TOUR DE FRANCE

A report by some members of Spokes who travelled to see the TdF.

Chris , Richard , Liz  and Tony joined 2million other spectators for the UK section of Le Tour

We arrived at the Hop Farm campsite near Tonbridge in Kent on the Friday afternoon. After setting up camp we had a very pleasant ride round the leafy lanes of rural Kent- rolling hills, woodlands , picturesque villages , distinctive Oasthouses used for drying hops and many orchards. We finished the evening with a meal in a pub garden in glorious evening sunshine- our first taste of summer. 

On Saturday we drove to Erith where we joined the Thames cycleway which follows the south bank of the Thames for about 20 miles to central London. This was a unique experience-through deserted derelict wharves, past the Thames barrier, Millennium Dome and the redeveloped Woolwich Arsenal to Greenwich. At Greenwich we boarded a river cruise with our bikes to Embankment. 

The scene in central London was amazing-the whole area was closed to traffic and cyclists and pedestrians ruled the city. Enormous crowds had gathered round the area to watch the Prologue- a time trial sprint around a 5mile circuit. We found a vantage point at the end of The Mall and watched the first half dozen cyclists before heading to Green Park to watch more of the action on a giant screen. The park was full of people and there was a really good atmosphere. 

We then cycled back through the traffic free streets , over Tower Bridge , and rejoined the cycleway back to Erith. It was a long exhausting day but very enjoyable. All went well except for Richard losing his mobile phone ( a long story which he will tell you about) and Tony falling off in Greenwich High St due to problems with cleats. 

Sunday was another warm sunny day. We set off from the campsite heading for Goudhurst-one of the recommended viewing points at the top of a hill clime. However due to road closures and numbers of spectators predicted we changed our plan and stopped at a neighbouring village. There was a real carnival atmosphere-fair and stalls on the village green. We booked a table in the garden of the general stores who were raising money for local charities. We had a ‘French’ meal and a great vantage point. We watched the cavalcade of floats , support vehicles , media , police pass by for about an hour before the riders arrived. The stage was from London to Canterbury ( 126 miles) and we were at about the 70 mile point. Five breakaway riders sped past about 4 minutes ahead of the pelaton. We were amazed at how tightly bunched they all were-it is not surprising crashes often occur.

We then cycled back to the campsite to watch the end of the race on a large screen with about forty other cycling fans before travelling back to Leicester. 

Overall it was an excellent weekend, made even better by the weather. We would recommend anyone to visit Kent for a cycling trip and also the Thames cycleway is well worth a visit.

It would be good to organise a Spokes camping trip should Le Tour return to the UK again in future.

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