Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Racing => Topic started by: gonzo on 03 August, 2011, 01:58:42 pm
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I was planning on having a proper cycling fan moment by heading over there several days before the race with a tent and crate of beer. First I found that you can't camp on national trust land then that they're restricting access to the hill.
Does anyone know what the best alternative is to getting around those problems?
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Camp at Etherley farm, take a MTB and explore the Surrey hills/take a road bike and explore the C&M hilly fifty, then on the day pootle along to one of the viewing spots on the lap.
You may want to consider this map which shows the viewing arrangements for Boxhill for the test event:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Box_Hill_Viewing_Map.pdf
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We have a plan. It involves a teapot. :thumbsup:
I'm not going to go into details 'cos otherwise everyone will try and join us, and there's not room. ;)
Otherwise, use Sunday the 14th August and this map (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Box_Hill_Viewing_Map.pdf) to test a scheme which would then work for the Olympics.
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I've got a plan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCgQ3EHBEy0)
Just ignore the bit where Steve McQueen does a Johnny Hoogerland.
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Ta for the map; that's what I was after!
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this map (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Box_Hill_Viewing_Map.pdf)
<pedant>Interesting that they've re-routed the M3 for the event.</pedant>
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One cannot be ar5ed to scramble around the hill trying to find a good viewing point. One will be watching everything on TV. :thumbsup:
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They are determined to screw up my in the flesh viewing of the Olympics.
Shafted in the ticket fiasco and now trying to shaft me in making it difficult (or impossible) to get a nice viewing spot at Box Hill.
I might start to take this personally >:(
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Must agree with fuzzy. Shafting the population seems to be the new sport on the agenda. However, I now have a great viewing spot. This is located 4 ft away from my 37-inch TV and within easy travelling distance from the fridge, cake cupboard, biscuit tin and loo! :thumbsup:
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All quiet in THAT LONDINIUM - more marshalls than specs
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Doesn't look like its on TV, or at least I cant find it in the listings
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Still room ;-)
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And they're off
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And they're off
Is there any live footage of this?
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And they're off
Is there any live footage of this?
Yes out on the road :) We just saw them zoom past in SW6.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9wmDWaRh0UM/TkeLgnqJEnI/AAAAAAAAiQA/_L0k0pL1G7g/s400/IMG_2349.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-94x26OVFb2w/TkeLifFK2lI/AAAAAAAAiQI/hhn87_PZ4-s/s400/IMG_2352.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zJNWzJDe3ZU/TkeLnpzLNKI/AAAAAAAAiQg/2s1JtZJteSs/s400/IMG_2362.JPG)
more but not many (https://picasaweb.google.com/105609329836396616019/SurreyInternational2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOyeutj5guevCA#) . Can't see them on the return leg, cause I gotta work.
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And they're off
Is there any live footage of this?
Yes out on the road :) We just saw them zoom past in SW6. Photos to come if there are any good ones.
;D I meant on the TV?
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Caught the very back of the group going through Putney. Will be wandering down to Putney again around midday when they're due to be coming back.
Couldn't find it being broadcast on any TV channel when I had a look through the Sky Planner.
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I only say one camera, on the back of a motor bike. Just added some photos to my previous post.
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Cav FTW :-)
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Highlights next saturday apparently.
Sounds like a good event - quite technical and good crowds.
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Just got back from the pub (on the way home from Boxhill) having seen them pass by twice
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Pleasant day out in the sun, aided by bumping into the Pike Guided Missile and the Weasels after it had all finished.
I rode out to Coombe Bottom to watch what is probably the most technical descending corner on the route, and then cut back up to the A246 to go across to the bottom of the Leatherhead bypass and saw them through the two times on the loop.
Was heading for the Rykas cafe when I spotted a pair of tandems heading towards me and got led to a Leatherhead Pub for a couple of hours.
The tandems got called into an impromptu photo call with random strangers as we left the pub.
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Highlights next saturday apparently.
Sounds like a good event - quite technical and good crowds.
It's part of a long programme presented by the excellent St Clare of the Baldings (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013sdk6) on BBC2 at 1300 on Sunday 21/08 (unless you're watching on ye olde analogue TV in Norn Irn or Wales).
Went to watch the race on the way out at Putney Bridge, then brekkie in Richmond Park, then watched the race on the way back in by the Star & Garter home, then lunch in Barnes, then rode back along the route. Closed roads all the way from Putney Bridge to Knightsbridge, where I peeled off to go home and watch the Eneco Tour - why can't they do that every Sunday?
