Blog: Tour De France

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This afternon I nipped out to see a Major Sporting Event, for LO! The Tour De France was coming through the Olympic Park, 10 minutes from our flat. It would have been rude not to really.

I'd looked up the times online and felt a bit cheeky rolling up at 3.05pm, expecting the leaders to come by in exactly 6 minutes. It turned out I needn't have felt so bad, as they didn't turn up for another half an hour, so instead we watched loads and loads of cars, motorbikes, and a van full of GENDARMES go by. There was a really big, happy, excited crowd stood lining the route all the way that I could see, and I found the whole thing rather WORRYING. A huge mob of high speed vehicles were going to be zooming past, yet there were no barriers and nothing to stop people (and the MANY small children) wandering out into the face of it. Clearly I have missed my calling as a Health & Safety Officer.

I was thus RELIEVED when people around me started getting texts from chums who were stood earlier in the course. "They're in Walthamstow!" somebody called. "Lea Bridge Road!" someone else said a few minutes later. PHEW. There might be a crash of bikes and bodies LOOMING, but at least I would't have to worry about it for much longer!

Excitement built as the stream of vehicles got denser and denser, and soon we heard clapping and shouting as the leaders approached. ZOOM! The two cyclists in front went by at lightning speed and suddenly it was all quiet. I knew that that wasn't IT, but it wasn't half STRANGE to get this miniscule burst of ACTION and then nothing again.

Two minutes later the PELOTON whizzed past and GOODNESS ME but they didn't half go fast! It was about 30 seconds (if that) of COLOUR and BIKES and ZOOM and suddenly they were gone. It was AMAZING - lots of people got cameras out, but I just stood and GAWPED, i have never seen anything quite like it, an almighty FLASH of ACTION, followed by some more cars, a couple more lonely bikes, and then the whole thing was over. The whole crowd paused, thinking "What do we do now?" and then dispersed. Ten minutes later I was back in the flat, wondering if it had happened at all.

It was marvellous - I hope it comes back to the UK again, next time I'll get there a bit later so I don't need to worry so much!

posted 7/7/2014 by MJ Hibbett

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