CAPITAL CLIMAX FOR TOUR OF BRITAIN
THE streets of Cardiff were lined with cycle fans yesterday afternoon as the Tour of Britain raced into the city centre for its final stage.
The capital was the first Welsh venue to host the overall finish of the race, and saw some of the best cycling teams and riders in the world complete three laps of the city centre for the eighth stage.
And the day saw celebrations for Cardiffborn Team Sky cyclist Geraint Thomas, who won best British rider of the tour in front of his home crowd.
There were rolling road closures and hundreds of barriers in place on a day that saw rain and wind batter the city centre.
But that didn’t stop thousands of fans turning out to cheer on their heroes, and see Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Dimension Data win the final stage.
The Tour of Britain began in Edinburgh on September 3, and finished with Sunday’s eighth stage.
The 180km final day race began in Worcester on Sunday morning before passing through Monmouthshire and Newport, finishing with three laps of the capital.
The first riders finished at City Hall just after 3pm, as King Edward VII Avenue and Cathays Park was packed out with spectators who had been watching the event on a big screen.
Among the fans at the finish line were Matthew Smith, who travelled down from North Wales with his family.
He said: “It’s excellent to have something as big as this happening in cycling in Wales.
“We are all big cycle fans so this has been in the diary for a few months now. Despite the absolutely awful weather we’re having a good time!”
Emma Louise, 26, and from Roath, said: “We have been waiting in Cardiff all day for this which turned out to be not the best decision as the heavens have opened a couple of times now.
“It’s good to see so many cycling fans out despite the rain though, even if most of them are underneath umbrellas.”
Due to the race, Cardiff Bus services were also subject to timetable and route changes, and at lunchtime the company apologised to its customers as it reported delays across the network due to traffic congestion.
In terms of the race itself, Boasson Hagen came first on the day ahead of Quick-Step Cycling’s Maximiliano Richeze and Team Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff,
On general classification, Boasson Hagen finished second behind overall winner and Tour of Britain champion Dutchman Lars Boom of Team Lotto NL-Jumbo, while Switzerland’s Steffan Kung of BMC Racing Team was third.
Welsh Government economy secretary Ken Skates said: “The Tour of Britain is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase Wales’ unique and beautiful landscape to the world, as well as highlighting our ability to host a variety of major events. With Festival Number 6 also taking place in Gwynedd this weekend, Wales’ epic summer of events is drawing to a close.
“Having this year hosted the UEFA Champions League Final, the ICC Champions Trophy and the Senior Open Championship, it really has been a summer of sporting legends in Wales and we look forward to building on Wales’ reputation as a world class events host.”