Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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The point I was making is that it isn't as simple as people think to broadcast a bike race. This happened in Bergen a couple of years ago as well - and the number of planes relaying coverage has nothing do do with it being 'Yorkshire' - its a UCI event, they provide the coverage and they provide the planes.
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Anyone else notice the Lion of (Ned) Flanders flag? Just after the bridge.
And yet, regularly on the tour we lose pictures. With three planes. Funny that.
On a rainy alpine descent for a few minutes maybe. Not for an hour in some farmland in one of the most densely populated countries in Europe.
Anyway, coverage is back now.
Just been over Harrogate again, it really is shitty weather.
Chapeau to all those who were cycling over, you mad bastards! Car for me today! (then again I have a decent spot at my parents house to dump the thing)
No proper TV footage because it's raining in Yorkshire in September. This worlds is approaching pissup/brewery territory.
There's some really miserable people on here!
Weather in the UK isn't even close to an exact science, it could be raining, it could be sunny and you can say the same pretty much from March to October.
The weather in Spain during the Vuelta was atrocious at times.
The weather in France in July meant entire stages of the race were altered or abandoned mid-way through.
The weather in the UK in May for the Women's Tour was also terrible on a couple of days. And very good for a couple.
I'm not complaining that the weather is bad, I'm saying that they should have thought about what they'd do if it was.
It's always pissing down in the Giro, Tour de Romandie, half the spring classics and Paris-Nice and they manage to have contingencies in place. It was pissing down in Bergen in 2017 and the Norwegians managed to get pictures out fine. Apparently the grand tours normally have three relay planes and Yorkshire has one.
The Norwegians lost the pictures for the final 4 km remember, so it's not just us!
The problem was there was a sizable storm passing across the UK. Yorshire missed the worst of it, but it ment that for a time, the plane flying overhead relaying the motorbike pictures had to move away for a time due to safty reasons. Having more planes would not have helped, as they would all have had to move away.
When it comes to contingencies, its really a case of how much money you want to invest. The weather we had today was certinally not unique in the UK, but it was at the extreme end of what could be expected.
The peloton
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Just returned from watching the riders head towards Kettlewell. Road conditions are very poor. Many of the riders looked utterly pissed off.
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Contentious, Chris and Rochelle are discussing disks right at the moment.
Also, feels like this race is done already. Can't see them pulling back over 4 minutes on Roglic, Quintana, and Carapaz in these conditions.
Well, that worked out well
Its utterly brutal. Will be well-earned rainbows this year. Thoroughly enjoying watching this race tucked up on the sofa. Hopefully everyone who rode up Buttertubs at silly o'clock this morning can get home.
My goodness it's wet. There are marshals warning of areas of standing water.