Wheels away! Streets lined with spectators as Tour of Britain races through the north-east

The north-east has wheeled into focus as the Tour of Britain rode through Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The 112-mile first stage started on Aberdeen’s Union Street and finished at Glenshee Ski Centre.

Rain did not deter residents as thousands turned out to see the cyclists, as streets were lined with fans young and old keen to catch a glimpse of the action.

Watch below as the race began in the city centre as Lord Provost David Cameron waved the starting flag:

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire hosted some of the world’s best cyclists for the opening stage.

It’s the first time the north-east has hosted the start of the event since it began in 1945.

The race was won by New Zealand’s Corbin Strong who said: “It was a long time coming”.

Spectators braved the rain

“Big cycling fans” from Errol, Nicola and Stuart MacCallum were there as the cyclists set off from Aberdeen.

Excited to watch the cyclists climb the mountain sections, the couple set off to Alford to catch the action there.

They said: “Usually we would cycle the route ourselves but because of the weather we have decided to just watch this year.”

See the interactive map below for the full route:

Alford activities cancelled due to rain

However, all the events at Alford were cancelled by Aberdeenshire Council due to the weather conditions.

The Grampian Transport Museum had planned on a number of activities, including a climbing wall and a cycle arena.

Jake Newby, 22, a visitor assistant at the museum said: “It’s quite disappointing but we have to take into account the safety of our visitors.

“It’s still a great thing for the Tour of Britain to have come through Alford.”

Further weather disruption

However, the weather has been causing disruption to the race.

The A944 Aberdeen to Alford road, which many took to attend the activities and cheer on the participants, was flooded at Westhill due to heavy rainfall. 

TV coverage of the event also started later than planned due to adverse weather conditions at the Glenshee Ski Centre.

Many viewers were confused when the coverage did not start on time.

In a post on social media, the Tour of Britain said: “Due to the sheer volume of water from the rainfall, it means that the signal is struggling to get through.”

Crowds in Alford

A fairly packed, but drenched crowd still turned out in Alford to cheer on the cyclists.

Competitors were met with cheers as they dashed through the Aberdeenshire village after completing the Suie Hill climb.

Iain and Marion Riddell watched from the pavement. The two keen cyclists are members of Kinross Cycling Club and it was their first time attending the Tour of Britain.

They travelled up from Clackmannanshire to originally cycle the route themselves, but decided to just spectate after they saw the weather.

“It’s a real shame about the weather but still a good turnout” said 59-year-old Mrs Riddell.

Mr Riddell, 63, said: “It’s huge for the area, and great to see cyclists that have ridden the Tour de France here taking part.”

Also watching along  were eight-year-old Marianne and six-year-old Rosalind Hill.

They had been to Inverurie earlier in the day to join in with the festivities in the town hall. While there, they picked up some union flags to wave as the cyclists rode through Alford.

They were there with their mum who says the family are big cycling fans. Although Marianne believes “There should be a women’s race next year.”

Roslind adds “Yeah. If there was a women’s race, I would do it.”

After Alford the race moved onto Ballater before finishing around 3.30pm at Glenshee Ski Centre.

Will the Tour of Britain be back?

Hugh Roberts, chief executive of Tour of Britain said: “We’ve loved coming back to Aberdeen and are happy to see the weather has not deterred people from coming out.

“Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council have worked tirelessly to put on the event and we have built a really good relationship with them.

“We really hope to come back to Aberdeen in the future.”