Who were the flash buggers in the unmarked white Maserati?
There were too many flash buggers in Maseratis but then I suppose that's the price you pay to get a biggish car dealer like JCT600 to provide cars for officials etc. 80% of the cars in the peloton were foreigners.
We rode down to Selby on Saturday morning , arriving about an hour after the official start time hoping to get just a hint of atmosphere before heading up to York to see the finish.
Even then the events people were packing up and any sponsors had already gone. The much vaunted big screen was showing the previous day's racing, probably because TV rights stopped them showing live action.
I can't help thinking that Welcome to Yorkshire and the local council missed a big opportunity to get locals interested in the rest of the event. An add on like a farmers market, mini beer fest or bike fest might have helped.
Selby doesn't get much good publicity at the best of times but the marketing was hopeless.
By the way ,Selby Abbey church is absolutely fantastic inside -a hidden gem.
On Sunday we drove to the course near Arthington and stood at the top of the last sprint. Most people had no idea how big the race was so after the two breakaway guys and the mini peloton with Voeckler went past a lot of folks started walking up the road. We stood our ground and four minutes later (quite a long gap ) the rest of the peloton groaned past , having given up any hope of catching the GC contenders and cruising into Leeds to finish off another day on the bike.
If they decide to come back after the weather we had , then the TdeY could become a minor late spring classic. Hilly but not Alpine, 3 days -long enough to stretch the pros but not knackering like a Grand Tour and different TV audience for sponsors and advertisers. Let's hope the love in between (Sir ) Gary Verity and Christian Prudhome continues.