Peter Harrington

The Olympic cycle race passes Peter Harrington Rare Books on the Fulham Road.

We had an amazing day here at Peter Harrington as the men’s Olympic cycle race passed by us twice. In the cool morning we cheered as the Brits led a peloton that was bunched up tight and moving at warm-up pace, and for the rest of the day every computer in the shop was tuned to the BBC while we went about our work. In addition to amazing cycling we saw a dog run out into the road, two crashes, a Tudor palace, and the beautiful Surrey countryside that nurtured several of our own colleagues in their love of the sport. The tension reached a peak as the competitors sprinted back into London, and the BBC caught our shop on film twice. Above, the two leaders battle it out right in front of our green awnings, with Columbia’s Rigoberto Urán temporarily ahead of Alexandr Vinokourov of Kazakhstan, only minutes before their exciting finish on The Mall. While we’re disappointed that Team GB didn’t win any medals, we are thrilled to have seen such an amazing event right on our doorstep.

For a detailed report on the race check out the coverage in The Guardian, and while you’re there you can see some of the highlights of last night’s opening ceremony.