Sea of pink for ‘once in a lifetime’ event

The seaside village was just one of the locations passed by the prestigious cycle race as it made its way along the Belfast Road.

With the riders due to reach the town in the middle of the afternoon, hundreds of spectators descended on the route early to secure a prime viewing spot.

Enjoying the pre-race atmosphere were Whitehead couple Sam and Jean Cole. “The Giro passing through here is a once in a lifetime sort of thing; we’ll certainly never see it again,” said Jean.

Watching the proceedings from the roadside were Linda and Brian Dougan with daughters Sarah (12) and Niamh (10). “We live in Saintfield and Brian cycles around there, but my parents live in Whitehead so we had always planned to come up here and watch the race with them,” said Linda.

The town’s inclusion in the race route was a source of pride for many residents, including Maria Jones. “I’m from the Philippines originally and I don’t think people realise how lucky we are to have this coming to Northern Ireland,” she said.

Fellow Whitehead resident Tanya Woods added: “I’d been following the first stage online and through the likes of Facebook; it was fantastic to see it in Whitehead, even if it did pass through super fast.”

Meanwhile, a fun day kept race-goers entertained at the Cable Service Station as spectators waited for the riders to arrive. Moneymore-based activity centre The Jungle were on hand to provide a range of activities from archery to Segway tours.

However, a pair of pink llamas supplied by the company proved one of the most popular pre-race attractions.

“We take the llamas to a lot of events so they’re used to the attention, but this is the first time they’ve been sprayed pink!” said The Jungle’s Bobby Carmichael.

Cycle fans were also offered a taste of the racing experience with a Tour de France simulator, provided by Omagh Wheelers cycle club. “People can get on the bike and try out an actual hill section from the Tour De France for a chance to win £200; we’ve had a lot of people giving it a go,” explained Omagh Wheelers’ Mark McAleer. “We have a few of the pro-racing bikes on display as well; the model that we’re using in the simulator would cost about £7000.

“Big events like this always get people interested in cycling, and it’s great for us to be able to come here and promote it.”