Aviva Women's Tour **Spoiler alert**

[zacklaws]

Hugh Porter's commentary, he is truly dreadful

Your absolutley right, it gets quiet repetitive.

"Oh there's been a crash"

"Ooooooh Look at that for a crash"

"We'll be right back, Don't go away, plenty more action to come"

"Oh look at all the schoolchildren, their loving it"

"Oh look at the crowds, their in their thousands"

Sometimes on club rides, I call out his quotes, especcially "Oh look at the crowds, their in their thousands" if I see two or three people waiting at the roadside for a bus or to cross the road in front of us.

But there again, I find him better than the Australian who was commentating a couple of years ago, he was so irratating, by the time he had named the rider in full, along with the team he rides for in full, all in slow motion with pauses between the words the camera had panned away to someone else who he would then do exactly the same again but then the camera goes back to the original rider, it became frustrating. And he had no humour, the day a rider the camera was focussed on in full shot went for a drink out of his bottle and had the misfortune of the bottle top falling off pouring the contents onto his chin, he made no comment about it, I would have made a field day of it with gags.

But at the end of the day, I could not do better myself when it comes to it.

 

[Apollonius]

I noticed that the photographers were a bit less conspicuous on the finish line today. Good news is that Lizzie is feeling better and even wanted to start today. She was persuaded to recover for next week's nationals it seems.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

She was persuaded to recover for next week's nationals it seems.

Good advice too. But it's not often that someone wins yellow and never gets a chance to wear it. Shame for a great British rider to be out of the ToB.

 

[cardiac case]

I noticed that the photographers were a bit less conspicuous on the finish line today. Good news is that Lizzie is feeling better and even wanted to start today. She was persuaded to recover for next week's nationals it seems.

I thought the same.

I try to be inconspicuous when out with the camera.

Paul G

 

[HF2300]

On the itv4 coverage (recorded and slow-mo'd), it looked like Mick Bennett started to shove the photographers back the instant Armitstead started to wobble, but she still clipped the photographer in front of him. The finish road narrowed from the left (in the direction of race) after the line, placing the photographer huddle in what would otherwise have been the middle of the road, as you may be able to see at https://goo.gl/maps/pXD2t

I think she did more than clipped him!

It seemed to me there were a number of issues. The road narrowed abruptly shortly after the finish line, which was poor course design on the part of the organisers. If there had been a tight sprint on that side of the finish, a number of riders travelling at speed would have run out of road. There was a large group of photographers standing in the narrow part of the road and spread quite a way across the road, causing a significant obstruction. I appreciate the press want to get their photo of the winner, but I've never really understood why the area immediately after the finish line is always so full of people. It can't be beyond the organisers to arrange a safe unobstructed finish area and let photographers get their shot. Lizzie veered left as she was celebrating - wind? surface? a wobble? and immediately went to the bars but had run out of space to correct it - but really, there should be space enough for that sort of incident to happen without issue. No-one's mentioned that Lizzie's bike flew across the road and skittled a number of other riders, which could have been quite serious; fortunately wasn't.

I think organisers need to look at these issues seriously. Some hazards are inevitable, gratuitous hazards aren't.

As others have said, there was noticeably a smaller group of photographers, tighter to the railings the next day...

...and as for the coverage, 'nuff said. It's great that womens' racing is getting more coverage, and I wouldn't like to say it's a sexist thing as we've seen equally poor coverage of some mens' races below GT level, but really the techniques are well developed enough by now; surely it can't be beyond them to have some indication of time gaps, edit the coverage so it doesn't jump about in a confusing way, and have commentators that can give us some idea what's going on...

 

[Glow worm]

Just a quick heads up- there'll be a piece on the Women's Tour shortly now on Woman's Hour (R4)
Link Here
Should be on 'Listen Again' too later if you miss it.

 

[biggs682]

Just got back from watching today, last year the motorcycle riders that come in front of the race told you about the time before the ladies arrived, not the case today.
So missed the breakaway trio

 

[PeteXXX]

I thought the same.

I try to be inconspicuous when out with the camera.

Paul G

View attachment 92461

That's a very long selfie stick!!

 

[PeteXXX]

Just got back from watching today, last year the motorcycle riders that come in front of the race told you about the time before the ladies arrived, not the case today.
So missed the breakaway trio View attachment 92506 View attachment 92507 View attachment 92508 View attachment 92509

At the finish line, the commentator gave updates so we knew exactly when to expect them.
I'll post some pics once I get them developed

 

[PeteXXX]

In Oundle, after the 20 minute circuit of the town, a flying start..

And there they go..

At the finish in Kettering

Winning Stage 3.

And not far behind..

A mate and I had met in Brigstock to ride to the start and got there in good time to get a decent spot for the initial lap of the town, but had to move up the street a bit for the start 'proper'.
Once the ladies had sped off, we rode through the lanes to Kettering, grabbig a cuppa on the way. Plenty of time to find a decent place to watch the finish..

Great way to spend a day, even though it was hardly June weather! Dry, but not particulary warm when standing around for a while.

 

[TheDoctor]

They're going past my house in about 45 minutes

 

[cardiac case]

They're going past my house in about 45 minutes

Quick! Find a phone box.

 

[HLaB]

Good shots @PeteXXX I was almost directly below the Woman about to jump out of her window at Oundle and just at the finishing turn at top of the hill just before the finish in Ketering. My videos were lost though leaving these stills. Saw @totallyfixed too, he walked right past but in his own wee world :-D The rest of my pics are here (https://www.cyclechat.net/media/albums/womens-tour-stage3.929/ ), including the compulsory bike selfie ;-)

 

[PeteXXX]

I got loads of pics but only posted a few of them. It's a great experience going to such an event, isn't it..

I was about 35 yards from the line on the right looking up the road in your last pic (sort of level with the car, next to the hospitality area.)

 

[totallyfixed]

Good shots @PeteXXX I was almost directly below the Woman about to jump out of her window at Oundle and just at the finishing turn at top of the hill just before the finish in Ketering. My videos were lost though leaving these stills. Saw @totallyfixed too, he walked right past but in his own wee world :-D The rest of my pics are here (https://www.cyclechat.net/media/albums/womens-tour-stage3.929/ ), including the compulsory bike selfie ;-)

I certainly was, but my day got a whole lot stranger, I will write that up tomorrow in your ride today. Part clue, if anyone was watching on Rockingham Hill for the QOM they would have seen me.