Tour of britain spectating

[Some Gump]

Noob question time...

Do i have to get tickets? Route passes about 15 miles away, will ride down and watch.

I can get to any of:

Sprint point
Top of the hill
Uphill bit that is steep
Downhill bit that is steep

On 1 hand, a sprint bit would be fun, but i imagine it will be 3 deep behind railings. Meanwhile, a climb would be interesting to see just how fast they go up, and a descent so i can be amazed at how fast they go down... Never been to a race before, so sorry for the daft q's


Which will b the most intereting / fun to see?

[burriana]

Fast twisty descent followed by twisty steep ascent. Somewhere where they are likely to be strung out rather than just one big group gone past in ten seconds. However, I like climbing so it would depend on the section.

[anonymous-user]

Some Gump said:

Noob question time...

Do i have to get tickets? Route passes about 15 miles away, will ride down and watch.

I can get to any of:

Sprint point
Top of the hill
Uphill bit that is steep
Downhill bit that is steep

On 1 hand, a sprint bit would be fun, but i imagine it will be 3 deep behind railings. Meanwhile, a climb would be interesting to see just how fast they go up, and a descent so i can be amazed at how fast they go down... Never been to a race before, so sorry for the daft q's


Which will b the most intereting / fun to see?

you dont need tickets, its open access on the roadside.

go to the website and then the media section, there are some good amps in there and also a time schedule as to when they are due to reach particular junctions etc.

roads will be closed around the area for about 20 minutes before they are due to pass, about 100 motorbikes go off ahead and form a rolling block at junctions.

hills are always best, the bunch is spread out and you can see them go past at a slower speed, plus the look of pain on their faces is always amusing. on the flats or sprints, its travelling at 35mph and a case of blink and you miss it....

take something that makes a noise and enjoy yourself.

[Some Gump]

A noise you say? Would a voovoozela get the approval of the lycra moband their rules? Local shop sells em for a pound...

[Raoul Duke]

Definitely a climb. Have been out to see the last few as they’ve passed through Devon and without a doubt the best vantage point i've found thus far was the climb over Haytor last year.
The sprint finish that followed in Exmouth on that stage was certainly good, and well worth the ride back over to watch, especially as Cav led out Reinshaw, but blink and you missed it.

This year I will most likely be cycling out to loiter somewhere up on Dartmoor again, most likely Dartmeet where I believe the KOM takes place.

[CoolC]

Go to ASDA (other supermarkets are available) and buy:



Then go to a climb section

[yellowjack]

I went to Dorking to see the Olympic Men's Road Race. The section of dual carriageway heading from the town toward Box Hill, past Denbies Estate, is slightly uphill. I filmed it (on a very basic digital camera) and the main peloton took exactly 8 seconds to fly past, and there was no way I could even pick out team jerseys, let alone identify the riders. Definitely try to get to a climb, and if you can't recce it ahead of time, use Googlemaps and Streetview to get an idea of sight lines so you can head straight to a good spot. I'm currently planning to see Stage 8 around Gulidford, and hoping to jump between sections to see them pass more than once.

Slightly O/T but, does anyone know if there will be 'big screens' anywhere, or is that luxury restricted to when the Beeb are doing the coverage?

[Some Gump]

Done som man maths. The top of the stage is 22 miles away, and a decent climb - about 1200 foot up, total 44 miles / climbing 3300 ish feet round trip.

If I leave at 7.00, I should hopefully be able to get to the climb, draw something daft on the deck, and get a vantage point just before they close the roads etc. If I can't manange to 6mph, I'll see nowt - so I'll call it good motivation!