TOUR DE FRANCE

AN EPIC EVENT BRILLIANTLY SECURED BY SHOW & EVENT

Through gruelling hills, long stretches of tortuous road and supported fanatically along every stretch the first three stages of the Tour de France turned England Cycling mad. An estimated 4.5 million people turned out for this 20-45 second glimpse of what all the fuss was about and were they disappointed, definitely not.

Show & Event had the difficult task of securing hundreds of miles of open roads and keeping the rather excitable fans back from the cyclists as they hurtled through village after village in their pursuit of the “Yellow Jersey” and a head start in the worlds most prestigious cycle race. Far from letting the UK down, the once dour Yorkshire crowd; who have seen more than their fair share of sporting defeats in the last 10 years, pulled out all of the stops and sent the Tour managers home reeling at the turnout and enthusiasm of the vast crowds attending the race.

Managing the race was not an easy task, as many of the councils and areas involved were blown away by the amazing support for the event. Where the towns and villages lacked barriers and taped off sections the Show & Event made up for this with quick decision-making, excellent management skills and an attitude, which left those attending the race thanking them for their fun and safe approach to the event.

Unfortunately it is not just about securing the 20 to 45 seconds that the tour takes to go through each village along the route, but the closing of sections of road before the race starts. The direction of displaced people before during and after the race, and the marshalling of the over exuberant fans as vehicles in front of and following the event speed through the villages.

It is an amazing sight to see 1000’s of cyclists trying out parts of the route both before and after the event and it is a testament to the leadership and management of the event security that makes Show & Event a first choice for events of this magnitude.