If You Are Going To The Tour of Britain ...

[easyroller]

Hi,
Ha all that talk, and the big boys come home today
Edited- No spoilers but I would'nt mind a sub 20

Wiggo the only man to go sub-20 today, storming through 10 mile TT in 19 minutes 54 seconds.

Yeah, cheers for that was going to watch it later but why bother when some herbert posts the results...

Don't click on a thread about an event if you're going to watch it later...?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Some of them did almost come to a stop on Honister. A case of gears too high again. I saw a pic of Wiggins who appeared to be running 39/28

The climb up Haytor is similar to that but 3.7 miles instead of 3.8 k, there is also a cattle grid, I used to go up it on 42 / 22-24 52.5 - 48" 20 years ago, now 32 / 24 37" but Idont have to go that far
Wiggos on 37" but he might go to 25 -26 on the day
On a 35 mile training sesson 20 years ago it was 13 mph for the climb, many today are reputed to be doing it at 15 mph, the record used to be about 16 mph back then just for the climb.
On the day friday it would'nt surprise me to see some of the riders go up at greater than 15 MPH for sure, maybe 16 or faster

[easyroller]

The climb up Haytor is similar to that but 3.7 miles instead of 3.8 k, there is also a cattle grid, I used to go up it on 42 / 22-24 52.5 - 48" 20 years ago, now 32 / 24 37" but Idont have to go that far
Wiggos on 37" but he might go to 25 -26 on the day
On a 35 mile training sesson 20 years ago it was 13 mph for the climb, many today are reputed to be doing it at 15 mph, the record used to be about 16 mph back then just for the climb.
On the day friday it would'nt surprise me to see some of the riders go up at greater than 15 MPH for sure, maybe 16 or faster

Is that this one:

http://www.strava.com/segments/haytor-h ... ce-1618327

[Si]

Please do not put spoilers into threads that do not have SPOILER in the title. Thank you.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Fridays KOM finish ! 1st ever in TOB.
Yes I believe the record 25 / 30 years ago was 13.07 buy a pro someone from the ctc must have old records as I was'nt sure they still did the race as a hill climb
As a stright off climb I recon i could do better than my old part of training run years ago today.
I plan to do it twice today for a dry run

[ChrisButch]

Does anybody know anything about the Park & Ride arrangements for the Heytor finish? The ToB South West website has a pdf map supposedly showing details of this, but it's not working.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Does anybody know anything about the Park & Ride arrangements for the Heytor finish? The ToB South West website has a pdf map supposedly showing details of this, but it's not working.

Park and ride is from Parke Estate which is dartmoor national park headquarters. And widecombe.
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/visiting ... of-britain
The main road for haytor from bovey tracy is closed from 21.00 thurs to 21.00 friday, for vehicles not peds and cyclist.
http://www.devonnewscentre.info/spectat ... f-britain/
Extract.
"
Dartmoor -
The B3387 Station Road Roundabout, Bovey Tracey to Hemsworthy Gate, Dartmoor, will be closed to vehicles from 9pm on Thursday 19 September to 7.30pm on Friday 20 September. On-street parking will not be permitted.
There will be a rolling road closure on the A382 from Moretonhampstead to Bovey Tracey, when the race is expected in this area at around 2.20pm.
Haytor car parks will be closed from 9pm on Wednesday 18 September to 7.30pm on Friday 20 September.
Cold East Cross to the junction with the A383 will be one-way (southbound) from 2.30pm to 4pm (southbound) on Friday 20 September and no parking will be permitted from 5am to 4pm.
Parking and Transport

In Sidmouth, all car parks are open. Parking is available in Manor Road, Ham Lane, Bedford car park in Station Road, Russell Street and Temple Street.
No parking is permitted at Haytor and visitors are advised to use the park and rides at Parke Estate and Holwell Down. National bus passes are not valid on either of these services.

If you are approaching from Exeter, use the Parke Estate Park & Ride which has space for 400 cars operating from a field car park at the Dartmoor National Park Headquarters at Parke, just outside Bovey Tracey. The Holwell Down Park & Ride, operating from a field car park just off the B3387, will cater for traffic approaching from Plymouth, Tavistock, Okehampton and North Devon, and has capacity for 2,800 cars.

The Parke Estate Park & Ride will drop passengers at Moorlands House at Haytor, and the Holwell Down Service will travel to Saddle Tor Car Park at Haytor, both around half a mile from the finish.

Both Park & Ride sites open at 8am for parking and cycling or walking. The Park & Ride services will operate around every 20 minutes, between 9am and 5pm. Times may vary according to circumstances. The last service before the race arrives is approximately 1pm from Parke, and 1:30pm from Holwell Down. The first buses to the car parks after the race finishes is approximately 3.15pm.

