July 2014: Tour de France, London Stage

by | Jul 15, 2014 | Slipstreamers in Action, General Cycling Fun

Ralph & Simon Passey At the London Stage of Tour – 7th July:

Simon’s Experience
It was an amazing and an unforgettable day. The atmosphere was great and while we were not able to watch the race at the Mall due to large crowds, we watched it in Green Park on a big screen. Whilst we were watching the race, we were kept topped up with little cakes that people were handing out for free. There were plenty of different stalls and freebies for all. One of these stalls was a Skoda stall which included a 700m race up hill on a 7% climb, a little shop for buying kit and lastly to design a biscuit with edible ink. Me and my dad both took part in the 700m uphill race, and after we got given a Skoda water bottle full of refreshing water. It was an amazing experience as a whole and was a great day out!

Ralph’s Experience
We went to wast the end of stage 3 of the Tour De France finishing in London. We arrived at The Mall to find a mass of people up to 5 deep lining the finishing straight, so went to the Fan Park in Green Park to watch the race on a massive screen and visit the stands. Also, at the Fan Park was a food area where you could buy a large range of food,  an area of stands where you could take part in challenges, or just get a free drink. Whilst the race progressed towards London, we enjoyed the free drinks and cakes from the Ibis Hotels stand, and saw Serge Betsen along with players from the London Irish rugby team. We bumped into some friends from other cycling clubs, and saw some Slipstreamers as we looked around. Unexpectedly, I was recognised by a cyclist who attended a coaching session I helped at several years ago. I also took part in the Skoda cycling challenge where I was up against Simon in a 700m uphill sprint, where we won a water bottle each (out of us two who do you think won?). As the race was about to finish there was a brief shower, but it did nothing to dampen the atmosphere.  The stage was won by Marcel Kittel riding for Giant. As we left, we got an unexpected surprise of a bag of cakes from the Ibis stand for the journey home.