Pershore Pershore

On to the individual time-trial stage, which for many cycling fans is an excuse for a snooze, but for the host town, it’s a bonanza. Instead of the peloton steaming through in a blink-andyou’ll-miss-it blur of sponsors’ logos, the whole Tour circus pitches camp on your doorstep for most of the day giving fans unparalleled access to their heroes. So when the Tour descends on the riverside Worcestershire market town of Pershore it will offer spectators a close-up view of how the world’s best riders operate. And if you pick the right spot on the undulating circuit that passes through Little Comberton and Bricklehampton you’ll get your share of dramatic, pain faces too, because the route is not the simple, flat, out-andback TT route familiar to regulars of the midweek club TT up and down the local dual carriageway.

Director’s notes

Andy Hawes: There’s no rule or regulation that states a week-long Tour has to have a TT, it’s just something we like to have if we get the chance to offer one. For a small authority such as Wychavon (which Pershore is part of) a TT is perfect. It’s quite a spectacle, it gives a longer time for spectators to enjoy it, rather than a road stage that just passes through. It’s also very compact in terms of logistics: road closures don’t last as long, you can get it done and dusted by midafternoon so evening rush hour is unaffected. It’s not a traditionally British TT course, not a long drag strip, it’s more of a ‘sporting course’. There’s a bit of a climb at the start, then it’s very undulating with a downhill finish. Is it long enough to affect GC? Definitely, especially if a leader is having a bad day.