TOUR OF BRITAIN - SATURDAY

Fri 15 Sep 2017, 16:34

Having approached/complained to ITV re the coverage, sorry lack of, of the Charlbury section, their reply received today was "Unfortunately, we don't have any footage of the race going through Chalbury. It went through there just after 1pm. The ad break we took then is when we put the world feed on air which means we show recaps and maps in the break and don't have any race footage.I am so sorry to have to disappoint you on this occasion."
As they couldn't even spell the towns name, perhaps we were asking for too much!

Fri 15 Sep 2017, 09:39

The other cycle event that day was the children's mass cycle rally round Charlbury's churches. There is a wonderful clip of the start of this at https://www.facebook.com/OxfordshireHistoricChurchTrust. It was great fun and there are suggestions that we should do it again next year. Again it would be on the second Saturday in September as part of the annual nationwide Ride and Stride, but we would have to get permission to close the streets for one hour while it is going on. If you look at the video you will see why!

Thu 14 Sep 2017, 12:02

If anyone is successful in obtaining the footage off ITV4 and/or Eurosport of the Charlbury part of the Tour, could I have a copy please. Thanks.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 19:36 (last edited on Sat 9 Sep 2017, 20:01)

Here we are: twitter.com/qwertytweety?lang=en

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 18:56

Brilliant Andrew, Thank you.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 18:36

Here's the main pack and the stragglers (alas I only got half of the peloton): t.co/X35JQfdQdN

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 17:39

I would love to see it Susie please I'm afraid I was unable to make it today..... I don't know how I wasn't aware of that FB page so thanks for pointing it out.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 16:43

Can you not post on the Facebook Charlbury info page? https://www.facebook.com/charlbury.info/#
We have a video we could share on that for those who missed it.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 16:31

Hi Helen, I will try and watch it, thanks. I haven't registered with YouTube and so can't upload video (or can I? ). I don't really want to create a YouTube account.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 16:14

I have already posted my clips on YouTube - see my earlier post

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:50 (last edited on Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:58)

There is a 'Charlbury is a Town and not a Village' and 'Charlbury Gardeners' which you can be invited on to I'm not quite sure if that would be the right one for you. I hope Richard will help you I would definitely like to see yours..... please let me know if you have found an outlet.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:43

Yes FB sharing could work. Do people use a particular Charlbury FB page? If so we could share our videos on that. Richard, do you know?

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:36 (last edited on Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:37)

That would be really good if there were Miranda , Richard will know about this I'm sure. Do you use Facebook Miranda..... there is one on there coming down dyers hill going up to Station bridge. Shame it was such awful weather and roads looked dreadful.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:25 (last edited on Mon 3 Feb 2020, 13:26)

.

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 14:42 (last edited on Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:00)

Like Helen - I just watched on ITV4+1 - went to a long ad break as they approached Charlbury, picked up again on Forest Road. What a shame - but as others say, in various ways, a great day for Charlbury!

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 14:05

Helen , and all. agreed- a rough count of 130 -140 people on Dyers Hill out on the pavements

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 13:40 (last edited on Sat 9 Sep 2017, 15:04)

So glad I ventured the rain to see the race go through Charlbury. When I got home I thought I would see it back on the TV - only to find there was no coverage through the centre, only past the station - most disappointing!

I have just uploaded couple of (unedited) video clips of the race at Fiveways junction to Youtube
youtu.be/qej12FJBVnk
youtu.be/U69JzPaemOM

Sat 9 Sep 2017, 11:56

Race currently running to schedule through Buckinghamshire so it should be around 1pm in Charlbury. There's a breakaway group of six riders with a four-minute lead over the main peloton (pack), including one rider born in Chippy, Dexter Garcias!

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 21:31

Don't forget to get you Ltd edition Tour of Britain Tote bag, A3 Poster and pen just £10.00 per set and only 100 sets available their already selling well and when they are gone there gone available only from Cotswold Frames.

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 15:36

Good to hear some of the pot holes have been repaired. Fingers crossed then that the peleton doesn't lose some cyclists to the pot holes on the road from Wellington cottages to Park St, and on Bull Corner.

