Le Tour in London

Words by Simon Whiten
Photos by Duncan Moore

Gallery of Le Tour in London 2014

It seems a long time ago now – though probably not for the riders – that the Tour de France, that behemoth of a sporting event that eclipses all else in our sport every July, came to the UK.

Three memorable days of Tour fever in the UK, memorable for both the racing and equally for the enormous crowds. The former perhaps highlighted by Nibali’s opportunist, stage winning move to claim his first Yellow Jersey that clearly demonstrated his huge form. The latter clearly showing the equally huge appetite that the British public have for bike racing – at last!

For years we looked across the Channel in envy of the continental bike racing scene, struggling to catch glimpses of race finishes on obscure TV shows or passing grubby VHS cassettes around to see our heroes in action. Now cycling is all over British TV, constantly in the media and our cyclists are among the best in the world and are, deservedly household names. The recession, SKY TV’s sponsorship, the London Olympics, recent British wins in the Tour and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games have all helped give cycling the boost it needed here in the UK.

Hosting the Tour’s Grand Depart is the UK’s just deserts for this new found love of all things bicycle, so here’s a photo gallery by Duncan Moore from his day watching the Tour de France in London, the first of many to commemorate the Tour’s visit to Yorkshire and beyond… See Photos >