Thin-ish crowd on the way out; good crowd (barriers lined) on the way back.
For some reason, the organisers objected to us writing "O'G" and "CAV" in chalk on the road. Po-faced wazzocks.
Dunno if anyone else has mentioned this, but ITV4 is giving la Vuelta the same coverage as it gives the TdF. Es muy bueno.
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Sprint and post-race interview here - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cycling/14523252.stm
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I rode out to Coombe Bottom to watch what is probably the most technical descending corner on the route, and then cut back up to the A246 to go across to the bottom of the Leatherhead bypass and saw them through the two times on the loop.
I thought that would be a good place too at the speed they'd be going. How did they all do? I guess it's slightly easier for them as they have the whole road though.
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I was going to wander out there but managed to find a few faces that I knew in a Hounslow & District Wheelers run. We saw the race at West Horsley and Leatherhead.
However, the organisers next year MUST get it together with marshalling .... they hadn't a clue. Refused to allow us to cross the un-barriered road 15 minutes before the first car came through, FFS!
Also refused to allow us through a barrier a good 10 minutes after the broom wagon and final paramedics had finally passed ...... very sloppy!
What with that and the obvious Box Hill fiasco predicted, I'm gonna polish the TV screen, get some tins and cakes in and move the sofa closer to the screen! :thumbsup:
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Here's the feedback I've sent the organisers:
Good morning,
I was lucky enough to win some tickets to see the Cycle Classic from Box Hill, and thought I would give you some feedback about things which were good, and things which could possibly be improved.
- Cycling down from Leatherhead to Box Hill on the closed A24 was a lot of fun, and it was lovely to see entire families on bikes playing on the dual carriageway after the race.
- The information sent out with the tickets said that there would be cycle parking at the top of Box Hill, but it did not explain how to get to the cycle parking when all the roads would be closed before the race (it would not have been possible to push a road tandem up the steep footpath without a lot of effort and inconveniencing all the other pedestrians). We ended up having to lock our bikes up at Ryka's Café because the marshals wouldn't let us take our bikes any further - not a problem, but a little frustrating when we knew there was "official" cycle parking at the top. I later learned that some cyclists had been able to access the cycle park by coming through Headley and pleading with marshals, but again, this was not explained in any information anywhere. For the Olympics, either do away with the cycle parking at the top of the hill, or allow cyclists to access it.
- The atmosphere of the crowd on top of Box Hill was fantastic - lots of people who were really enthusiastic about cycling.
- The woman on the tannoy system on top of Box Hill was appalling: she knew nothing about cycling, spoke to the crowd like they were a group of five-year-olds at a kiddies' party, and seemed mainly concerned with exhorting everyone to "stay safe" on the uneven ground before occasionally telling us that "there is [sic] some cyclists approaching." There was no information about who was in the breakaway group, or who had dropped whom, who was riding well, who was struggling, or indeed anything of interest to cycle fans. The entire crowd resorted to Twitter to know what was going on (and the coverage using the #CycleClassic hashtag was actually very good). For the Olympics can I suggest a commentator who knows about cycling, and some live coverage of the race - either on a TV screen, or simply over a speaker system. Failing that, a WiFi hotspot might be beneficial for people using their smart phones to work out what's happening.
- Cycling through Richmond Park the night before the race, I saw a startled deer knock over a section of fencing (just to let you know it was the deer, and not disaffected youth vandalising things).
In general, it was a very enjoyable day out, but a couple of minor points could be improved.
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Not everyone's happy:
@EamonnHolmes.tailbacks on A3+approaches to M25+in other direction to Wimbledon.Due to flamin Olympic bikes.Keep sport in a stadium.
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- they are caused by the cars, noThere are always tailbacks on the A3 - they are caused by the cars, not the cyclists
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Wrong I know but made me smile can you spot the mistake
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/onb/262568_10150287516033744_309351868743_7727957_5474698_n1.jpg)
Double take or what.
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Should the guy on the right of the picture not be there?
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Should the guy on the right of the picture not be there?
Indeed.No one in the peleton wears Assos it so last year dahling.
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At first I was confused by the one on the second-left of the picture appearing to have one blue shoe and one white shoe. Took me a while to realise that, no, his overshoe had not ridden up his leg. :)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/onb/262568_10150287516033744_309351868743_7727957_5474698_n1.jpg)
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But he's wearing a very peculiarly shaped helmet.
;)
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The highlights didn't appear to be available on iPlayer when I went to look, was I looking in the wrong place or have I now missed the boat for this?