Thousands of people lined the streets of Caerphilly County Borough last week to welcome the world’s best cyclists as they rode stage five of this year’s Tour of Britain.
The miserable morning weather on Thursday managed to clear in time for the likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish to ascend Caerphilly Mountain twice and cross the finish line in Caerphilly town.
It was the third year the Tour of Britain had held a stage finish in Caerphilly and the event has firmly put Caerphilly County Borough on the map.
Stage five, from Machynlleth to Caerphilly, was won by Irishman Sam Bennett. The Caerphilly crowd were not disappointed in catching a glimpse of Sir Bradley Wiggins on the podium who retained his yellow leaders’ jersey.
The Olympic champion and Tour de France winner eventually went on to win the overall Tour of Britain by 26 seconds after completing the race on Sunday.
Speaking after stage five’s two mountain climbs on Thursday, Sir Bradley said: “It was certainly the toughest finish, during the day wasn’t as hard as yesterday with less wind and a bit warmer
“But once we hit the circuit it was definitely anyone who had the legs.”
Abertridwr resident Ken Matthews, 66, watched Sir Bradley on the podium.
He said: “What a privilege to see him today in the flesh. He is an icon and one of the few people that deserves his Knighthood.
“To win Olympic gold and the Tour de France was unbelievable. Isn’t it lovely to see what he’s done for cycling? People are cycling more because of him.”
Caerphilly nursery worker Amanda Powell, 31, was watching at the finish line with her husband Robin, a 34-year-old aircraft engineer.
Amanda said: “This event certainly puts Caerphilly on the map and to make it even better, the weather has held off. The sun has come out as well as the massive crowds.”
Friend Wendy Jones, 34, from Mornington Meadows, agreed.
She said: “Today has been absolutely fantastic.”