The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Crowds out in force to watch top cyclists in Tour of Britain
Hundreds of people turned out in Stonehaven yesterday to see some of the world’s top cyclists set off on the final stage of the Tour of Britain.
The last leg of the endurance race took the 120 riders through Aberdeenshire before finishing near the beach in Aberdeen.
In Stonehaven the streets were lined with fans young and old keen to catch a glimpse of the action.
The event brought life back to the north-east town following 18 months of restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
Tour de France legend Mark Cavendish – who was leading the Deceuninck Quick-Step team with reigning UCI world champion Julian Alaphilippe – delighted fans by signing autographs with his daughter before they set off.
Speaking before the stage start, Cavendish joked about the temperature –far cooler than when the tour set off from Cornwall on September 5.
He said: “We like a sprint, will be nice sprinting along the front beside the sea, but we’ve also got that tough climb in the middle (Cairn o’ Mount).
“We’ve got a strong team and I know there will be fans there, thanks for coming out. It’s so cold up here, how do you get out the house?
“Thanks everyone for coming out and hopefully I’ll get some support out there which will spur me on.”
The crowd cheered as the riders left Stonehaven, with bagpipe music filling the air. The streets were filled with an array of colours as cyclists whizzed out of the town past the caravan park, ready to head out into Deeside.
Cyclists sprinted off the starting line past screaming fans, lining the streets near Baird Park, then descending through the town.
Duncan Grassick, from Catterline, said he was thrilled the Tour of Britain had finally made it so far north.
He said: “I think it’s fantastic for the area and it’s a real treat for us.
“It’s great to see, we’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve been in Aberdeenshire for 25 years now so it’s just nice to have it up here. Hopefully it encourages everyone to get out on their own bikes.”
Barbara and Alan Jones, from North Yorkshire, added a day on to their holiday in Stonehaven to see the race.
They said: “We have been following the race on TV and we also follow the Tour de France.”
Isla Long, 17, is a member of Deeside Cycling and said it was inspiring to see all her heroes in action.
“It’s pretty cool and you got to see all the people that you see on TV in real life and the bagpipe music was great,” she said.
“I’m in complete awe, I love cycling. Because I’ve grown up watching them, to see them where I live is really exciting.”
Belgium’s Wout van Aert won the final stage of the tour to pip Great Britain’s Ethan Hayter to overall victory in the race. Germany’s Andre Greipel was second on yesterday’s stage, with Cavendish third.