TCC Le Tour Top Tips
It’s going to be a grande weekend. Tops tips for enjoying Stage 2 of the Grande Depart from the Tintwistle area.
Everybody at the club has been working hard to get ready for the weekend. We are open and ready to see you all from Friday evening. We have a BBQ, café serving all sorts of nutritional wonders and of course our bar that has a range of hydration drinks! The forecast is looking good for the weekend and we have a game planned for Saturday afternoon. Sat in the sun, drinking a glass of fizz or a pint of ale listening to the sound of leather on willow…..what could be a more delightfully English way to prepare for the big day?
All roads are open on Saturday, but are expected to be busier than usual; our advice is to come to the area early and enjoy the views, walks and the cricket. There is very reasonable parking and camping in Tintwistle with perfect access to both our café and the shuttle buses that will be running from Sunday morning at 7am.
A range of road closures will be in place from midnight Saturday, details can be found on High Peak Council’s website. However there will be access for cars to the parking in Tintwistle and of course the shuttle buses. All roads will be open for cyclists….go on, dust off that old chopper and get yourself ready to see the likes of Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish pass by.
Here’s our top tips for viewing the stage from our local cycling expert.
Take advantage of the main A628 being closed and cycle from the cricket ground up the road, take a left as the route joins the A628 and head up to Holme Moss summit. KOM points available here and it’s sure to be the king of the atmosphere on the day. The route officially enters Derbyshire at this point.
For those that don’t have the climbing in their bike legs to get up to Holme Moss, cycle from the cricket ground up the A628 and view the stage as the route joins the road. This point is an extremely tight bend following the decent from Holme Moss; the riders are sure to slow and if they don’t it could be interesting.
Cycle from the cricket ground and pick up the Trans-Pennine Trail either in Hadfield or from the bridge at Tintwistle. You’ll need your MTB or cross bikes for this route it’s off road but on a great flat old railway line track. It heads up to the Woodhead Tunnels and viewing of the stage as the riders climb Woodhead will be good.
For those that don’t fancy using their bikes there are shuttle buses running in Tintwistle from 7am Sunday morning. They will be dropping people off at Crowden. There will then be a walk to where the route joins the A628. Watch from this corner or if you fancy a bit more of a walk head further up the route and watch the riders climb up Woodhead, this is a more sedate climb than Holme Moss and will be a bit quicker.
Which ever route you chose head to up there early if you want a good spot.
Have a grande time and we hope to welcome you all onto our ground at some point over the weekend.
TCC Social Committee