Tour of Britain 2017 route revealed with Edinburgh start and Cardiff finish

fustuarium wrote:

Stage 3: looks like you could see them pass four times if you scurry around on your own bike in that middle knot.

A few of my mates are already planning to watch the peloton come up Winters Gibbet on Stage 2 (it's the logical way for it to go) then scoot across to Morpeth while the race goes the scenic route. It's only a shame that, if 2015 is anything to go by, Blyth will be rammed full of spectators making a dash to the finish not worthwhile.

Alan Tullett wrote:

...given the exposed nature of the East of England generally winds could be a factor.

given the nature of Clacton-on-Sea, pushchairs on fire could be a factor!

Dicklexic wrote:

One of the fantastic things about watching coverage of the Grand Tours is that they are rolling shop windows showing off many of the beautiful and impressive regions of Italy/France/Spain accordingly that potential tourists might see and want to visit, and the same usually applies to all the other Pro Tour races on the calendar. Plus it usually add interest to the racing. TOB never seems to quite grasp this concept, and all too often manages to skirt around the more scenic and challenging parts of the UK. 

To me at least, this years route seems even less interesting with very few climbs to properly test the racers. For example the stage into Cardiff could have been made so much better by taking in the Black Mountains!

Still I suppose we should be thankful that the organisers have managed to break their habit of visiting Stoke! 

Wholeheartedly agree. Would only have needed a slight change from Hereford to have included Hay Bluff and / or The Tumble.

Dicklexic wrote:

One of the fantastic things about watching coverage of the Grand Tours is that they are rolling shop windows showing off many of the beautiful and impressive regions of Italy/France/Spain accordingly that potential tourists might see and want to visit, and the same usually applies to all the other Pro Tour races on the calendar. Plus it usually add interest to the racing. TOB never seems to quite grasp this concept, and all too often manages to skirt around the more scenic and challenging parts of the UK. 

To me at least, this years route seems even less interesting with very few climbs to properly test the racers. For example the stage into Cardiff could have been made so much better by taking in the Black Mountains!

Still I suppose we should be thankful that the organisers have managed to break their habit of visiting Stoke! 

Any time you want to come to Northumberland and visit the notorious flatlands between Kielder and Rothbury, you'll be very welcome. There are no hills there at all, not one, and as people who've ridden the Wooler Wheel and the like can tell you, getting from Wooler to Belford is a mere canter across rolling meadows (cough!).

And after all that, just in time for the Tv broadcast, comes the notoriously unscenic route past Alnwick and Bamburgh castles, and down the coast to Seaton Delaval Hall. Not a listed building, beautiful castle or famous Harry Potter filmset in sight, I'm sure you'll agree....

<sighs> if only these pesky organizers could get it right....

Must be Mad wrote:

Quote:

I think the Tour of Britain should finish in London every year, just like how Tour de France always finishes in Paris and Vuelta a Espana in Madrid. It's a symbolism that cyling is a part of the nation's sporting psyche.

The Women's tour will be taking the London finish this year  - and that's fair enouph. To be honest, the london 'crit' stage is only interesting in the last lap. Perhaps Cardiff will be better?

 

Champs Elysees stage is hardly interesting. It's just the symbolism. It doesn't make sense to have a national tour without going to the nation's capital. And I'm normally the least nationalistic person in a given room.

mattsccm wrote:

London every time. Really? To many of us who live outside that dump London is very much not representative of the UK. If anything its represents all that is so wrong about the UK.  The big tours have nearly 3 times as many days so can waste one.  The last day of the TdF is dull and pointless apart from the last 500 metres. The last day of our tour with fewer days should be the one that decides the results not a procession. Huge time bonuses maybe to stop the leader playing safe.

Of course 4 weeks would be nice and if only they would use proper hills. Wouldn't the Fred Whitton route make a nice stage?

I agree that a 8 day stage race shouldn't have any ceremonial stages, but the format in previous years where you had a morning TT then a short 8-10 lap crit course in the afternoon served both purposes of having a competitive final day and a bit of a round up stage in one.

mattsccm wrote:

London every time. Really? To many of us who live outside that dump London is very much not representative of the UK. If anything its represents all that is so wrong about the UK.  The big tours have nearly 3 times as many days so can waste one.  The last day of the TdF is dull and pointless apart from the last 500 metres. The last day of our tour with fewer days should be the one that decides the results not a procession. Huge time bonuses maybe to stop the leader playing safe.

Of course 4 weeks would be nice and if only they would use proper hills. Wouldn't the Fred Whitton route make a nice stage?

I totally agree its a complete waste of a stage day finishing in London, even though its far easier for me to get to than other stages, just because you do end up with glorified crit that no team with a leader in the yellow jersey is going to let get out of their control. The difference with the TdF is that the Paris finish is the symbol of making it through the 3 weeks where youve ridden through a good proportion of France already,and the yellow jersey leader team are only concerned with finishing,mostly not always of course, which allows the sprinters a good final chance of victory. Its not the tag on end stage of the Tour of the Midlands.

so definitely the Tour of Britain should look to follow this type of format more often

mattsccm wrote:

London every time. Really? To many of us who live outside that dump London is very much not representative of the UK. If anything its represents all that is so wrong about the UK.  The big tours have nearly 3 times as many days so can waste one.  The last day of the TdF is dull and pointless apart from the last 500 metres. The last day of our tour with fewer days should be the one that decides the results not a procession. Huge time bonuses maybe to stop the leader playing safe.

Of course 4 weeks would be nice and if only they would use proper hills. Wouldn't the Fred Whitton route make a nice stage?

That dump has 10 to 12 million people in it so if it is important that this race or sport has interaction with it's audience, or even to get the sponsors  advertising (that pay for it) infront of people, maybe it is a good idea it goes near that dump. There are also many ways to make the race interesting unlike the last stage of the TDF.

rliu wrote:

I think the Tour of Britain should finish in London every year, just like how Tour de France always finishes in Paris and Vuelta a Espana in Madrid. It's a symbolism that cyling is a part of the nation's sporting psyche.

Fairly reasoned, but "the nation" isn't London.

ped wrote:

rliu wrote:

I think the Tour of Britain should finish in London every year, just like how Tour de France always finishes in Paris and Vuelta a Espana in Madrid. It's a symbolism that cyling is a part of the nation's sporting psyche.

Fairly reasoned, but "the nation" isn't London.

And of course Britain comprises 3 countries, so starting in Edinburgh and finishing in Cardiff is  entirely fitting.

quiff wrote:

ped wrote:

rliu wrote:

I think the Tour of Britain should finish in London every year, just like how Tour de France always finishes in Paris and Vuelta a Espana in Madrid. It's a symbolism that cyling is a part of the nation's sporting psyche.

Fairly reasoned, but "the nation" isn't London.

And of course Britain comprises 3 countries, so starting in Edinburgh and finishing in Cardiff is  entirely fitting.

Basque and Catalan peoples similarly object to the Vuelta finishing in Madrid, though luckily they also have their own regional/national tours (being sensitive to the separatist movements there). So perhaps we could also have separate Scottish and Welsh races to cater for that viewpoint? More cycle races in Britain the better from my point of view.

No one is ever happy with this.