Tour of Britain 2010 route

[Nuncio]

How do I recognise you on the TV highlights?

Well just before Cameron Meyer came past I my stripped off my lycra to expose my lime green mankini and ran alongside annoyingly for a few yards. miniog stares at the camera, picking his nose aggressively.

Or

There's a single shot on the straight climb up from the hairpin.  We're to the left, miniog wearing glasses and in a bright yellow Gore jacket and black overtrousers.  I'm in my greener shade of Montane, shorts and acf cap. There are two Swansea CTC riders with us, one in a blue jacket the other in red.  We're all clapping politely as Cameron Meyer goes past.

(Well spotted MattH)

Were you in shot too?  I hope you enjoyed your tour.  At least the weather on Sunday was good.  Wasn't it?

I was too shy to approach random strangers and say "are you Nuncio or Miniog?" because for all I know they could mean anything in Welsh.

Correct, in one case.

We didn't bother with Carreg Cennen either (we'd come up from the cafe).  It was straight home for me down the other side of the mountain.  In normal conditions the Llanddeusant to Trecastle road is a delight.  At least you'll have had a tail wind.

[MattH]

How do I recognise you on the TV highlights?

There's a single shot on the straight climb up from the hairpin.  We're to the left, miniog wearing glasses and in a bright yellow Gore jacket and black overtrousers.  I'm in my greener shade of Montane, shorts and acf cap. There are two Swansea CTC riders with us, one in a blue jacket the other in red.  We're all clapping politely as Cameron Meyer goes past.

Here's a grab:-

(Well spotted MattH)

Well I've had plenty of experience spotting miniog and yourself on wet Welsh mountain roads. I'd never recognise you in the street 

[saturn]

There's a single shot on the straight climb up from the hairpin.  We're to the left, miniog wearing glasses and in a bright yellow Gore jacket and black overtrousers.  I'm in my greener shade of Montane, shorts and acf cap. There are two Swansea CTC riders with us, one in a blue jacket the other in red.  We're all clapping politely as Cameron Meyer goes past.

Ah yes I see. Damn, I didn't go up anywhere near far enough - sorry.

Were you in shot too?  I hope you enjoyed your tour.  At least the weather on Sunday was good.  Wasn't it?

No, they cut back to the chasers before Meyer reached the hairpin and then returned to him after he'd climbed away from it.

Yes thanks - ride out on Sunday was beautiful and ride back today was fine. Monday was character building.

In normal conditions the  Llanddeusant to Trecastle road is a delight.  At least you'll have had a tail wind.  

Yes - it sort of made up for grinding into it's teeth all the way out because I used pretty much the same route there and back.

[ludwig]

That was a bit of a ride given the carp weather Charles! 

I actually didn't mind the rain so much as the noisy traffic and the general slog along the A40. I can't say that the return was a bundle of laughs. I met a guy on an ultra galaxy in carmarthen who was heading straight up the dual carriageway to St clears and then on to pembroke for the ferry. He was well loaded up and headed straight into the wind. Not much fun I suspect.

[Woofage]

Stage 7 (this Friday 17th) passes the end of my road . The route map is a little misleading as it appears to start well outside the town whereas the location on the website is given as Angel Hill right in the centre of BSE

I'll try to get some photos.

[mattc]

I notice they went the long way round to avoid the Newbridge-Beulah rollercoaster 

Ah yes, the Flatus manoeuvre ...

[Oaky]

Stage 7 (this Friday 17th) passes the end of my road . The route map is a little misleading as it appears to start well outside the town whereas the location on the website is given as Angel Hill right in the centre of BSE

I'll try to get some photos.

The race manual has Angel Hill as the official (neutralised) start, and the start of actual racing at "Horringer (Outside Godfreys Cottages on the Right)"

[Spikey]

Had a lovely ride out to Glastonbury today.
Disappointed that I cant quite recognise myself on the TV coverage of the finish.
The commentry at the finish was appalling it consited of some bloke in a car giving infrequent semi-garbled mobile phone messages to Hugh Porter. Hence didn't have a real clue what was happing until about the last 200m. I'd have thought they could do a bit better in this elightened century.   
Evidently the commentry on the TV highlights is added later.

Still the ride was worth it 125 hilly Km in total including three big mendip climbs (Burrington Combe,  Cheddar gorge, and the Old Bristol road up from Wells).

[Woofage]

Stage 7 (this Friday 17th) passes the end of my road . The route map is a little misleading as it appears to start well outside the town whereas the location on the website is given as Angel Hill right in the centre of BSE

I'll try to get some photos.

