Tour of Britain 2012

[srw]

 

[Alan57]

I`ve watched all the stages on T.V and went out to watch Stage 7 live near my home . It`s been great as well as seeing the crowds and lots of other cyclists out on the live stage I watched. The downside of being out in the event was seeing all those different bikes that I now want sooooo badly, bike porn at it`s best.

 

[laurence]

some shots of Cav that the cameras captured - all i saw was a flash


IMGP0666 by laurencea, on Flickr

this was using a very wide angle lens... held with my right hand at barrier height and finger on the shutter


IMGP0667 by laurencea, on Flickr

and there he was, gone.

this was from the other camera using an 18-55 zoomed out wide, held in my left hand, just above the other camera and pointed up the hill.


IMGP2659 by laurencea, on Flickr

clearly my timing was a tad off!

as i couldn't see Cav coming, he was right against the barriers, i just pressed the shutters on both cameras - whilst shouting allez and gora a lot. i only saw the photos when i got home and put them on Flickr

 

[Crosstrailer]

I saw the finish but not the presentations due to guests, did Jonathan Tiernan-Locke manage to crack his face on the podium, if only for a fleeting second ?

 

[perplexed]

I liked the team in Orange...

I think they're called Ooooooo ska til Oooooo ska die...

 

[Alan57]

I liked the team in Orange...

I think they're called Ooooooo ska til Oooooo ska die...

Wasn`t that a Beatles song ?

 

[jdtate101]

I liked the team in Orange...

I think they're called Ooooooo ska til Oooooo ska die...

Otherwise known as 'that spanish lot' or 'the amigos'.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Otherwise known as 'that spanish lot' or 'the amigos'.

Basque, I think you'll find... that's the whole point.

 

[laurence]

I liked the team in Orange...

I think they're called Ooooooo ska til Oooooo ska die...

Euskaltel (Basue telecoms company) Euskadi (Basque name for Basques). i have been a fan of the team for many years and was sporting one of theit t-shirts and caps at the finale... the orange hat can be seen in the tv footage just before the 100m sign.

 

[kedab]

ooh you lucky lot - i was at work for almost the entire tour - the closest they got to my neck of the woods was the 1st day - watching it on the roger though, did i notice they had a different commentator by the end of the race? the guy they had for the first few days was awful - no doubt a good commentator when he actually knows and feels comfortable with the sport he's chatting about but cycling was not his bag...he was annoying me, massively.

 

[siadwell]

Was at the start in Reigate today about 500m from the start line and impressive crowds there. Was thinking of going to the start line for the rider registration/pre-race interviews but was about 15-20 mins before the start when I got there so didn't want to wander around too much looking for a spot. Anyone else been there for the pre-race activities? Would like to hear thoughts on if they are worth turning up for in future.

I was supposed to be a volunteer marshal but they were rather overmanned, so a bunch of us were given a job standing in a line to reserve a corner of the parking area for the Sky convoy. I told my wife what was going on so she managed to be at the front at the barriers with the kids, who were chuffed to get their hats signed by the team (and Dave Brailsford) and my wife took a great close-up of Cav.

In contrast, most of the other teams were left to their own devices and it was easy to get up close to bikes and riders. The riders were mingling with the crowd as they went to sign on and I even saw one of them fetching a round of coffees. I nearly asked one of the Vacansoleil riders for an autograph, but then realised he was a fanboy in full kit and with the same bike as me!

 

[rliu]

I was supposed to be a volunteer marshal but they were rather overmanned, so a bunch of us were given a job standing in a line to reserve a corner of the parking area for the Sky convoy. I told my wife what was going on so she managed to be at the front at the barriers with the kids, who were chuffed to get their hats signed by the team (and Dave Brailsford) and my wife took a great close-up of Cav.

In contrast, most of the other teams were left to their own devices and it was easy to get up close to bikes and riders. The riders were mingling with the crowd as they went to sign on and I even saw one of them fetching a round of coffees. I nearly asked one of the Vacansoleil riders for an autograph, but then realised he was a fanboy in full kit and with the same bike as me!

What were the crowd numbers like in the park?

 

[srw]

It was the same at the end - a large crowd of people around the Sky bus (which had been parked up on its own in a side street), and almost nothing at all around the other buses and vans.

 

[RoyPSB]

Arrived in Guildford a bit late but managed to get a spot on the barriers about 30yds past the finish line, directly opposite the commentary portakabin. Really enjoyed it. Could not move for about 30 minutes after the finish - it was literally not possible to leave our positions until they opened up the barriers. A bit dangerous actually!

Would like to have got there a bit earlier to get a better spot on the barriers. Some of those people must have held their spots there for several hours!

 

[siadwell]

What were the crowd numbers like in the park?

Have a look at the ITV4 highlights programme on ITV player. It's got some good shots showing the crowds in the bit around the start line.
I spent all my time in the parking area and it was crowded, but people were still able to move about.