Chattering Chough: Tour of Britain

Today was the eighth and final stage of Tour of Britain featuring Team Sky with our Tour de France/Olympic cyclists needing cheering on. This final stage came through Guildford twice, so we planned to try and see them both times. We found the whole of the High Street barricaded off with our usual side all parked up with the huge support vehicles, so no good for viewing, but managing to cross at an official crossing, we just had time to get a carry-out Starbucks and find a space opposite Vacansoleil's truck before the circus began.

Was this a track tester?

Who is that in the lead?

First of all we had the speeding police bikes with blue lights aflash and sirens blaring. Then several support vehicles with anyone from commentators, guests, judges, controllers and medics inside came hurtling by. A couple of lone cyclists raced up the road, but no numbers and no followers, so we thought they may be 'testing' the track for the real racers.

The Peleton

At last came the lead group, flashing by in an instant and then a long gap to the peleton, who also raced by with plenty of cheering, whistling and waving.They went off into the Surrey countryside, leaving the spectators with a couple of hours to kill before their return for the finale.

We struggled through the crowd down to the top of the High Street and took a sharp right down Jeffries Passage to the relative quiet of North Street. We soon wheeled round the corner at the bottom and came back onto the High Street where they were holding a little side show race between several folk connected to the sponsors and broadcasters.

A Bamboo bike by Zamboo

They went off a ramp in pairs competing against each other up the cobbles starting with 16 and eventually ending up with a grand finale where Mr Johnson of Johnson Health Tech was narrowly beaten by the winner, whose name we didn't catch!

Even the event mascots had a go!

Time for another break, and when we got back on the track, we found a place on the bridge over the Wey Navigation where the riders would sweep round the corner from the Godalming road, across the bridge and then up the full hill of the High Street.

We had quite some time to wait, but eventually the whole jamboree came whizzing by; and at last the cyclists all tightly bunched, cheered on by thousands of fans as they swept up the hill to the finish line. Amazing fun, enjoyed by all!