Budleigh on Tour of Britain
















These yellow signs started going up on the roads around Budleigh some weeks ago and we suddenly realised with a sense of pride that our town is part of a national event. Admittedly the route doesn't take them along Marine Parade or up the High Street but it'll be an amazing spectacle to watch nonetheless. And personally I'm pleased to see that the Prostate Cancer Charity http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/ is one of the partners involved with this major sporting event.

The Tour of Britain 2010 is an eight-stage race being held from 11-18 September covering 1,223 km (759.9 miles). Stage 4 on Tuesday 14 September runs from Minehead to Teignmouth, a distance of 171.3 km (106.4 miles) and will take riders through Sidmouth for a final intermediate Sprint on the Esplanade.



















A scene from the 2009 Tour
Then at 1.15 pm it's up the steep climb of Peak Hill where sadly they're unlikely to appreciate the magnificent view over Lyme Bay. Dropping down into Otterton, where they cross the River Otter the riders will then skirt East Budleigh and pass through Knowle village on the outskirts of Budleigh Salterton before heading for Topsham and Exeter.

That section from Peak Hill to Otterton is pretty tough by car, with lots of hills, bends and often single-track road where you have to keep fairly alert, so it should prove to be an exciting ride.















Above: There are plenty of excellent vantage points and I'm looking forward to getting some good photos as the Tour passes through Knowle - that's my excuse for not riding with them.

The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest professional cycle race and a centrepiece of the British sporting calendar, attracting over a million spectators to the roadside and hundreds of thousands more on television and via the internet. For more information click on http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/

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