The Tour of Britain - Report by Ken Fletcher

The Tour of Britain - Stage 2, Somerset, Tuesday 11th September 2007

Report by Ken Fletcher

The tour was well advertised in Somerset for some months before September 11 when the second stage of the event occurred. We are well removed from the serious cycling scene down here but the local authorities saw it as a great opportunity to “shopfront” Somerset and add some prestige to Taunton, where the finish would take place in the main shopping street. Indeed so important was it that Taunton centre would be closed to traffic from 8 am ‘til 5 pm and during the year work was done to ensure the route would be safe and free from potholes.

On the day, I took to the lanes from our house onto one of my usual rides across the remote Somerset levels and on crossing the route of the race met various cyclists waiting for the riders coming from Yeovilton Fleet Air Arm Museum. With a good hour to spare I rode on, eventually circuiting to a cross roads at Monkton Heathfield with just one minute to spare. As I drew up I was greeted by the pointed arm of a first wave outrider, obviously warning me not to cross. A few villagers were at the roadside and like me did not know what to expect. First the noisy outriders, then police motorbikes, ambulance, paramedic, white van, police car fast on the wrong side of the road, more outriders and another police car. A pause and the first bunch of riders doing about 35 mph, more outriders and then a long tail of riders followed immediately by a motorbike plus pillion rider with action video camera. The next part of the commotion was a repeat of the first wave of connections, but with multi coloured estate cars carrying spare bikes, the commissaries, another police car and finally the AA van. The villager next to me commented that they were all completely bonkers and it was another day when the police were not fighting crime. Indeed the village has probably never had so many police in such fleeting attendance.

The riders were off to Exmoor, through Dunster, Minehead, then up the Porlock Hill Toll Road that is a long steady climb which I find a long slog. Following this is the steady drag to Countygate where Somerset meets Devon. After that is the long drop to Lynmouth down Countisbury and another long climb through woodland and up onto the Brendon Hills. I have ridden the route many times, but I take my hat off to those who attempt it at speed.

The blog of rider James McCallum indicates he thought the stage would be pretty simple, however, the first problem they encountered was “Mrs Cow” having her afternoon stroll down the road causing the familiar sound of tyres squealing and the scent of brake blocks on carbon wheels! Still that’s Somerset, the bucolic county of the west. With six kilometres to go McCallum says he rode straight through the biggest hole in the road and for a good 300 metres he could not feel his hands for he had hit it so hard. His front wheel flattened and he had to wait for a spare wheel. Making it to the bunch he says he saw what only could be described as what looked like the whole bunch being taken out by snipers; there was a massive pile up with bodies and bikes everywhere.

In the town centre run-in the riders go over the river bridge, turn slightly to the left avoiding a central reservation, then turn slightly to the right for the straight to the finish. What happened was the riders took the second bend too wide and the first rider hit a projecting steel strut to a crowd
barrier. Thus an impressive high speed and photogenic pile up for the enjoyment and sympathy of the Taunton crowd and which took out the leading riders, including Mark Cavendish. McCallum says he had had enough and decided to roll in to the finish. You will recall that the stage was won by the Russian N. Trusov followed by L. Roberts of Australia. 165 kilometres in 3 hours.58 minutes 53 seconds.

The barrier fell on the crowd, but no one was injured. According to our local paper the leader of the county council said, “The impact the race had on the local economy, the
profile it has created for the county and the promotion of cycling are, indeed profound”. I wonder whether it will come to Somerset again, but according to the Council they hope to obtain a stage of the Tour de France!

KEN FLETCHER

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