London Is So Classy

We get up later than I intended and it's my fault because I am tempted by the female alongside me. It's probably because I'd missed my warm down last night, not that I'd done any cycling to warrant one. We then have to rush Doggo over to his minders for the day (my parents) and then L, Daughter and I head off down to London.

I'm going down to the watch the start of the Tour De France, that this year starts in London (don't ask, these things happen). L and Daughter are tagging along primarily to shop, which is a concept I don't quite understand. Why would anyone go to London for shops when we have shops in Nottingham, but then again why would anyone shop at all when we have the internet?

The journey through the road works at Luton is horrible and this makes us even later. What makes it worse is that we can see no reason for the hold up, as three lanes are open. I know they are adding a fourth lane and have been doing so for a few years but it was never this bad with three lanes before, so it appears now that adding a fourth won't make a lot of difference. Also, is the trade off of longer holds up now, and these road works have been going on for years, worth the benefit that will come later. I think not. Another total waste of money.

We survive the M1 and then ground to a halt on the M25. Having lost the will to battle any longer we bail off the motorway at Watford and try and find a tube station. When we eventually do, and manage to park, we find that the station is closed, as indeed is the whole line, for maintenance. So we have to get back in the car and drive even further into London to find one that is open.

I eventually make it to Central London for 2.30, 30 minutes before the start of the race. I watch Ken Livingtone start the race and then go off to find a good place to watch. There are apparently one million people lining the streets and it feels like it. It seems to go well for the riders but it's a nightmare for spectators, there are bottlenecks everywhere and finding a good place to watch is nigh on impossible. Luckily there are giant screens everywhere. Amazingly with so many people there I see someone I know. I even eventually get a good spot to see the last forty or so riders, the top seeds, do by. Australian, Stuart O'Grady appears to clip a barrier and comes to a rather ungraceful stop not far from the finish.

Andreas Kloeden sets a storming time and then George Hincapie gets close to it. All the British riders get huge support but David Millar is disappointing and comes in 11th. Bradley Wiggins does better but can still only clock the third fastest time.



That is until the favourite Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara goes round the course an amazing 13 seconds ahead of Kloeden to push Wiggins down to fourth. Geraint Thomas comes in 45th, Mark Cavendish 69th and climber Charlie Wegelius 91st.

It's now 6.30 and I've kind of forgotten to have lunch, not that there's been anywhere that wasn't a burger van with a two mile queue. With the crowds dispersing I manage to get hold of a fruit salad and a bag of chops from a stall outside Buckingham Palace.



Not the best race preparation but it could have been worse. I eventually manage to find L and Daughter, who are sitting on road works outside Harvey Nicholls. London is so classy.

We try and head for home but Knightsbridge tube station is shut because it's full and South Kensington is just plain shut. Eventually we find one that is open and, once we get moving, the journey home is a lot better than the one on the way down. Even so it's 10.45 before we get to collect Doggo, who seems to have had an exhausting day entertaining my parents. L cooks up some good carbo-loading slag when we get home.

It was very ambitious of London to try and stage Live Earth, the Wimbledon Finals, and the Tour de France all on the one day. Amazingly it seems to have pulled it off, despite the travel chaos. So that must bode well for the Olympics particularly if they decide to open a few more tube stations whilst it's on.