Tour of Britain 2014...on my doorstep (may contain SPOILERS)

[themosquitoking]

Yes, it lasts for seven days. Could you ride around Britain in that time?
Maybe not you specifically but anyone.

 

[HF2300]

So do you think it's okay for the Tour of "Britain" to miss out a huge part of the country again?

The organisers probably don't either, but as I understand it they're limited by UCI regs and the race category to a week length, stages of a certain length and stage starts within a certain distance / travel time of the previous day's finish. They also have to arrange stage starts and finishes in places that are willing to host the race, co-operative and suitable, organise a parcours that they think will deliver the race they want, go to where they feel they can ensure a good number of spectators while keeping an eye on safety, keep an eye on the pennies and ensure maximum income, etc. etc. Within those restrictions they're never going to be able to cover the whole of Britain in one race - even the TdF, Giro and Vuelta don't cover the whole of their respective countries in three weeks with air transfers at times.

 

[srw]

So do you think it's okay for the Tour of "Britain" to miss out a huge part of the country again?

Again? There were Scottish stages in both 2012 and 2013.

I think it's entirely reasonable to focus on sections of what is, after all, quite a large country.

 

[Hacienda71]

I wonder what would happen if the Tour de France organisers decided to leave out the Alps and Pyrenees because they did them last year and only had stages to the North of Lyon.......

 

[Longshot]

For the last two years it's gone past my house. Not this year so I may actually need to put in some minor effort to see it.

 

[srw]

If the TdF were a six-day tour instead of a 21-day tour I'm sure they would.

 

[Hacienda71]

The point I am making is, it is missing some of the most challenging roads in the UK with the exception of Wales. Some of these could be incorporated into a week long tour as per previous years and they could still vary routes and locations across Britain. Not just Britain South of Liverpool/Manchester.

 

[T4tomo]

Stage 6 finishes just up the road from me on friday afternoon, which would be perfect, except I'll be landing at heathrow about the time it finishes in Hemel. Pants

 

[oldroadman]

If only there had been a big bike race in the North East this year to balance things out

With a couple of elite series races (one a two day) NE is doing OK compared to some other areas. Try SW if you think NE is a bit thin!

 

[oldroadman]

The point I am making is, it is missing some of the most challenging roads in the UK with the exception of Wales. Some of these could be incorporated into a week long tour as per previous years and they could still vary routes and locations across Britain. Not just Britain South of Liverpool/Manchester.

HF2300 has already given a logical answer. This is a professional race run by a professional company, not a bunch of amateurs looking to try and please everyone. They have to go, as mentioned, where towns and cities will pay the money required to host the starts and finishes, which is part of how big races get funded. The UCI hammer organisers who have massive transfers (time rather than distance) and quite rightly. So an eight day race has to fit in with all these restrictions. The old Milk Race was 14 days and could not get round everywhere. It was also at times stupidly hard and that's no spectacle for the public.
Guys, just stop moaning because for a few years there was no ToB, before that a 5 day effort, and before that a Milk Race which was nowhere near the standard of today and got minimal TV. Make the comparisons and feel good. Alternatively, there's always room for another commercial promoter, looking at the race today I guess all you need is a lot of skilled and experienced people, offices, support staff, shedloads of contractors, and about 3 million quid. Easy, isn't it?

 

[rvw]

I was visiting my elderly mother last week, and on the way back from Ludlow, up the A4117, thought how great that would be for a TOB stage (it's on Strava as Angel Bank Climb - though this doesn't show the fact that there's another climb about 5 miles later, in Hopton Bank). Mum's comment was that Shropshire tends to get overlooked quite a lot. In fact, at one point the Grauniad did a piece on "overlooked counties" - but managed to leave Shropshire out...

I'll be heading out to Frith Hill for stage 6 - only 20 mins by bike for me, and a good climb to watch on.

 

[the_mikey]

With a couple of elite series races (one a two day) NE is doing OK compared to some other areas. Try SW if you think NE is a bit thin!

This year's ToB is the first time in my memory that a professional bike race has passed through a large part of Gloucestershire.

 

[oldroadman]

This year's ToB is the first time in my memory that a professional bike race has passed through a large part of Gloucestershire.

Milk Race used to go through, Kellogg's Tour and Pru Tour have been through, now ToB. It's all about which towns/cities are the start and finish points, how far between, what the routing wants to achieve, and working out the best way. Plus they can't just go anywhere, there are always constraints involving major road time and safety concerns. I think the current routing manager/team do a pretty good job of getting a balanced route. I recall past times when a Milk Race organiser, long gone, had the ambition to go up every single climb between any tow points. This simply made for negative racing, and dangerous descents in the days when the police escort was about 4 motos and a few marshals. Nostalgia will say different, but some who were there might feel differently with regular problems with traffic incursions.

 

[Nick Stone]

For once its local, liverpool on the Sunday, think it needs to be done and then the hometown on the Monday round the corn on the way through and then the parents for a spot of lunch. It shifts and changes, give and take. It's all good in the end except for the weather!!!!!!!

 

[jowwy]

Oh booohoooo tour of britain not coming to my country, house, garden, back yard..........how will i cope

Oh i forgot its only 2miles up the road to the top of the tumble for me, so thats stage 3 sorted