Very excited about the Olympic Road Race and Time Trial being on my doorstep next year. The road race test event, the London Surrey Cycle Classic, saw Mark Cavendish, Russell Downing, Ed Clancy, Alex Dowsett and Tyler Farrar (to name but a few) race from the Mall in the centre of London, out into the Surrey Hills and back. This will be the route of the race next year, although the riders will do nine laps of Box Hill, rather than the two they managed here.
Kelly and I watched the riders as they came through Kingston town centre. Lots of people turned up and there was a very good atmosphere. Bodes well for next year. I only hope they manage to get people onto Box Hill to watch the key part of the race.
At present, it is planned that only 3,400 wristband holders will be allowed onto Box Hill, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Olympic organising committee that planned the route apparently did not consult the National Trust, which owns the site, until very late on in the planning process. Cycling Weekly has questioned why the route has to go up Box Hill at all, as there are plenty of other hills in the area, and they have even turned down an offer of 400 wristbands to give to their readers on the grounds that "too many people will be left disappointed".
It would be such a shame if the riders eventually do their nine circuits of this part of the course with an insipid atmosphere. Just think of all of those mountain stages of the grand tours and how much entertainment these provide for both spectators and those that watch on TV at home. Next year could be embarrassing, even if Mark Cavendish manages to repeat his victory from the test event.
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