200,000 lined streets for Tour of Britain

County Council estimate £4million spent

Much of Devon went cycling mad on Monday, as Stage 2 of the Tour of Britain came to the county, thanks to £220,000 of county council funding, which Devon leaders claim will bring returns measured in the millions.

Team trucks arrived at 10 a.m. after a journey from Newport, which hosted stage 1. Security for some was tight: star rider Chris Froome, for example, arriving with a team of police outriders, and emerging bleary eyed to sign autographs. Spectators gathered from early morning at the start line to catch a glimpse of the dozens of cyclists as they prepared for the 108 mile journey through the East and Mid Devon countryside, before heading to the north, across parts of Exmoor and through South Molton's Pannier Market, the first time the Tour of Britain had gone indoors (but just for a few hundred metres). It would have been a quick ride to Barnstaple from there, but the route sent them off in another direction and back round to the finish line.

Parts were rain affected, which made it slippery under-wheel.  But the day wasn’t just about cycling! It was an event to bring communities across Devon together, and to promote taking the bike to work or school. 

New Zealand rider Cameron Meyer led the way to the finish line, followed by Italian rider Alessandro Tonelli.

The third leg is on Tuesday, starting and finishing in Bristol.