Starting in Whitehall, the cyclists rode up to Trafalgar Square, down Northumberland Avenue and then along the north bank of the Thames to the Tower of London, returning by the same route to pass beneath Hungerford Bridge, a quick dash past the Houses of Parliament and then back to the starting point via Parliament Street.
"As usual, several weeks before the event we liaised with Westminster Council, Transport For London and independent traffic consultants, planning the road closures and how to move staff to different areas as the event progressed in meticulous detail," says AP's Sammie Martins.
"Minimising disruption was key, so we deployed rolling road closures - bringing several of central London's busiest roads to a complete halt for 12 hours was not an option."
With the cyclists travelling at high speed, it was vital that the crowds were kept back behind safety barriers whenever they approached and AP's crowd management skills were to the fore, eliminating ingress and providing answers to many questions about accessibility.
"As always, our staff went about their business with a smile, ensuring that the crowds knew that we were there to help them enjoy themselves and to do so safely," says Martins. "We are very pleased that, for the third year in a row, we helped to ensure a very successful final day of the Tour of Britain."
(Jim Evans)
