Elite Tour de Croydon (From Croydon Guardian)

Elite Tour de Croydon

7:17am Wednesday 11th July 2007 in

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Croydon cyclists mixed with elite riders from the Tour de France before the world's biggest annual sporting event got under way in London.

Last week, members of Addiscombe Cycle Club were given the chance to ride with members of the French Caisse d'Epargne team, one of four Tour teams who stayed at Selsdon Park Hotel in the build-up to the race's prologue stage at the weekend.

The local riders were led by Addiscombe's George Brent on a three-hour, 90km ride through Merstham, Reigate, Leigh, Box Hill and Coulsdon.

George said: "It was amazing. I was towing the whole Caisse d'Epargne team around.

“I have never seen a group go so quick up a hill before – they are in another league.”

George Brent

"Every time I looked behind me, I was riding with Valverde, Pereiro and Karpets - three of the sport's well-known names."

The Addiscombe cyclist also got a taste of the huge media interest in the mammoth event.

"At the start there was a paparazzi motorcycle taking lots of pictures of us and even a journalist who had hired a taxi to shoot us all together," he added.

And the experience opened George's eyes to the fitness levels of competitors.

George said: "I have never seen a group go so quick up a hill before - they are in another league." Stuart Chamberlayne, a young member of the Addiscombe club, also tested his talent against the best.

He said: "It was amazing being around all these professionals.

"I looked round and Oscar Pereiro was right behind me. I looked at him and I just couldn't take it all in, it was incredible." An estimated two billion people are expected to follow the Tour de France as riders tackle the arduous 2,000 mile course.

Danish team CSC, France's French Credit Agricole and Italian outfit Liquigas also stayed in Croydon over the weekend.