (road closures) but if I park up at our other office and take the bike in, I think I’ll be sorted.

Was just up the road from Stephen Smith’s, really enjoyed it. Watched the rest of the race on the big screen with a few beers. The day couldn’t have been better.

Saw the Tour BOTH days in Addingham then retired to the golf club bar where we were camping and watched the rest on the big screen while quaffing several pints of Timothy Taylor’s special TDF brew. Tough life!

We are still laughing about the McCain Frites float, which broke down just in front of us…. the wording on the float and the support van was “supporter des bons moments!”

Sorry, I was having a bad moment when I posted last night, I’m feeling much better now. People had worse days than me yesterday (Cav for one) and it’s only money, no one died.

Tour’s good innit?

Rode up to Holme Moss from Saddleworth, had a fantastic day, not into road biking but must take my hat off to the riders and the event as a whole.

Would be great if we had similar UK Wide events every so often, remember going watching the Milk race when I was a youngster somewhere near Leyland

Cheers

i went yesterday, and have been thinking about it all day today. we left newcastle at 6, parked up in Middleton in Teesdale and biked to Reeth. from there on the route to Grinton, then off the route to Hawes, watched it just over the summit of Buttertubs in a group of about 1000.

Everything about it was just wonderful, the villages, the closed roads, the crowds, the people on bikes, the kids getting cheered up the climbs, oh yeah, the race!

Honestly, well done to everyone who turned up, who decorated their houses, who cheered people up climbs, it was the best day on a bike I’ve had, better than the tour of flanders weekend a couple of years ago, by a long way.

Loved the experience today, we watched it as a family on Penistone road before cote du bradfield.
My little girl went up the course on her balance bike and oved the cheers and allez allez comments, then the floats came through which was cool, the atmosphere built. we started seeing the riders coming down hill in the distance and 5 helicopters circled and landed int he field we were in – awe inspiring in it’s self.

then the riders came through – main peleton in 1 minute 22!!

HOW **** GOOD WAS THE DAY!

Rob – You must have been right next to us. We were on Ashbourne CC corner 🙂 Those Helicopters were like something out of Apocalypse now! It was brilliant up there.

We were at the false start in York, saw the Battle of Britain flight go over twice (a bit insensitive for the Axis countries’ riders but never mind…), loved the police outriders waving and high-giving the crowd and the gendarmes doing Judge Dread impressions. Lovely atmosphere, enjoyed the yellow bikes and bunting, top marks to York Minster for the “Allez Allelujah!” banner…

We were in Otley too, up against the barriers on Manor Square cheering every little thing that happened and the toasting gently in the sunshine in front of the big screen.

Just as we walked into town a tour maker chap called over that it was Otley as we’d never have seen it before. He was absolutely right, it was utterly beyond anything I’d expected and a tremendous credit to the town. I find myself missing the place a lot now…

Harrogate roadside 1k out for the caravan, wandered down to the big screen for the riders (so we could see the finish). BBQ and Beer after then down to the outskirts of Knaresborough to get roadside for the peloton this morning. Back home for whizz through the recordings and the highlights.

Now on red wine, cheese and F1 wishing it wasn’t all over.

Otley….was a little rammed so,we walked up the route a bit. Stood outside ASDA and the kids were very happy to see themselves on telly (thank **** for HD). Today I rode out (from manc) for Holme moss, arrived a little late and they were not letting people up the hill, found a good spot near the bottom and had a great day…crowds we’re amazing!!!!

I think we can safely say yorkshire rocked it!!
You did me proud

Me too! Awesome day!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ochWYQ]IMG_2697.jpg[/url] by Ewan Panter, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/oegyzs]IMG_2717.jpg[/url] by Ewan Panter, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nWQCnu]IMG_2698.jpg[/url] by Ewan Panter, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/oekaSP]IMG_2736.jpg[/url] by Ewan Panter, on Flickr

We were in Otley, fabulous day and good to see Jens in the first breakaway. The respect and room given to the riders was a credit to the town. Spent today in Holmefirth were not the same could be said, people all over the place. Did witness touch of wheels with the need for a quick change. No doubt caused by trying to avoid spectator. The peleton had gone through I was waiting to see the broom wagon to come through following the last rider, all of a sudden people where all over the road on there way home, After a lot of shouting to clear the road so the last rider could get through people moved, I believe it was one of the merida lampre team. Still the day was good and loved being in Yorkshire.

I can’t beleive people ae being negative about the crowds at all. So they’re not very well experenced and disciined about cycle races. The main thing was, millions enjoyed it, like my friend in Huddersfield, who has almost zero intert in cycling, yet excitedly texted me to say how mazing it was, and how much everyone there was enjoying it.

Harrogate busting for us, spectacular is the only word for it.

Now quietly chilling in Eperney.fr where the tour comes through on the 11th, ah but we’ll not be here, we’ re moving on 8)

Globalti, the speed that McCains van was travelling to get back in the peleton was awesome with tow truck in pursuit!!!Thought a team member might have paced him back in!!!

