Tour of Britain

Now we have something / quite-a-lot to discuss and celebrate.
bjlabuk
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by bjlabuk »

TrevA, Thank you.
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kylecycler
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by kylecycler »

Just saw this on Reddit, presumably the police rolling road blocks fleet for the ToB, although that's just speculation. Opens your eyes to just what it takes (and makes you wonder what it costs)!

https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comme ... s_long_as/
thirdcrank
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by thirdcrank »

With my apologies for the drift from the ToB, here are some shots of the motorcycle escorts - including the French motards for the Grand départ in 2014, which I only stumbled across quite recently. It gives some idea of what Welcome to Yorkshire must have splashed out.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/westyorks ... otostream/

I'm only on the basic version of Flickr so I get all the ads which slow it down. There are stacks of images of the TdeF in Yorkshire in there, as well as other unrelated police stuff.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FWIW, I've worked out how this is laid out

The TdeF 2014 is on pages 8 to 12.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/westyorks ... ging/page1
rjb
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by rjb »

I'm sure that video of the police escort going home doesn't show half of what's involved. I watched the peleton in Somerset a few years ago about 10 miles from the start as they came through our village. The main action turned out to be the police motorcycle escort as the majority came through first as the break haden't established. There were almost as many police outriders as cyclists. And when you add on the team cars, neutral service, ambulance, broom wagon, press, cameramen, doctor, director, VIP freeloaders, publicity caravan, you realise just how much global warming they are generating. :lol:
Here's a utube link from this year's race in Cornwall which shows what's involved. I gave up counting. :shock:
https://youtu.be/f3gGyTy3hyE
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
I've got to admit on the back of the other tours that we've just watched tour of Britain always appears to be a bit flat.
but the Great Orme looked as good as anything on the box.

but I'm finding this year's tour of Britain a bit more interesting, maybe because the Volta was so poorly aired by quest.

I've not had much experience with watching tours but I did see the tour of France come to south England about 20 odd years ago, there's not a lot to see and just standing on a flat Road certainly don't recognise anybody for sure.

Several years ago I watch the tour of Britain come over DARTMOOR which is quite commonly does this recently.
I decided to try and cycle to 3 points of the course around DARTMOOR.
I managed two missing the other by a matter of minutes.

but what I did see was quite spectacular.
I just happened to pick two spots that were perfect, hardly anybody there at all because there's hardly anywhere to park on Dartmoor anyway.
What made it so good was the fact that you could see the whole peloton snaking over a few hills, with some bends as well the actual experience was something Else.
Experiencing a full peloton with nobody talking and the very precise whir of chain kits with their tanned bodies also Looking very relaxed was quite an eye opener, as I said it was a perfect location and you couldn't have better that, that memory will stay with me probably for a long time.
It's stupid that on DARTMOOR they past many viewpoints of unusual things but none of it ever shows up on TV!
They might as well be on a dual carriageway

I've seen some of the police motorcyclist in action at the Tour de France this country and on the tour of Britain also, I think some police officers just like to just tell everybody that they can lay the law down whenever they want.

Unless you had previous experience on that course watching it all so it's very difficult to find just the right spot, I probably would find to start interesting experience that, I mean the build up to the start and then able to see what really goes on.
My real interest Apart from the riders would be to look at the preparation of the bikes et cetera et cetera.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by thirdcrank »

"Older readers" may remember the era when the ToB was the Milk Race, in its day arguably one of the main amateur tours this side of the Iron Curtain. Those were the days when some "amateurs" were largely self-funded eg the GB riders, some were senior officers in the Red Army etc; and some were the junior pros, semi-pros in Western Europe.

Anyway, the main role of the police in those days was to enforce the law on unclosed roads. If the commissaires (OK Phil - referees) didn't enforce race rules eg not crossing the centre line even where it was not illegal, the police would stop the race and give everybody a warning.
st599_uk
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by st599_uk »

rjb wrote: 10 Sep 2021, 9:38pm I'm sure that video of the police escort going home doesn't show half of what's involved. I watched the peleton in Somerset a few years ago about 10 miles from the start as they came through our village. The main action turned out to be the police motorcycle escort as the majority came through first as the break haden't established. There were almost as many police outriders as cyclists. And when you add on the team cars, neutral service, ambulance, broom wagon, press, cameramen, doctor, director, VIP freeloaders, publicity caravan, you realise just how much global warming they are generating. :lol:
Here's a utube link from this year's race in Cornwall which shows what's involved. I gave up counting. :shock:
https://youtu.be/f3gGyTy3hyE
And the helicopters - they're needed for the link back to the OB truck at the finish line.
Was there no caravan of sponsors throwing out freebies?
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mjr
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by mjr »

rjb wrote: 10 Sep 2021, 9:38pmThere were almost as many police outriders as cyclists.
There's about 30 police motorbikes, I think, from memory of many visits to the race. There's 107 riders in this year's race. So not even close.

