Cycling fever gripped Felixstowe seafront on Thursday morning as onlookers gathered in glorious sunshine to watch the start of stage 5 of the Tour of Britain.
In weather conditions perfect for a day at the seaside, with cloudless skies, a gentle breeze and temperatures already about 20C, the world's top cyclists gathered at the start line in Sea Road shortly before 11am.
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The area around the leisure centre had also been transformed with a large stage set up on grass beside the centre where the cyclists were paraded to the crowd before the start and a big screen showing live coverage as the peloton wound its way around Suffolk.
Among some of the famous names taking part was gold medal-winning Olympian Tom Pidcock, who achieved his success in the men's cross country mountain biking at the Tokyo games in 2020.
His name was greeted with a cheer by his supporters in front of the stage.
Marquees and stalls selling cycling merchandise surrounded the stage, while local organisations were also represented, such as tourist body Visit Felixstowe and the Felixstowe Business Improvement District (BID), which represents businesses.
To the sound of cheering crowds who banged on the barriers beside the road, the 100 cyclists set off for the Suffolk stage of the Tour, when they would enjoy 200km of Suffolk's tranquil countryside as well as the county's picturesque market towns and villages.
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Their route, screened live on ITV4, took them through Kesgrave, Ipswich, Needham Market, Stowmarket, Hadleigh, Framlingham, Leiston and Woodbridge before returning to Felixstowe.
And the spectators lining the road were full of praise for the way the town had handled such a major event and were confident the TV coverage of the area would only bring benefits.
Many spoke of how this year's event would give the area a further boost after the Women's Tour visited previously.
Robert Jones, who lives in Grange Road, Felixstowe, said: "I think it is positive for Felixstowe to keep attracting events like this and it certainly builds upon the Women's Tour that came a couple of years ago."
The keen cyclist was present for the start of the Tour in Manchester on Sunday and said the TV coverage meant "the county gets broadcast to people like it never does in other ways".
Another onlooker, Ken Perrett, from Ipswich, had secured a vantage point close to the leisure centre.
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He said: "I think (the Tour) is great for Suffolk, taking in a lot of the lovely parts of the county. I have come from Ipswich, but wanted to see the start and finish in one place, which is pretty rare.
"It is so accessible. You can go right up to the Tour buses. I think Felixstowe has done really well."
Felixstowe resident Michael Pett also watched the start.
He said: "It is fabulous, great to see all the people on the seafront. It has got be beneficial for the town with the amount of people here today and the national TV exposure."
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Businesses along the seafront also reported good trade from the influx of visitors.
Guilhem Bilbault, an assistant at Gulliver's Wife cafe in Undercliff Road West, said the Women's Tour had been 'quieter' because it had taken place on a weekend.
He said: "Today has been busier than a normal Thursday, but when the Women's Tour came through it was quieter than usual because it was on a weekend and the roads were blocked off."
Kostas Nikoloudakas, a supervisor at The Boardwalk Cafe and Bar on the pier, said the cycling spectators had been dropping in for a coffee.
He said: "It is a really good thing. The whole event has been very nice for the town and for our businesses. We have seen the benefit in terms of customers coming in."
The winner of stage five was Wout Van Aert.
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