Images by Carl Ennis Photography and SW PIX
OLAV Kooij sprinted to win the opening stage of the Tour of Britain 2023.
Blessed by beautiful sunshine, an estimated 500,000 spectators lined the 163.6-kilometre route from Altrincham.
It didn’t take long for riders to take a chance and break clear of the peloton. James Fouché (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) escaped within the opening six kilometres, and by the 10-kilometre mark he had company in the form of Harry Tanfield (TDT-Unibet Cycling Team), Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) and team-mates Zeb Kyffin and Jack Rootkin-Gray (Saint Piran).
Tanfield took maximum points at the cottages.com sprint at Hazel Grove, before Fouché was first to the summit of the two Pinarello king of the mountains climbs at Grains Bar (second category) and Ramsbottom Rake (first category), which gives him the lead in the competition after stage one.
I have no particular enthusiasm for cycling, but I suppose that for the people who do enjoy this kind thing it was possibly great fun ?
Nonetheless was it really, necessary to close the bus stops in Delph even when there wasn’t a cyclist in sight ?
The question was rhetorical; the answer is of course is no.
I was especially unimpressed by the sign attached to the bus stop at Delph Crossroads telling passengers that, “This bus stop is closed please use the bus stop at Delph Crossroads.”
Well if anyone was to complain, you could bet your life it would be this guy. The crowds, though, are evidential enough to show you are in the minority.
No crowds there when I was trying to catch the bus. In fact there was hardly anyone around at all; this was around 11am on Sunday morning.
Walking another three stops to find a bus stop that was operating wasn’t that big a deal, (although I’d already walked well over 12 miles to get there and didn’t much appreciate it,) but for someone disabled or frail it would have been more than just a nuisance.
There’s traditional saying about breweries that springs somewhat to mind.