Tour of Britain Tuesday 8th September 2015

A different kind of ramble for us today. We always watch the Tour de France and really enjoy the experience, so for the last few years when the Tour of Britain has been anywhere near us we have gone to watch. Today's stage was from Cockermouth to Floors Castle, Kelso via Gretna so it couldn't have been much closer!
The weather was glorious so even waiting for them to arrive was very pleasant. We stood outside the Old Toll Bar  - the first house in Scotland. The border between England and Scotland just here is marked by the River Sark.

A team from Border News were at the same spot too - and interviewed some of the spectators!

Unfortunately they didn't appear on the programme later that evening!
The first sign of anything arriving was the stream of motor cycles that came past. They are like a continuous wave - as one arrives the previous bike moves on.

Some are police motor bikes but there are many others - photographers, race officials, and race marshalls who stop to wave their flags to warn the cyclists of a hazard. We lost count of how many bikes there were but the police bikes represented many forces around the UK.
Finally cars came into view...

There were many of these too - containing race officials, special guests of organisers and sponsors, etc etc. All the spectators were getting excited now - they must be nearly here now musn't they?
Then suddenly a few cyclists came into view...

.... and whizzed past! Taking photos meant we couldn't clap the riders but other watchers did it for us.The breakaway contained just 6 riders.
A few minutes then passed before the peloton finally arrived. They whizz past so quickly it is easy to miss favourite teams and riders. In the larger pic below we think Mark Cavendish is the second rider - with the overall tour leader behind his team mate. Sir Bradley Wiggins was towards the rear of the field but wasn't recognisable in our photos! (Our fault, not his!)

Standing at the side of the road gives you a very good idea of the speed at which the riders go - and it is quite amazing! Within a very short time the riders have sped past but .....
then you get the entourage....

Car after car...  after car... after car. Obviously there are all the team cars following their riders with bikes on their roofs just in case they are needed. How many thousands of pounds worth of equipment is on each car is a mystery!!
Finally...

....come other Emergency services...

and the traditional final vehicle - the Broom wagon. This follows the race and "sweeps up" stragglers who are unable to finish the race in the permitted time.
A fantastic experience - even if you are not a cyclist. Can't wait for the next time! This year's Tour of Britain has 8 stages and watching the highlights each evening on TV has shown how many people want to see the race for themselves and are willing to make the effort to go and cheer on the riders.