Finally after a tough week and a day we arrived at the grand finish in Cardiff, the biggest city in South Wales.
As everyone knows the final stage always ends up in London but cycling there has been in lock down since the journalist Adam Boulton wrote a brilliant and well researched piece for some newspaper calling for an end to the “senseless worship of bicycles”. After he exposed Cycling UK, the lobbying behemoth who’s whopping £5 million income dwarfs that of the entire motoring industry, people decided they’d had enough. The normally law abiding, courteous and attentive drivers of London started speeding through the streets and red lights, began honking and hurling abuse at anyone holding them up, they blocked pavements, Sadiq Khan continued what he was doing and suddenly it was too dangerous to hit the roads on two wheels. But because we can’t go to London we are here and it is wonderful.
I have been chatting quite often to a Mr G.Thomas throughout the race. He’s a pleasant fellow and much nicer than his boss who’s usually angrier than a Feargal McKay tweet. He has told me all about Wales. His favourite make is the humpback.
Towards the end of the stage Mr Mark Cavendish rode up to me and enquired where the final sprint point was so I said “Usk”. “That’s what I’m doing” he guffawed and sped off laughing. Honestly! Mr Cav comes out with some wizard japes!
There were plenty of undulations in the terrain today and the toughest climb was the Marlborough Drag known as ‘Alto del Marlborough Drag’.
Edvald Hagen-Boss won the stage and Lars Boom won the overall championships of the Tour de of Britain sprint cup, the most boring edition since its inception.
James Rannoch CC 