"Hopefully this will happen and if we play the same way we did with the support of 100,000 spectators in the Cairo stadium, which I believe is going to be the case, I think we can do the job," he said.
There is a real sense of occasion when L'Étape passes by; local villagers come out and encourage the cyclists with cries of "allez, allez!" The support of thousands of spectators at the finish was almost too much for Sutcliffe.
"The results provided objective evidence for the board concerning the preferences of spectators in support of the conclusions reached in the Morgan Review.
These teams became the focus of intense support among spectators, and occasional disturbances broke out between followers of different factions.
Norwich Duff, who had witnessed Blanchard's ascent and the accident, recorded: On hearing she had died, the proprietors of the Tivoli Gardens immediately announced that the admission fees would be donated for the support of her children, and some spectators stood at the gates appealing to the citizens of Paris for donations.
The main concern is the flotilla of support boats and spectators surrounding the races.
However, the Australian's support car was struggling to get up the narrow mountain road which was lined with thousands of spectators and his first team-mate who could offer support, Britain's Steven Cummings, also had a rear wheel puncture.
This week, dozens of spectators looked on as buckled walls supporting its listing signature dome, which once proudly flew the Haitian flag, came down in a cloud of dust.
Support along the route was fantastic and the big turnout of spectators and musicians gave Two Oceans that big-city marathon feel.
And so, once more, he failed to turn his own wonderful gifts and the wholehearted admiration and support of so many of yesterday's spectators into the hard currency of a major tournament victory.
