It could be argued the NCU (which championed time-trialling, a safer but less exciting format) was right: 60 years later and the Tour of Britain is no Tour de France, it's not even a Tour of Poland.īritish Cycling and the Tour of Britain are trying to address this and there's no doubt the race is growing in prestige.
The road-racing enthusiasts disagreed and pushed on with their plans, instigating a split in British cycling that was not repaired for almost 20 years. It was concerned racing on the public highway would annoy the general public so much that the future of the entire sport could be jeopardised. The National Cyclists' Union (NCU), British Cycling's forebear, wanted nothing to do with plans in the 1940s to start a UK version of the Tour de France.
The race has been through a few guises over the years but its origins lie in a dispute over the practicalities of racing on British roads. This shouldn't come as a surprise to Tour of Britain organisers. It seems we're happy to cheer Sir Chris Hoy's exploits on television, paint cycling lanes on the road and consider getting the Raleigh out of the shed, but let cyclists loose on the tarmac.on their own.without cars.are you kidding? This has prompted British Cycling to ask the government to help grass-roots events struggling with rising police costs and health and safety red tape.Įven the Tour of Britain, our premier annual road race, must make do with a rolling road-closure programme that costs a fortune to police and has not always delivered the worry-free racing the pros desire.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? But why then are the Etape Caledonia and the Tour Ride the only closed-road cycling events in the country? And why are other British cyclosportives shutting down? Surely closing a road for a few hours once a year, so thousands of people can enjoy themselves and raise some money for charity, is a good thing, no? Coyote than a wider campaign - a man has been charged with "culpably and recklessly placing carpet tacks on the road" - but there was some support in the area for his ends, if not his means. OK, I know what happened in Pitlochry appears to be more a case of a lone Wile E. I'm also sure the local economy will benefit and pots of cash will be raised for a worthy cause.īut the same could have been said of the Etack Caledonia and look what happened there. I have no doubt the route will make for an excellent day's riding and I'm certain the 3,000 places available will be snapped up. I tried a good chunk of the middle section last week (I'm tempted to say I did all of it but the truth has a way of getting out) and I learned two important lessons: the Potteries are surprisingly lumpy and Soreen malt loaf tastes delicious at the top of a drizzly Gun Hill but is almost inedible anywhere else. Starting at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium, the route is a boot-shaped slog that passes through Stone, Uttoxeter and lots of stunning Staffordshire countryside, before looping around Leek and heading back to the Britannia. The ride, which is based on the popular L'Etape du Tour in France, follows the same 145km course the professionals will cycle in the Tour of Britain's fifth stage, a week and a half later.
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