The Parke Estate park and ride is being operated by volunteers from the Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team Ashburton. Tickets cost £10 per vehicle which includes all day parking and return bus travel for up to seven people. All proceeds from the Parke Park & Ride will go to supporting the Search and Rescue Team’s work. The Holwell Down park and ride costs £5 per vehicle, which includes all day parking and return bus travel for up to seven people."

[ChrisButch]

Many thanks - I didn't think of the National Park website

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Fridays KOM finish ! 1st ever in TOB.
Yes I believe the record 25 / 30 years ago was 13.07 buy a pro someone from the ctc must have old records as I was'nt sure they still did the race as a hill climb
As a stright off climb I recon i could do better than my old part of training run years ago today.
I plan to do it twice today for a dry run

Eddited Thurs -
I have all but given up but thinking of going to the finish friday,
I went out for a ride yesterday and I started with confidence which then plummmeted to nearly stopping and getting off two miles from home ona 34 M ride, off to the Docs today, recurring muscle cramps which bring me to a grinding halt after just 50 mins of riding, I will try and get there but traffic will be total chaos so get there early if you are going, especially because there is no rain forcast

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

The climb up Haytor is similar to that but 3.7 miles instead of 3.8 k, there is also a cattle grid, I used to go up it on 42 / 22-24 52.5 - 48" 20 years ago, now 32 / 24 37" but Idont have to go that far
Wiggos on 37" but he might go to 25 -26 on the day
On a 35 mile training sesson 20 years ago it was 13 mph for the climb, many today are reputed to be doing it at 15 mph, the record used to be about 16 mph back then just for the climb.
On the day friday it would'nt surprise me to see some of the riders go up at greater than 15 MPH for sure, maybe 16 or faster

Is that this one:

http://www.strava.com/segments/haytor-h ... ce-1618327

13m 30 secs on the day thats 16.4 mph appx

[fausto copy]

We went up to Mid-Wales at the beginning of the week, as we'd seen that the tour would be passing one of our favourite campsites.
So we watched the guys passing yesterday morning on their way from Machynlleth to Caerphilly.
We were only some 8 miles from the start and if anyone watched it on TV, you will know it was sopping wet then.
Mrs. Copy positioned herself just outside the campsite, while I walked up the hill to the small village of Llan.
I'd spotted a good perch to hopefully take some good photos (in the church graveyard).
I got there in plenty of time, thankfully in full cycling waterproofs, some 40 minutes or so before the riders were scheduled to pass.
Although it was a bit grim, it was fascinating to watch the whole entourage pass by.
Some vehicles passed within minutes of my arrival and I was kept constantly entertained by the sheer amount of activity.
The numbers of motorcyclists involved was absolutely amazing and the police motorcyclists themselves were brilliant in carrying out their obviously pre-planned (and no doubt well-rehearsed) operations.
Although they were carrying out a rolling closure of the roads, one clown of a contractor decided to emerge from a narrow side lane with the riders only a few hundred yards away. Within seconds one of the police motorcyclists was on the scene and soon had the van driver reversing rapidly out of the way.
As the stage was in its infancy, the riders were pretty well bunched up despite the climb to my location and they zoomed past me within seconds. As I was glued to my camera screen, I never got the chance to try and identify any of the individual riders and as they were togged up in their waterproofs it just seemed like a black mass flying past.
However, just watching the following team cars and other vehicles was fascinating and I was tickled when I saw the last vehicle of them all. yes, the broom wagon complete with besom-type broom attached to it's side.
What a marvellous spectacle.

And as a footnote, Mrs. Copy and I rode from our campsite to Llanidloes the day before.
The riders were scheduled to complete the section in 28 minutes.
Our time? One and a half hours (although we did stop and admire the view a couple of times, especially the one from the picnic site overlooking Llyn Clywedog.

[gordy]

Lovely report, fc. Thank you

[KeithM]

Surprised to hear that JTL has been picked for the Worlds next week. It's good to hear that he's back on form, I presume he must be otherwise they wouldn't have picked him, but a shame he's not putting said form to use in the ToB.

[easyroller]

I went (Stage 7) and it was great! Cycled around so I saw it come past a few times. Pretty big crowds in places!

[gordy]

Stage 8 was fab today. Watched it on the Embankment... ten laps of an 8.8 km circuit from Westminster to the Tower of London. We saw the peleton go past twenty times in less than two hours. Huge crowds, blisteringly fast pace, a breakaway and a stage win for Cav. What could be better?

It was a brilliant day out and a credit to the riders and to everyone involved in the race organisation and logistics.