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 12:49 (last edited on Fri 8 Sep 2017, 13:50)

Another team arrived this time from OCC to attend patching of one of a number of holes at the top of Dyers Hill, Being directed by a man in a tie and a walki takli - previous team were an outside contractor
It looked like they were following the tour route as they were spotted on the Burford Road
Just a temporary patch to both areas at not sealed between old and new tarmac with any bitumen compound
Disaster avoided in the short term

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 09:50

Good to see this one of (many!) holes finally being filled. Well done Liz L and everyone who reported it for getting Highways' attention at last.

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 09:18 (last edited on Fri 8 Sep 2017, 09:19)

A lot of men in hi viz gear looking at a Hole in Dyers Hill as I type ! Sighting and suprise confirmed with Richard Fairhurst who was posting road closure signs for Saturday

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 09:13

Highways repair van came down church street and did a u turn about 9am and headed back down market street fingers crossed they are heading for the crater ?

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 08:56

Walking down to the station this morning, I noticed a Highways van heading up the hill, and the occupants pointing at the Dyers Hill crater. Could this mean they're coming to make the road safe? Fingers crossed for Cav and the boys tearing down the hill tomorrow lunchtime!

Fri 8 Sep 2017, 08:16

And here's today's Oxford Mail story featuring Mark and Jim: www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/15522101.Tour_Of_Britain_arrives_tomorrow___but_lethal_pothole_ridden_route_lies_in_wait/ .

Thu 7 Sep 2017, 20:24

There may be some work taking place tomorrow (Friday). Fingers crossed.

Thu 7 Sep 2017, 18:00

Without wishing to appear in any way cynical, identifying defects is one thing. Fixing them is quite another, and actually involves more than spraying a white line around them. On past experience, one has to question whether OCC's Highways Department has the capability to make this distinction.

Thu 7 Sep 2017, 17:18

Just received this reply from Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council....." I can confirm that our highway teams have inspected the Tour of Britain route through Oxfordshire three times in the last month, the last being this Monday, identifying safety defects that meet our intervention levels."

Thu 7 Sep 2017, 12:56

Various interesting experiences with Fix my Street. I wrote about the whole of the top, west end of Sheep Street in Charlbury, which Chris Tatton remarked on sympathetically:
"The surface here, down past the Charlbury Deli, is in appalling condition, and has been for a couple of years. It is very difficult driving as one has to have care for the car tyres. I have mentioned this repeatedly, and it is now getting urgent, as despite being a narrow, one way street, we have some very large lorries coming down the road, churning up the surface. Please deal with this."
To which the reply, this week, was:

"Thank you for your enquiry. I have visited the site and assessed the problem that you have identified. Unfortunately it doesn't meet our current intervention criteria so I cannot arrange a repair. We will continue to monitor this during our routine inspections."
Oxfordshire County Council

The fact that the double yellow lines are almost completely obliterated and that, if the Police House land in Hixet Wood is about to be redeveloped, then we shall be inundated with builders lorries doesn't seem to figure in their thoughts!
Helen Bessemer-Clark

Thu 7 Sep 2017, 12:36

Nothing has happened yet ! , and as predicted another casualty has fallen ( literally ) into the hole with a twisted ankle. No Blood or Ambulance this time

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 17:41

My experience with FixmyStreet has been good to. After a brand new tyre was blown after going over a large pothole on the road to Leafield.
OCC did mend it, but making a claim was a farce. After a long wait, submitting photos and a plan, and of course the garage recipt for about £100, I got a standard letter stating that OCC were proud of their record of regularly maintaining all the highways. Also, their records showed that this one had been patched several weeks before the blow out. So which one did they patch then? And do they seriously think that me, my Wife and the RAC man who attended dreamt the whole thing up and conspired to defraud? I suppose there are so many that they get confused.

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 17:16

fixmystreet, may be a bit late for the lady last night and the cycle race on Saturday, fixmybike might be more approrpriate.

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 17:12

My experience with OCC's fixmystreet site has been really good - I've always had a quick response, and usually quick action too (sometimes within a couple of days).

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 17:05

Fix my street take months.Better to try to speak to someone in Highways.

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 13:40

That sounds a nasty accident - best wishes to the lady concerned.

The best way to ensure OCC are aware of potholes and other road defects is to report them on fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk

This makes the council aware of the problem and will trigger an inspector's attention to consider any action which might be needed.

