Anyone heard/read anything negative about the TdF in London?

[Bromptonaut]

Dozy security types with limited English.

Stood in Whitehall just below start about 15:30 send daugther (14) who has over indulged in free Aquarel water off to Portaloos in Horse Guards Road. Five minutes later she mobiles me that they won't let her back (even when she's explained age etc), want to send her the long way via Northumberland Ave and Trafalger Sq.

Whole family then has to uproot from prime position to rescue her. Several other family groups similarly split. Appreciate that there may be reasons why; but nobody, including the one English speaker could explain except by some variation of "orders mate".

 

[Gavin Gilbert]

For the prologue I camped out at the corner of constitution hill, about four foot from where Stuart O' Grady came off. I still can't work out why, but there was a couple of manhole covers just out of the corner

It's a nasty corner. On a commute you've the problem of RLJing cyclists and peds trying to run off the traffic island refuge onto Constitution Hill or the Green Park cycle lane.

I guess what brought Stewie down was the dust that collects there and/or entering that section at .1% over the SafeSpeed

 

[Paulus]

[The only other downside I can think of was the Gendarmerie making the Met officers look like sacks of spuds in flo jackets. Why can't our police look that good?[/quote]


Funny that, my patrol partner said exactly the same thing, the Met Pol SEG bikers in their full face helmets, leathers, HV's sweating their
B0££0cks off! And the Gendarmerie in their short sleeved shirts Jodphurs and knee boots looking cool as cucumbers! or should that be cornichons?[/quote]


I agree. The Gendarmes looked really good in their shirts and leather boots. Their bikes sounded better as well. Thought it was agood touch towards the end when the French and Met. riders both escorted the last riders round the course. I got there at 9,45ish and found a good spot at the bottom of Constitution Hill by the barriers. I had a wonderful day. The only bad thing I heard was on the radio yesterday morning on Radio 2. Apparently there was a sentance in an article in the Torygraph about the tour that said that some OAP's in Dartford didn't get their hot meals on wheels because of the road closures and had to make do with sarnies instead.

 

[Paulus]

Another thing. What did you make of the continental style mens urinals at the back of the portaloos? I thought it was good fun having a leak in view of the line of ladies waiting for a cubicle and passing tourists on the path. Normally you would get an ASBO for that sort of thing!!!!

 

[dbg]

Great day, wish I'd stayed by the devil outside Buck Pal though. There was plenty of space with a hour to go but since I had kids with me, thought Hyde Park would be better. Couldn't get next to a barrier after that and took ages to get over the bridges (got over just before the police closed the Hyde Park one). Too few vendors as well, seems like they were unprepared for the amount of people. Wish I'd bought a London Depart T'Shirt, by the time I decided to buy one they'd sold out! doh.

 

[Paulus]

Great day, wish I'd stayed by the devil outside Buck Pal though. There was plenty of space with a hour to go but since I had kids with me, thought Hyde Park would be better. Couldn't get next to a barrier after that and took ages to get over the bridges (got over just before the police closed the Hyde Park one). Too few vendors as well, seems like they were unprepared for the amount of people. Wish I'd bought a London Depart T'Shirt, by the time I decided to buy one they'd sold out! doh.

I was on the opposite side to the devil, but there was a long que to have a photograph taken with him. He was very approachable.

 

[dbg]

Must have got busier just after I left, I had a pic taken with him without queing - he hugged me like a bear!

 

[bluedigga]

The French tv commentaters heaped praise on the prologue and 1st stage, and were still on about it yesterday.
I think we can all be proud, and it's a certainty that it's going to start in England again in the future.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Another thing. What did you make of the continental style mens urinals at the back of the portaloos? I thought it was good fun having a leak in view of the line of ladies waiting for a cubicle and passing tourists on the path. Normally you would get an ASBO for that sort of thing!!!!

you can see them in manchester on a saturday night.

 

[bof]

I marshalled out in Kent and the way we were treated was a b*lloxup which would bore you all - save to say I won't volunteer again.

My only quibble with the publicly visible part of the operation is that they could have safely let pedestrians cross the route in the bits with barriers until just before the caravan turned up - and people cycle down the route - as it was I had to send people over to a crossing a long way away, so lots of people ended up jumping the barriers where there was no marshal to stop them. So 9.8 out of 10.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

On Sunday, I watched at the final barriered part of the first KOM climb after Tonbridge. The marshalling was surprisingly relaxed with local lads pulling wheelies up and down the hill and a crossing point being manned in a very easy going and cooperative way by the couple of drivers from the Norbert Dentressangle lorry that had set up the KOM finish line.

Even all the locals who lived near by were happy with all the disruption. They said they had had plenty of warning and couldn't really care if their routine was disrupted for one Sunday in 15 years or so.

But on the other hand, there was the articulated lorry driver who squeezed passed two 'Road Closed' signs in the hope (presumably) that they didn't really mean the road was closed. When he got down to the barriers across his side road, a couple of policemen told him his best bet was staying put for a few hours. But no, he reckoned he could reverse back the way he had come. So they watched as he promptly rammed a parked car, taking it's side out. Apparently this was the only 'loggable' incident Kent police had to deal with in the biggest operation they have mounted in their 150 year history.

 

[palinurus]

It all seemed to go very well from where I was. Shame about the speedbumps before the bridge on the prologue route. Still it was interesting to watch riders taking them at speed tho' ("bend ze knees" or bunnyhop or just charge straight over without breaking rhythm). One of the team cars lost a spare bike on the way over one of them, it sort of came loose and dangled off the side of the car. I didn't see any other incidents related to the bumps.

 

[jonathan ellis]

My Issues

sunburnt neck
a hangover from wine


er thats it, great day out for all of us

 

[gbb]

and took ages to get over the bridges (got over just before the police closed the Hyde Park one). Too few vendors as well, seems like they were unprepared for the amount of people. Wish I'd bought a London Depart T'Shirt, by the time I decided to buy one they'd sold out! doh.

Dont worry dbg...i must have been yards away from you at some point, yards from the devil guy..and made exactly the same mistake....walked and walked, more and more desperate for a place that just want there.
Eventualy walked all the way back to the start (near it anyway) and found a place where there werent too many people, and managed to get on the barriers after about 30 minutes...perfect.

My legs and hips were sooooooo sore on Sunday, i musta walked miles :?:[/color]

 

[trio25]

I haven't heard anything that wasn't positive. Although I hadn't realised they had closed the bridge in Hyde Park.

My only issue was also getting sunburnt.