The race manual has Angel Hill as the official (neutralised) start, and the start of actual racing at "Horringer (Outside Godfreys Cottages on the Right)"

Thanks .

I downloaded the race manual so I see the route the riders take through the town (basically the one I was expecting past the GK brewery). Also useful to know what time the road closes .

[tonyh]

Evidently the commentry on the TV highlights is added later.

And its relevance to the pictures my be a bit muddled? Or perhaps it was me that was muddled. Anyway, watched at Butleigh, 6km from the finish, splendidly exciting, much better than the TV of course.

Just the one Mendip climb for me, Dinder.

[microphonie]

Just got back from watching the stage through Norwich at the sprint point on Grapes Hill. Very good crowd, good weather and, thankfully, a breakaway pair with a 5min gap to the peloton so a bit more than 15s of action to justify an hours wait.

Top comedy moment was seeing the marshalls rushing to mark out the sprint line after the first two had gone past 

Didn't make any difference of course as the leaders weren't sprinting anyway. Apparently 'they arrived earlier than expected'.

Very impressed by the organisation of the rolling road blocks - they even allowed traffic through between the leaders & the peloton without any problems, which surprised me.

No photos 'cos I'm a plank & forgot the camera...

[Oscar's dad]

Just watched them go past the end of our road in Witham.  Very exciting.  Really impressed by how the coppers on motorbikes organised the rolling road block.  There were lots of kids from the local junior school watching (including our very own Twinkle Toes).  All the police bikes gave the kids a blast on their two-tones which the kids loved.

[Woofage]

Just watched them go past the end of our road in Witham.  Very exciting.  Really impressed by how the coppers on motorbikes organised the rolling road block.  There were lots of kids from the local junior school watching (including our very own Twinkle Toes).  All the police bikes gave the kids a blast on their two-tones which the kids loved.

I also saw it this morning at the end of my road. It was only the warm-up approaching the start a mile or so away but still very impressive to watch.

I agree, the police road block was superb. Several times a bike approached and sounded it's horn as a signal that it would replace the one it was approaching, which then moved off to the next position.

I've started a thread for photos here.

[Oscar's dad]

Just watched them go past the end of our road in Witham.  Very exciting.  Really impressed by how the coppers on motorbikes organised the rolling road block.  There were lots of kids from the local junior school watching (including our very own Twinkle Toes).  All the police bikes gave the kids a blast on their two-tones which the kids loved.

I also saw it this morning at the end of my road. It was only the warm-up approaching the start a mile or so away but still very impressive to watch.

I agree, the police road block was superb. Several times a bike approached and sounded it's horn as a signal that it would replace the one it was approaching, which then moved off to the next position.
I've started a thread for photos here.

Exactly, this was the bit I found most impressive.  It was also interesting to note the police riders were from a variety of forces, I guess a few from each force area the race has passed through.

[gonzo]

The thing I've been impressed by is the coverage - it's not just sufficient, it's good!

It was also interesting to note the police riders were from a variety of forces, I guess a few from each force area the race has passed through.

I guess it was the cycling fans who volunteered for the duty!

[Little Jim]

Exactly, this was the bit I found most impressive.  It was also interesting to note the police riders were from a variety of forces, I guess a few from each force area the race has passed through.

It used to be that the police riders were all volunteers who did it just because enjoyed doing it, and not because the race went throgh their "patch", and I think that they did it in their own time and so unpaid, but it could have changed by now.

[Oaky]

Great fun - watched the Start at BSE, the KotM at Milden and the finish in Colchester.

Lovely day out.

[bobb]

It was a good day. You nearly pulled too  

[Oscar's dad]

Podium girl?

[bobb]

Podium girl?

No. Two rather portly, Stella swigging chavettes 

[Oaky]

Podium girl?

No. Two rather portly, Stella swigging chavettes 

They did seem rather taken with my legs.

[Oscar's dad]

Who could resist? 

[Oscar's dad]

Just watched today's coverage on the telly. The podium girls looked nice! 

[Oaky]

Just watched today's coverage on the telly. The podium girls looked nice! 

Did you see Tomsk & I at the Milden KoM finish?  (on the right of the road at the start of the barriers - I'm the red blur, Tomsk is the tall blur in the yellow/dark purple getup.

[Oscar's dad]

Just watched today's coverage on the telly. The podium girls looked nice! 

Did you see Tomsk & I at the Milden KoM finish?  (on the right of the road at the start of the barriers - I'm the red blur, Tomsk is the tall blur in the yellow/dark purple getup.

I was looking closely but didn't see either of you.  Strangely Witham didn't feature in the telly coverage either.  We think we spotted Black Notley, then Maldon, then Tiptree