PH does the (UK bit of the) Tour de France
Discussion
Yeh it should be a nice way of easing into the day.
I'm afraid I won't be able to help out with anything really. I'm getting the train from Ipswich Sunday morning and had a bit of a worry about how I'd get back to Ipswich from London because there seem to be rail replacement busses on that route every weekend at the moment. I think I've struck a deal with the OH to pick up me and one of my +1's from Stratford.
So now I have to work out a route to get there and will have a few more miles of fighting through London traffic after the 'finish'!!
I'm afraid I won't be able to help out with anything really. I'm getting the train from Ipswich Sunday morning and had a bit of a worry about how I'd get back to Ipswich from London because there seem to be rail replacement busses on that route every weekend at the moment. I think I've struck a deal with the OH to pick up me and one of my +1's from Stratford.
So now I have to work out a route to get there and will have a few more miles of fighting through London traffic after the 'finish'!!
Gruffy said:
That'll come in very useful, I'm sure. Let's hold off until I've had a chance to chat with the PH top brass next week. I should have a much better idea about the scale and flavour of the event after that.
I'm at a PH Moderator's meeting at the end of March also, so can tie in any loose ends for you then 
Edited by burriana on Thursday 5th February 14:19
Started training back up today. Just a 30ish mile ride to test my knee... Got rear-ended by a car. I got away lightly, but my bike needs a new wheel and maybe a new rear brake caliper. It doesn't look like the frame is bent, but I am going to take it to a bike shop for repairs and see. Not having much luck so far this year.
Gruffy said:
Looking into the logistics a little more closely, I have a loose plan.
Thursday
Find cycle-friendly central accommodation in Harrogate, with good food or nearby options, for Thursday evening.
Friday
Stage 1 officially started in Leeds, but we can start in Harrogate and ride the same profile, replacing the controlled start section with the hop from Harrogate to the official race start. This means we can ride a circular route, back to our hotel, eliminating luggage issues for day 1.
https://www.strava.com/routes/1387381
200km, 2,670m
Saturday
Stage 2 officially started in York, but runs on sketchy roads from York to Knaresborough. By starting from our hotels in Harrogate we cut out the dangerous section and reduce the route by 27km. I've added the 27km back in with an optional short loop at the start. This keeps the official distance for the super keen but gives a bit of relief for anybody suffering from Stage 1. Hotel in Sheffield on Sunday evening. We need to find a way of transporting luggage from Harrogate to Sheffield during the day.
https://www.strava.com/routes/1387408
200km, 4,062m
The challenging bit
Aside from the riding itself, the biggest challenge is the transfer from Sheffield to Cambridge. There are no easy train journeys (3.5 hours and 2-3 changes). As we're making the journey at the start of Sunday rather than the end of Saturday, all riders should be together. Coach hire (team bus!!) feels like probably the best option for the 125 mile journey. PH power could be another option, if the support is there. We have about 10 riders to transport.
Sunday
Stage 3 starts in Cambridge and it's easy enough for us to follow the official route, except for a few deviations to avoid one-way roads and a couple of dangerous A-road tunnels when we arrive in London. We'll need to figure out how to transport luggage from Cambridge to the finish point in London.
https://www.strava.com/routes/1387398
161km, 1,316m
Ideally we'll also have one or more support cars able to help with mechanicals and aborts. These would loosely shadow the group but needn't be following along behind. Just close enough to help if the call goes out. They would RV with the group for the designated lunch stop to reload jersey pockets and water bottles. If we had more than one support car we could also have one travel ahead after the lunch stop and check riders into the next hotel, leaving luggage in their rooms, so that riders can get straight off the bike and just focus on collapsing/stretching/eating.
Do we have any volunteers for support cars? Any better suggestions for managing the transfer from Sheffield to Cambridge on Saturday evening or Sunday morning?
Not sure how much this may help but my plan is to drive up from Bristol on the Thursday so my car will be with us for the duration of the event, happy for it to be a "support car" on the first two stages as its a barge and can carry a fair amount of kit. It could also be used to do the Harrogate-Sheffield luggage run during the day if there is a driver available?. For the Sheffield to London transfer, I reckon I can get four people, bikes and kit in the car.... I'll most likely leave it in Cambridge and get the train back with the bike from London on Sunday evening. Thursday
Find cycle-friendly central accommodation in Harrogate, with good food or nearby options, for Thursday evening.
Friday
Stage 1 officially started in Leeds, but we can start in Harrogate and ride the same profile, replacing the controlled start section with the hop from Harrogate to the official race start. This means we can ride a circular route, back to our hotel, eliminating luggage issues for day 1.
https://www.strava.com/routes/1387381
200km, 2,670m
Saturday
Stage 2 officially started in York, but runs on sketchy roads from York to Knaresborough. By starting from our hotels in Harrogate we cut out the dangerous section and reduce the route by 27km. I've added the 27km back in with an optional short loop at the start. This keeps the official distance for the super keen but gives a bit of relief for anybody suffering from Stage 1. Hotel in Sheffield on Sunday evening. We need to find a way of transporting luggage from Harrogate to Sheffield during the day.
https://www.strava.com/routes/1387408
200km, 4,062m
The challenging bit
Aside from the riding itself, the biggest challenge is the transfer from Sheffield to Cambridge. There are no easy train journeys (3.5 hours and 2-3 changes). As we're making the journey at the start of Sunday rather than the end of Saturday, all riders should be together. Coach hire (team bus!!) feels like probably the best option for the 125 mile journey. PH power could be another option, if the support is there. We have about 10 riders to transport.
Sunday
Stage 3 starts in Cambridge and it's easy enough for us to follow the official route, except for a few deviations to avoid one-way roads and a couple of dangerous A-road tunnels when we arrive in London. We'll need to figure out how to transport luggage from Cambridge to the finish point in London.
https://www.strava.com/routes/1387398
161km, 1,316m
Ideally we'll also have one or more support cars able to help with mechanicals and aborts. These would loosely shadow the group but needn't be following along behind. Just close enough to help if the call goes out. They would RV with the group for the designated lunch stop to reload jersey pockets and water bottles. If we had more than one support car we could also have one travel ahead after the lunch stop and check riders into the next hotel, leaving luggage in their rooms, so that riders can get straight off the bike and just focus on collapsing/stretching/eating.
Do we have any volunteers for support cars? Any better suggestions for managing the transfer from Sheffield to Cambridge on Saturday evening or Sunday morning?
Edited by Gruffy on Friday 30th January 13:00
Eddh said:
Can we get limited edition (yellow) PH jerseys?
I don't have a resolved TdF jersey design yet but something along those lines, yes. The current design doesn't port to yellow/black well. The crash test dummies look isn't a good one for cyclists. Yellow/White may work, but needs some experimenting. We may have some sponsors logos on there too, but time is very tight and they may not be in place for this one.
It amazes me how creative people can just come up with stuff that just works. I really scratched my head and the only thing I thought of was this:
[removed]
(with apologies to Gruffy for defacing his work)
Eagerly awaiting Gruffy's TdePH design.
edit - pic removed lest it puts anyone off reading post this post.
[removed]
(with apologies to Gruffy for defacing his work)
Eagerly awaiting Gruffy's TdePH design.
edit - pic removed lest it puts anyone off reading post this post.
Edited by SixPotBelly on Thursday 19th February 12:05
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