p1eman

The inlaws live in Cranleigh. For non Brits, or Northerners, this is on stage 7. They live a short walk from a sprint stage or a short drive/cycle to a KOM cat 1 climb!

I know the climb will let me see the riders better but I'm also taking the kids and I'm sure the sprint will be more exciting. We can always zip up to the finish at Guildford in plenty of time to see the finish if we feel unsated. Is the finish worth being at? I imagine the team buses won't be parked too near the finish as its in a city centre??

Any advice from seasoned spectators welcome

Caretaker

The sprint that they are close to is presumably an intermediate one so I'd expect only a handful of riders to contest it. Personally, I'd bring kids to a KOM point or just before it. Expect the actual finish to be crowded but it should be interesting if you get near to the run in.

More information here. https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stage...p#.UjnETxVOPIU

DXchulo

How far are you from the start area? IMO that's the best thing to see, and it's great for kids. It can also be good for you if you can use your kids as an excuse to take pictures with the riders. I've seen a lot of this at the races I've been to. Can't say I've ever seen a rider decline a request from a kid.

If you can find out where the feed zone is that's another good one. The riders will be going slow and the kids would probably enjoy chasing down bottles.

cyclezen

Ditto...

at any finish the riders don;t hang around for spectators, they coast around to let the legs cool a bit and then vamoose to hide in the bus or at the hotel...

KOM, cat1 can be fun if it's really a climb; but seeing the recent 'Cat 1' on TV, they pretty much motored by most spectators...

at the start, they will be hangin around - fun for the kids if they have 'favorites'...

p1eman

This is a proper cat 1!! Already watched last years on youtube, tiny little lane up a steep hill!!

Thanks, some really great input there. Now thinking of going sans family on Sunday to watch the last stage too. Will take your advice onboard for that and try and decide what to do on Saturday. The problem with the Start on Saturday is that if we wait til it starts we'll have trouble getting to the inlaws as they're pretty much riding my route to the inlaws!! Might try the feed station, didn't even think of that!! Get some bidons and musettes....

Ken Brown

Been watching on TV and the climbs don't look impressive but they must be deceiving because both Quintana and Martin have faltered on some of them.

atbman

British climbs are much shorter than traditonal European Tour ones, but also tend to be steeper. In an earlier incarnation, the Kellogs Tour IIRC, they sent the riders up Rosedale Chimney in Yorkshire. Only 0.9m but 33% for a sizeable portion of it..

British team mechanics warned the continentals about it and the gears they'd need, but were, so legend has it, ignored. Fair few of them had to get off and push. Also, so legend has it, took more notice of aforesaid mechanics for rest of race.

Gerryattrick

The Caerphilly hill climb on stage 5 in Wales may be short but it's very steep and the cruel thing about it is that riders know once they've done it once they have to go round and do it again five minutes later.

Great finish to the tour today in London. The crowds were amazing, Wiggins gets his first ToB win, and Cavendish wins another stage in a great sprint finish.

p1eman

After watching the riders whizz past on saturday. 4yo daughter decided She'd go with me on Sunday too. We were there right next to the barrier opposite the media suite on Sunday! Got there about 1130 and saw the IG Gentleman's TT which had only 2 'celebs' I knew. Lee Dixon, ex Arsenal Defender and Dermaut Mernaughan (sp) off the news. Think they could have done more with that to be honest. One of the (celebs?) threw my daughter his 3/4 full bidon as he lined up for the start, by the looks of him when he finished I think he regretted that move. It's not a massive course but slipstreaming a pro rider from sigma sport was thirsty work I reckon!! We watched 6 laps and left at about 5pm!! We'd run out of food by then and had our place saved several times for trips to queue at McDonalds toilets!! Thoroughly enjoyed it, great to see Brad win and Cav do the stage victory- especially as he was half way down the pack most of the race. He's got a great leadout train there.