2014 Tour de France

[J4MIE]

I'll be out watchine somewhere. Plenty time to recce to find a decent spot.

[Mark]

I'll be out watchine somewhere. Plenty time to recce to find a decent spot.

You should cycle the stage with us. So far we have, me & GirdGirl with Ibby driving the support car

[J4MIE]

Sorry, I'm busy that day. Maybe another time.

[race aficionado]

I do hear the best advice of those who have been to see the race is don't take any pictures of the peleton as it goes past, as you'll miss them, and get a crap photo to boot.

Unless you are at the steep mountain climbing part of the stage, they zoom by so fast - but the color blur and the sound of the wheels and the commotion are a treat for the senses.

In my home country Colombia, cycling has been big since I can remember - we have them Andes mountains to deal with.

I even made a documentary of our national tour in 1980 and managed to follow my all time favorite cyclist (Martin Cochise Rodriguez) in his last Colombian tour event - Great memories.

[steveaki13]

Hmm. I am not that far from Epping Forest. Would it be worth trying to get a glimpse of the tour? Maybe

Bumping a massively old thread, but this is now just a couple of weeks away.

I have obviously since found out that the tour not only comes through my home City Chelmsford, but is passing on a road, which is exactly 2 roads away from me.

I can walk to the Tour in 5 minutes, and cycle to the route in about 2.

So I guess I might as well try and see the guys come past.

[airshifter]

Steve,

If you are that close it would be worth seeing, even if you watch the motor vehicles much longer than the bikes! But at a couple minutes away, hard to not go see it.

That video that Iain posted was quite revealing of the traffic involved. But not quite as revealing as one of GridGirls comments about her and Mark getting physical.... at least her SO is driving a support car!


Mark, Grid Girl...

Did you guys ever ride that stage?

[steveaki13]

Steve,

If you are that close it would be worth seeing, even if you watch the motor vehicles much longer than the bikes! But at a couple minutes away, hard to not go see it.

That video that Iain posted was quite revealing of the traffic involved. But not quite as revealing as one of GridGirls comments about her and Mark getting physical.... at least her SO is driving a support car!


Mark, Grid Girl...

Did you guys ever ride that stage?

Absolutely Airshifter I definitely will be going to see it. Its so close I can get my own bike and cycle along the Chelmsford section and find a non crowded place to watch.

Something historic to say I have been too. I have followed the Tour de France for about 10 years now, although the last 2 I have lost contact with again.

Anyway. It will be amazing to see it.

[GridGirl]

Airshifter, funny you should ask whether we did ride the stage. I haven’t been able to as I haven't done much cycling this year due to work commitments and have only just got back into my cycling in the past couple of weeks now I’m back working in Leeds. Mark, however, just yesterday did a 109km ride which took in a good proportion of Stage 1. I’ll let him fill you in on his progress …

We went to watch the Giro d’Italia in early May in Northern Ireland. It was abrilliant weekend, with lots of pink, heartache for Dan Martin, and some great cycling. On the Belfast to Belfast stage we watched from the feed zone near the Giants Causeway so managed to watch them at low speed, had to duck a few times for the projectile missiles being thrown by the riders who decided they didn’t want their lunch or assorted drinks. Managed to get an OPQS bottle and our friends got various other bottles. One OPSQ rider made a special effort to give my friend his musette complete with most of his lunch.

Very much looking forward to the Tour coming to the city I live in, quite exciting to think that it will be starting less than a mile from where I’m currently sat at my desk. We are going to all three days of the tour. We are watching the start in Leeds, will be somewhere near Huddersfield on day two and in central London on day three.

[Mark]

I wasn't quite up to the full 130 miles, plus the extra to make it into a circular ride, but I did do a 68 mile ride with 50 of those miles on the route of the tour but it's fair to say that those 50 miles contained all the significant hills and we threw in another major climb to get to the route : http://www.strava.com/activities/156698799 . Unfortunately GridGirl wasn't up to riding the route so I did it with a local friend, we were both completely destroyed at the end, so big kudos to those who have ridden the entire route - including fizzicist, erstwhile of this parish.

Still not sure what I'm going to do for the race itself, ideally I'd drive down to somewhere close, cycle along to the side of the road somewhere and watch them go past, but as ever with these things it's never quite that simple.

Hard to believe this was announced a year and a half ago now, seems to have come around quick.

[driveace]

Through my home town of Otley ,and going up Addingham main street on both days ,so just a walk into town for me