THERE was a dramatic finish to the Tour of Britain bike ride when it came to Taunton in September 2007.

Four of the riders crashed in front of a large crowd opposite the Debenhams store in North Street during a sprint to the finish.

A number of cyclists were injured in the crash but they all crossed the finishing line. No spectators were hurt.

Kirsten Bull, caught the crash on her camera and said: “When they came round the corner they obviously went too fast, they collided and sparks went everywhere.

“The barrier came down over people and everyone was trying to move out of the way – my heart was racing.”

She said she could smell burning rubber.

The race had started smoothly in Yeovilton with Britain’s Mark Cavendish donning the yellow jersey from his lead in Stage One of the event from Reading to Southampton.

After battling it out over 105 miles in sprint sections of the race and the gruelling King of the Mountains Challenge, which included the lung-burning Porlock Hill leg, over Exmoor and the Quantocks Hills, the riders returned to Taunton to finish Stage Two.

But Cavendish lost his lead and in the final 100 metres of the race a the crash took place.

Russia’s Nikolai Trusov was part of a 36-man break which made a decisive move after two-thirds of the gruelling 105-mile stage.

He kept pace with the leaders and hit the front after avoiding the four-man pile-up close to the finish to take the yellow jersey from Cavendish.

At the presentation Trusov received the yellow jersey and a green jersey for being the most consistent performer throughout the race.

In second place was Luke Roberts and third was Romain Feillu.

Winning the E.ON King of the Mountains competition was Serge Pauwels, while Piet Rooijackkers won the sprints competition.

Business owners in Taunton were fuming after one of their worst days of trading during the Tour of Britain.

Mike Potter, of Bridge Tyres in the Crescent Car Park, told the County Gazette he did not understand why the event had been so ‘good for the town’ when businesses had done so badly.

He said: “All the great and the good were sat around drinking coffee – but they don’t need to generate any trade.

“Why on earth they had to shut off the town centre for a day I don’t know.

“I can’t afford to lose a day of trade. My rates bill still comes in and I’m still expected to pay it.”

St James Street trader Les Harding, of Limited Additions, said that he was 85 per cent down on trade the day the race came through Taunton.

He added: “There was no need for all those barriers – you couldn’t get to any of the shops. It would have been cheaper to me to have shut. In six years this was the worst day in our existence.”