TT Broadheath Tuesday !!!!

rick · Member

TT Broadheath Tuesday !!!!

hobit_on_a_bike · Senior Member

Dave,
Find the course and measure it. Submit details / photocopy the map marking the course to the TT Secretary (Sam).
Considerations need to be parking (Safe sign on, Timing points) The Start/ finish must be within 1 mile of each other by road.

On safety the junction sight lines (Marshals are there to point the direction not judge it's safety). Number of cars using the roads during the times that a TT will take place.

The Broadheath course is fairly quiet, But is Narrow in places at speed, I would suggest for younger riders parents might consider it a better course than Severn stoke for instance. Riders in the road should not happen and it is up to us all to ask people to move in when required. Where you can stand if with 1 or 2 people is not the same when there is 10-20 people.

At the broadheath course (since it is the initail subject) with the layby opposite this should not be a problem. I would ask if the Layby is public access or the farmers property?

Maybe what we should be doing is suggesting warm up routes/ turning points.

For Broadheath.
From the starthead go to the Cross roads turn Right, head down the hill for approx 1 mile to T-junction, Turn left Approx 0.75 Miles to Crown east turn left 1.2 miles back to Cross roads. this would be about 11-15 minute Warm up.
Norton
Away from start turn right through Littleworth Right at T-Junction, Right Again on to Course past finish and back around the course anti clockwise(3.5 miles) or right at Norton church to hatfield church for 2 miles.
Severn Stoke/ Kinnersley
Round 1st 1/2 Kinnersely course on severn stoke turning at pub back to start(4ish Miles).
Old Hills
Anti clock wise on Old hills turning at the Rhydd and Guarlford church for approx (3-4 miles)

davep · Senior Member

The Broadheath course is a fast one but I have never felt particularly safe riding it. It's really sad to hear that some riders got the brunt of the motorists frustrations, but I can't be the only one who has felt this has been coming for a while.

It's too narrow and someone always seems to get held up. It's always full of tractors and horses and, as it's in the middle of nowhere, people drive like idiots as they know the police will never have speed traps up around there.

I beleive it's much safer to ride on main roads which, although sometimes get quite busy, have good visability and drivers seem to give you more room.

Having said all of that I do feel that as a group generally we did our selves no favours at Broadheath on Tuesday. Right by the start there is a layby that we can use to stand around and chat in, there is no need to stand in the road. Also when warming up / cooling down lots of us could have taken more care, some of the places people chose to turn round in the road, or stop were just plain dangerous.

I guess the question is, what do we do about Broadheath? Well, even though it's a fast course(and it's the only one where I have ever won a race), I for one would not be bothered if it was dropped from the tt diary.

Just out of interest, how do you go about getting a new, previously unused, course onto the tt diary? It might be time for people to suggest some new routes....

Ed · Senior Member

That sounds very unfortunate and frustrating Adam. I witnessed what some may see as poor 'Etiquette' from both cyclists (in middle /wrong side of road) and motorists (blocking road with horse box/ driving at cyclists) last night.

Perhaps this triggered some of the unfortunate farmer behaviour who tried to make a point.

I agree with all that Cycle Tourist says and agree that a thank you wave often difuses the frustrated metal box driver that has momentarily lost their marbles.

CycleTourist · Senior Member

Broadheath is not a an easy course if there is a horse event on wth trailers, horse boxes and lorries, etc.
Unfortunately we have no right to ride as fast as we want, unimpeded by other vehicles, we use quite lanes and may well meet tractors and horses who may slow us down.
Equally a tractor driver has no right to block our passage - I'm afraid all you can do is report highway obstruction to the police - get a registration number next time and witnesses and report it. If you don't you are letting him get away with it.

It would help if everybody rides sensibly and does not offend other road users. Somebody upset another driver who reported dangerous cycling in the middle of the road - if it's true you know who you are. Don't frget - get OFF the road when you are not riding, smile and wave thank you to people who do stop to allow the riders to race. Any cyclist who p*****s off other road users jeapardises our right to race on the road.

There are drivers who get up tight about cyclists even if we are doing everything we should - not much you can do about that unless you are able to talk to them in a calm reasoned way, which is difficult in the middle of a race!

Live and let live guys. There's always another race.

adam · Veteran Member

So s?!t happens! TT when good old Mr farmer and son take it upon them selves to handicap a few of us on tuesday to the extent of parking tractor and trailers across road in order to put their view across for 5 mins about the dangerous road manners of us cyclists!! Of course Mr farmer is correct he can pull out in front of anybody onto the road and all others must give way as he rewrites the highway code.

Being as i had travelled aprox 300 miles on Tuesday and raced back from Bristol to meet family and then race over to TT for a good ride (plus on a pb at about 8.5 miles) to have evening tt stopped like this made me slightly P>£$d off. any views on how to avoid farmer issues in future.

Adam