I agree with the general thrust: it's far from non-polluting, with the above 30 police plus 5 or so TV motorbikes, a few photographer motorbikes, a dozen race support cars and 36 team support cars, plus all the start and finish town lorries and buses.

However, compared to other sporting events, the competitors are all green-powered, more of the spectators arrive by bike and there's not the big carbon-emitting stadium to build and operate when no event is on. So I'd not be surprised if it's better than feared.
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VinceLedge
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by VinceLedge »

When we watched it yesterday, we got there early to park and as above it is amazing how many people are involved in the set up and running, including a van with 2 people at each sprint and KOM points to set ut up and remove and collect rubbish from the throw away zones.
Well worth seeing live and free unlike most top sport!
Syd
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by Syd »

mjr wrote:
rjb wrote: 10 Sep 2021, 9:38pmThere were almost as many police outriders as cyclists.
There's about 30 police motorbikes, I think, from memory of many visits to the race. There's 107 riders in this year's race. So not even close.

I agree with the general thrust: it's far from non-polluting, with the above 30 police plus 5 or so TV motorbikes, a few photographer motorbikes, a dozen race support cars and 36 team support cars, plus all the start and finish town lorries and buses.

However, compared to other sporting events, the competitors are all green-powered, more of the spectators arrive by bike and there's not the big carbon-emitting stadium to build and operate when no event is on. So I'd not be surprised if it's better than feared.
I counted 50, before I stopped, Police and NEG motorbikes as I left Hollyrood Park yesterday.

Some of the Police bikes were from the Devon and Cornwall force so can only assume that they are heading onto Aberdeen before returning south towards their home area.n
Jamesh
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by Jamesh »

I do feel that bonus seconds distort the racing.

If you win you should win on overall time not on extra time in bonus seconds for 1,2,3 etc.

Sprinters sprint for the days stage the overall should be contested on the time not sprint positions too....?

Cheers James
Syd
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by Syd »

Jamesh wrote:I do feel that bonus seconds distort the racing.

If you win you should win on overall time not on extra time in bonus seconds for 1,2,3 etc.

Sprinters sprint for the days stage the overall should be contested on the time not sprint positions too....?

Cheers James
Totally agree. Bonus seconds are completely spoiling racing for me at the moment.
bjlabuk
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by bjlabuk »

Thanks to all who recommended going to the start. Got to the Stage 8 start at 9.30am and there was already a big crowd walking round the fenced off competitor area viewing the team coaches and the bikes at close quarters. Watched the teams all being introduced on stage and watched the riders set off at 10.45am. All very worthwhile. Then drove to a roadside viewpoint where the lead group were 3 minutes ahead of the peleton. The whole entourage is pretty slick and impressive. I overhead one of the police motorcyclists saying that he had been escorting the tour since Penzance. It make sense I guess to have a consistent team of police motorcyclists who know the procedures inside and out and are used to working in conjunction with the ToB safety motorcyclists. Only complaint I heard from some villagers was the speed the police outriders were going through their 30mph streets, blue lights flashing etc when the riders were still about 15 minutes away ! All in all a good experience and I will definitely do it again next year.
mattheus
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by mattheus »

st599_uk wrote: 11 Sep 2021, 9:35pm ...
And the helicopters - they're needed for the link back to the OB truck at the finish line.
Was there no caravan of sponsors throwing out freebies?
I've seen this race twice in recent/modern times, and I don't remember any of That Sort Of Thing.
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Hellhound
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Re: Tour of Britain

Post by Hellhound »

mattheus wrote: 13 Sep 2021, 8:42am
st599_uk wrote: 11 Sep 2021, 9:35pm ...
And the helicopters - they're needed for the link back to the OB truck at the finish line.
Was there no caravan of sponsors throwing out freebies?
I've seen this race twice in recent/modern times, and I don't remember any of That Sort Of Thing.
I thought it only happened on the GTs?

Great race this year.Hayter was very unlucky but that's racing :roll: We can argue until the cows come home about time bonus's but that's the rules and all riders know this.
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