UK fan support !!

[shades1]

think this deserves its own thread as i think we can all agree that yesterdays grand depart was truly awesome with fantastic support from the UK crowds , it was on a par with the olympic road race at times .

the scenes when they went up the hilly part of the stage was truly magical and you could of actually of believed they were riding ventoux or "the alp" . i think jens voigt will look back at this one day as one of the special days of his career because they really did give him a fantastic reception .

absolutely brilliant and cannot wait for stage2 !!

 

[Carstenbf]

Yeah, it was pretty spectacular. T'was like the hills very made of people. Well done Yorkshire!

Just wish they'd take a step back. The road is for the riders. Couple of close calls according to interviews, and then there's the bottle necking issues.

Well done nonetheless.

 

[R_O_Shipman]

I watched yesterday at Kilnsey, and the atmosphere was fantastic - even though we were on the flat 100 KM out from the finish the place was packed and the support for the riders was great. (although there was plenty of pantomime booing everytime a gendarme came past)

Also great to sit in the fan park with a few thousand people watching the rest of the stage on the big screens. Everyone clapping Jens as he topped the last KOM point was a great moment and the atmosphere for the final run in was like watching the olympics!

Crowds on buttertubs and cray looked amazing. I had a friend who cycled into Skipton and then on to Harrogate who said that the crowds in both places were just beyond belief.

Hopefully today I'll get a spot on Jenkin road and feel what it's like on a climb. Really impressed with the Yorkshire support so far.

 

[manafana]

Yeah insane crowds, always going be few close calls given numbers but I thought it was no worse than what we see in French mountains.
Great to see and hopefully the tour of yorkshire gets the same reception

 

[ILovecycling]

EPIC

10ch

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Difference is that on the French mountains they ride through that density of fans on the road in groups of a dozen at most. Yesterday it made a very narrow pinchpoint for a field of 195.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Crowds approaching the Cote de Blubberhouses just now were unbelievable. I am deeply impressed.

 

[Pulpstar]

Watching the race in the fan park of Jenkin road with my black specialized bike, Pink Floyd cycle top if anyone wants to say hi

 

[deValtos]

Best crowds I've ever seen in a cycle race, truly awesome !

 

[ILovecycling]

Best crowds I've ever seen in a cycle race, truly awesome !

30th Olympiad

 

[The Hitch]

it was on a par with the olympic road race at times .

Way better crowds than the Olympic road race.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Way better crowds than the Olympic road race.

Absolutely this has been incredible support up in Yorkshire, guys on twitter posting photos of certain places where the crowd is already 5 deep at 8am. London tomorrow will be even more busy!

 

[Hawkwood]

I'll be in London tomorrow, haven't worked out the best place to watch it yet.

 

[Pricey_sky]

I'll be in London tomorrow, haven't worked out the best place to watch it yet.

Just get their very early would be my advice if your going anywhere near Central London for the final.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yeah insane crowds, always going be few close calls given numbers but I thought it was no worse than what we see in French mountains.
Great to see and hopefully the tour of yorkshire gets the same reception

It won't, simply because of the massive name recognition the Tour de France has and the almost unique and unprecedented opportunity to see it in that part of the UK. The guarantee of the absolute top field due to the TdF status will also have helped draw people out to see it.

But don't think I'm being negative about that. The Tour of Yorkshire will still be a success if they only get 15% the fans show up for it that we've seen this weekend, because it will still be very busy and benefit local businesses and look good on TV. There would still be packed roads for the key parts of the stage and show the kind of support befitting of a big race. This UK Tour weekend has just been another level that will be nigh on impossible to replicate for an annual event.

 

[Hawkwood]

Just get their very early would be my advice if your going anywhere near Central London for the final.

I've got a meeting at work in the morning, so I'll be getting a fast train around mid-day. I'll have to head down route a bit to see if I can find anywhere with a view. I was there for the prologue in 2007, so I know what to expect!

 

[hfer07]

Congrats to the Yorkshire community for their great support to the Tour. Amazing crowds, & truly lovely scenery to practice the sport. Overall superb-although there were a few bad apples, but not worth to mention.

Bravo

 

[Jspear]

Congrats to the Yorkshire community for their great support to the Tour. Amazing crowds, & truly lovely scenery to practice the sport. Overall superb-although there were a few bad apples, but not worth to mention.

Bravo

In light of the fact that there was over a million spectators, yes not very bad.

 

[shades1]

i have been glued to my armchair for the last 3 days and i would just like to say a big thankyou to all the fans that supported the race around the UK , it really made the first 3 stages as good as they could possibly be . i really hope the tour organizers use the UK in future tours , i think the UK has shown they know how to put on a bike race with an atmosphere second to none .

my number one memory of the 3 days has to be jens going solo on day1 up the hilly part of the stage where the crowds were just unbelievable and was on a par with any third week stage in france .

absolutely fantastic , well done UK !!

 

[MartinGT]

Great crowds, its a shame a large % will be back to abusing cyclists as they drive this week.... </cynic>