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Yeah! Otley rocked!

I was lucky enough to be a flag marshall as the A59 crossed the A1.
Crowds were wonderful, and considering the relatively remote location there were loads of people. We had a great time sharing banter and starting Mexican waves down the road.
Being in the middle of the road as the peloton came through was surreal. No time to pick out individuals , but the speed and the organisation of the riders as they negotiate a roundabout was very impressive. Couple of arguments about which side to go, but no crashes/incidents.
The support drivers on the other hand were insane. There were a couple of occasions where I thought they would just drive through the bollard I was behind.
We actually got a couple of smiles and waves from the Gendarmes as they raced through.
Afterwards I rode to the Knavesmire and the crowds on Bishopthorpe Road in York were crazy. Great atmosphere, but there was no way to get a bike through there, so diverted through Rowntrees Park
Would definitely do it again. Still smiling now.

Bugger that didn’t work.

the Gendarmes

We saw them queuing on a backroad after the finish in Harrogate, so our little girls (5 yrs old) and their friend were all shouting ‘bonjour’ at them, they were really nice, speaking to them and full of smiles for us all. Great fun.

We were camping at Bolton Abbey, walked into Addingham on Saturday to watch the publicity caravan then drink TdF branded beer in the sunshine while we waited for the riders, then a lovely stroll back to the campsite.

Waled up to the A59 on Sunday to watch the riders go by.

Two totally different days, one behind barriers and the other just standing on the roadside, those bikes sure are close when you’re not behind a barrier.

Had a fantastic weekend and it was so nice to see thousands of happy smiling faces.

Loved it.

Now quietly chilling in Eperney.fr

@bikebouy – Transition are the Champagne of Bike’s I’ll have you know.

linky

Some of the people are standing too close to the road … 🙄

4 days in Swaledale for me. I’m more than happy I spent 6 hours on Cote de Grinton Moor for “30 seconds of action”. The whole atmosphere from cheering on kids riding their bikes up the hill to a gorilla chasing a girl waving a banana was fantastic. The 3 mountain bike rides with a great bunch of friends on the surrounding days made the trip even better. Then there was the beer … the food … the large outdoor TV .. the band 🙂

We were on Holme Moss about 300 metres from the top. It was absobloodylutely awesome,immense, fantastic. Walking back down afterwards it was like everybody was in a massive communal post-coital glow, I’m still glowing now in fact!

Me and edlong jnr spent yesterday part way up Cragg Vale. Although this wasn’t ‘Plan A’ (see earlier post!) it was a spectacularly good day. While we were waiting someone started an impromptu game of street cricket in the middle of the road. Now that’s a proper Yarkshur way of doing the Tour de France, complete with having to move the wickets out of the way sharpish whenever one of the loonies on a motorbike came through.

Then when the peleton came through one of the riders stopped right in front of me to clear some crap out of his cassette and I ended up holding his bike steady for him before the team car came up and the professionals took over. Or, as I’m now choosing to present it, I’ve done some bike mechanic support for a pro team on the Tour.

It wasn’t a “big name” rider sadly, but still very cool.

edlong jnr is now most enthused, and having got his photo taken with Peter Sagan on Thursday outside the Arena in Leeds, he’s got a hero to cheer on as well.

And all this fun without mass consumption of alcohol.

If the TOB gets even half the support in September it will be fantastic.

Tour of Britain will never be good when it misses out the north and Midlands and skirts round bloody liverpool instead!!

Best few days ever 🙂

Had the build up in Leeds City Centre all week, and good stuff like Otley Cycle Races then it all kicked off on Friday – I had a ticket to the Eve of Tour gala dinner, had a fantastic evening and have photos of me with Chris Hoy and Bernard Hinault 🙂

Saturday we had any number of potential plans but got selected as Tourmakers which made the choice for us. We ended up on Scott Hall Road within 2 miles of home, and didn’t have a great deal to do to be honest. But that meant we just got to watch the roll out and got home in time to watch the stage on tv and marvel at the pictures 🙂

Then we drove out to Oxenhope with our camping stuff and camped at a campsite on the climb with a view over to the descent off Penistone Hill too, and a bar with a big screen in a marquee. Good choice 🙂 Did a bit of cycling round in the morning (up Haworth main street and three ascents of the Cote d’Oxenhope Moor), bumped into some friends and watched the race with them then watched the finish in the marquee.

Today we were still off work so did a loop up Cragg Vale and back via Ripponden and Sowerby Bridge before heading home.

Still buzzing.

Even though the Tour passed the front door of the family cottage in Swaledale we decided to go walking in the Lakes instead and had a great time:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/odgJWe]Wast Water from Kirk Fell[/url] by brf, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/obwFY7]Wasdale Head from Kirk Fell[/url] by brf, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/oduTYh]Great Gable[/url] by brf, on Flickr

We then caught the Tour in Cambridge…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nXi5og]Tour De France 2014 Stage 3 Cambridge Kings College and Peleton[/url] by brf, on Flickr