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Tour of Britain 2011

Hundreds of thousands of cycling fans turned out in central London over the weekend for the final stage of the the Tour of Britain 2011. And I was one of them.

I’ve been going to the London stage for around 5 years and have seen the event mature and grow in stature each time. Having been to the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris a few times and seen how huge an event that is, I can genuinely say that in terms of set-up, London is certainly beginning to rival Paris.

There’s still some way to go before we start seeing in the UK the sort of crowds that turn out in France. That said, we’re heading in the right direction. The Tour of Britain has never seen so many spectators at the roadside.

It was a fantastic occasion, made even better by British rider Mark Cavendish crossing the line to take the win. And I was right there on the finish line to see him punch the air in celebration.

Tour Of Britain 2010

I’ve been to London to see the final stage of the Tour of Britain for the past few years now. Each year, the event has grown in popularity and prestige. This year, the lap was moved from its usual Embankment setting to the Olympic and Paralympic borough of Newham.

All the landmarks were now not present and to be honest, the dual-carriageway look didn’t do much to promote the race. On the plus side though, as the race was out of the city centre, it could stretch it’s legs. There were more trade stalls and the race had a real festival feel. That said, this year’s tour arrival lacked character and I hope the race will return to the centre next year.