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 11:17

I think that they will be aware as I have from previous posts here on the forum it has been know for quite some time and I would guess will now be the subject of some sort of claim . If this had been an elderly person or someone less mobile then things may have been a lot worse . Bad enough going off in an Ambulance

Tue 5 Sep 2017, 10:54

Mark that sounds really traumatic I do hope the young lady is not too badly hurt although doesn't sound to promising. What a dreadful experience for her and then having to be taken away in an Ambulance, she sounded very brave. Hopefully the OCC will get to hear about this although I understand they are aware of state of roads around Charlbury.

Mon 4 Sep 2017, 22:00 (last edited on Mon 4 Sep 2017, 22:02)

Following the comments made by Heather and Rod, the inevitable has happened and this evening at around 9 pm a young lady walking back to the station has fallen in / tripped into the rather huge pot hole at the corner of Church Lane. She was being attended to by her colleague and a number of the Dyers Hill residents. Unable to walk or stand the frozen peas ice pack and a pair of crutches appeared from the make shift paramedic Jim Clemence, a lady appeared with bottled water and a plaster , a retired doctor pulled over to take care of this lady , who kept telling us all how embarrassed she was and how kind the people helping her were. I think that it is more embarrassing that the condition of our roads - "been like it for months" as per Heathers post, have not been repaired and this lady goes away from Charlbury in an ambulance ? It was on its way when she insisted that we should depart , leaving her laying on the pavement. - Same problem at the top end of Dyers Hill.

Mon 4 Sep 2017, 16:29

Oxford has its own rough-stuff ride every year, called the 'Quarry Roubaix' (it starts in Headington Quarry). Maybe we could do the same?

Mon 4 Sep 2017, 14:34

Would be a greater challenge than the cobblestones of Paris!

Mon 4 Sep 2017, 11:30

Does anyone know if they are still planning to go down Crawborough?

Mon 4 Sep 2017, 08:11

Oxfordshire County Council seem to be terribly complacent about the conditions of the road surfaces across the County. Looking forward to the tour visiting Oxfordshire on Saturday and hope all goes well.

Sun 3 Sep 2017, 11:59

Rod, they have put a white line around the one on Dyers Hill, but that's all they have done. I did wonder whether that is why the Enstone Cross roads were patched in mid August - am I being cynical.

Sun 3 Sep 2017, 11:26

Couldn't agree more with Chris & Heather's comments. The risks of a fast moving group of cyclists hitting the pothole on Dyers Hill I'd have thought obvious. I seem to remember OCC were to review the state of the route. With less than a week to go, they'd better check their public liability insurance too - though obviously hoping all goes well and looking forward to it.

Fri 1 Sep 2017, 17:44

I understand that some towns in Yorkshire welcome the return of Tour de Yorkshire Cycle Race as the only way they can get road repairs completed. They don't want to be sued for any damage. Obviously OCC has no such fears.

Fri 1 Sep 2017, 17:38

It is not only the Dyers Hill Road surface that is in a poor state on the route, the road surface down from Wellington cottages is not good, there is a pot hole in the middle of the Woodstock Rd near Fiveways, and neither is Park st or the Bull corner great. The only saving grace is that the cyclists are not being subject to the Sheep St surface where some of them may wonder whether they are reliving the cobbles on the classic Paris Roubaix

Fri 1 Sep 2017, 12:00

I hope they can avoid the rather nasty hole/drain/uneven surface just down from Church Lane on the left on Dyers Hill, it is appalling and has been like that now for months.

Fri 1 Sep 2017, 11:59

Timings are as posted here - www.charlbury.info/news/2143 - and also as linked from the main page in the new Tour of Britain pages.

Charlbury Primary School has kindly offered the use of the Wychwood Paddocks playing field for residents'/overspill parking. I would anticipate most visitors will arrive by bike or train, but for those with cars the station car park would be most suitable.

Fri 1 Sep 2017, 11:41

The cyclists are coming through Charlbury, via Grammar School Hill, Church Street and Market Street. The tour is being streamed in the Memorial Hall, there is Farmers Market etc etc. Where is everyone to park?
Can we be given guidance of timings please.