I did, got my photo taken with Sean Yates! IIRC Max Sciandri (rode for GB as he was born in Derby, but really an Italian) won it from a solo break? They did three 'laps' of Leeds, it was basically up through Little London, into Headingley and back down Burley Road into Leeds. God only know how the riders did not get shot at with air guns as they rode through Little London!

I was in awe of Bjarne Riis and they way he rode Indurain off his wheel to win the Tour, but once he admitted using EPO I lost all respect for the guy. IIRC as well, Indurain had bronchitis after it p*ssed it down in the first week and Riis still needed EPO to beat him!

One of them I was on the barrier next to the finish line and that was soo good to see live


I beat you here lad, I met Jimmy Saville

Actually, I think I am the only person from Leeds to have never met Jimmy!

Ok, that is a lie, I have met him at least twice. Actually, my son has never met Jimmy and he was born in Leeds! That said, he is only seven months old, so it is only a matter of time and Jimmy living long enough!

On one of the Leeds Classic races I went to stand at the top of Snake Pass after they'd just climbed and then descended Holme Moss, we thought we might get a good view if they were coming slowly uphill.

They came up Snake Pass faster than I dare go down it and did two circuits around that area, while all that was happening we drove down to New Mill to watch them pass through there after coming down off the moors - they flew so fast through the village that the motorbike cameramen were having trouble keeping up through the bends.

After that it was back in the car and a drive back up the M1 into Leeds for the finish, despite them having to do the three circuits around the city centre we didn't get to see them until they actually crossed the finish line, christ knows how they got back to Leeds before us.

The scary thing is that was 15 years ago, surely they (the riders) will be faster due to technology

It is scary to be stood on a kerbside when a peloton passes you, especially when they have just descended one of the highest hills in our region, I can't estimate the speed they were maintaining when they took a right and then an immediate left in the centre of New Mills but one of the motorbikes who was trying to keep up hit the road with a footrest and nearly pitched himself off right in front of us



If you've never done it, its also interesting just how fast you can ride a bike on a fairly flat road in close formation with other riders, if you get very tight up behind the one in front of you (like one or two inches from their back wheel) you can almost stop peddaling - riding across Holland like that is a dream

As an ex-racing cyclist it is the speed of their descending that I most admire. I was generally held to be quite a good descender and have big 'kahunas' but the pro's are just fearless. I remember seeing Mr Armstrong come down the Gallibier (as we did not get there in time to ride to the top!) chasing a break on his own and having ridden down it few times at what I thought was a fast pace, Armstrong just made me look like I was pootling down it!

Lawrie - The generally held belief is that road stage decending speeds have slowed slighty due to carbon fibre frames and overall much lighter bikes, while climbing speeds have gone up because of the same thing. Just not quite as much momentum as you got with an old steel frame! When it comes to Time Trials though, the overall improvement in aerodynamics means that average speeds have gone up quite a bit and now they all go in wind tunnels to try and improve their position of the bike!

Everyone is saying that Wiggins TT bike could have cost him a good 30 seconds or more yesterday as Felt TT bikes are not as cutting edge as Cervelo and Trek!

Trek - great bikes - I have one

By my standards, and I have the kahunas of a small gerbil, I flew down Hartside in the Lakes last weekend, absolutely flew down, loved it.

Of course it meant that I missed my right turn near the bottom and had to turn around and go back uphill again, but still, great fun

Just wanted to say 'Chapeau' to Wiggins and Cav on their Tour successes. Wiggins rode a great Ventoux and as for Cav's sprint on the Champs Elysees - just amazing!

Agreed it was great to see Cavendish get the stage win on the Champs Elysee, it was good to see Mark Renshaw finish in second place too.
Cav to go for green next year and Wiggins to go for a podium finish.
It will be fascinating to see Armstrong & Contador going head to head.
I don't think Armstrong forgave Contador for blowing Kloeden out of the water in the last week letting Andy Schleck into 2nd place thus preventing an Astana 123
Can't wait for next year.

Typo corrected