Excited crowds waited for the first cyclists to come whizzing over Kingston Bridge with flags held aloft ready to spur on this year’s Olympians.

From Kingston Bridge to Wood Street spectators lined the streets on Saturday hoping for a glimpse of the world’s best male cyclists as they edged closer to the end of the gruelling 250km competition route.

For members of the crowds like fitness instructor Terry Baker, 35, the buzz of seeing the Olympics live got her up early to see the race through Richmond Park before she dashed to Kingston to see it all again.

She said: “I was really wanted to see the cyclists again even though I’d seen them already.

“It was amazing, very exciting.

Even the police were fun, slapping people’s hands as they went by.”

Families and friends grouped together by the barriers wearing Union Jacks as capes and huddling up close so everyone could squeeze into good viewing spots while waiting more than an hour for cyclists to pass.

The Ellis family came to see the race, with two of their party travelling from Switzerland for the Olympics.

They spent the morning in Hampton Court before moving on to Kingston.

Mandy Ellis, 50, from Berrylands, said: "It was great and worth every bit of the wait.

"Maybe a big screen in town would have been good or a warmer up for the crowd [but either way] it was fantastic.

"We've definitely got the Olympic bug."

Despite announcements to keep track of the cyclists’ progress the atmosphere in the run up to the rider’s arrival remained high with cheers across the bridge when cyclists finally made their way to Kingston.

The competitors passed in a five second blur but even just that slight glimpse seemed enough to delight crowds and make people feel a part of this year’s games.

Thirty-year-old mother of two, Veronica Williams, from Potters Grove, New Malden, said: "It is very speedy, you only see them for a couple of seconds but we got to the front so it was really nice for the children."