The route for the 2017 Tour of Britain has been announced, with a route that links together the capitals of Scotland and Wales, while also visiting parts of the UK that the race has never been to before.
A total of nine new venues will host the race in 2017, which has brought on OVO Energy as a headline sponsor, on a route that totals 1,310km, and which will finish outside of London for the first time since 2012.
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh will host the start of the race on Sunday 3rd September, with a 188km road stage to Kelso, where a finishing circuit will welcome the peloton on the Scottish borders.
Stage two heads from Kielder Water to Blyth in Northumberland, and again features a spectator-friendly finishing circuit around the town of Blyth, which last hosted the race two years ago and witnessed Quickstep Floors' Fernando Gaviria take victory.
Stage three, held in North Lincolnshire, will be the county's first chance to hold an entire stage within its borders, and will take the race on a 172km stage from Normanby Hall to Scunthorpe.
Similarly to North Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire will host a whole stage for the first time a day later on stage four, with a stage from Mansfield to Newark-on-Trent on Wednesday 6th September.
Stage five is a 16km individual time trial, due to be held in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, while stage six is a 183km road stage from Newmarket to the coastal town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk.
The Cotswolds will welcome the race to its hilly roads on the penultimate stage seven, starting in Hemel Hempstead and finishing in Cheltenham.
The final stage, stage eight, starts in Worcester on Sunday 10th September, and for the first time in the race's history, will finish in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.
Stage-by-stage overview
Stage One: Sunday 3rd September, Edinburgh to Kelso, 188km
Stage Two: Monday 4th September, Kielder Water & Forest Park to Blyth, 211km
Stage Three: Tuesday 5th September, Normanby Hall Country Park to Scunthorpe, 172km
Stage Four: Wednesday 6th September, Mansfield to Newark-on-Trent, 175km
Stage Five: Thursday 7th September, Tendring Individual TT, 16km
Stage Six: Friday 8th September, Newmarket to Aldeburgh, 183km
Stage Seven: Saturday 9th September, Hemel Hempstead to Cheltenham, 186km
Stage Eight: Sunday 10th September, Worcester to Cardiff, 180km
The route for 13th edition of the modern day Tour of Britain was released today, with a route that touches on both familiar territory and new grounds. A split stage in Bristol, with a time trial followed by a circuit race, a summit finish on Dartmoor's Haytor, and London's traditional closing circuit race on the 11th September are the obvious standout inclusions. But with stages running through Galloway, the Lake District and Peak District as well as Wales, there are any number of potentially decisive stages.
"We are confident that this year's route for the Tour of Britain will provide the opportunity for eight exciting days of racing and a multitude of opportunities for riders and teams to be aggressive and make the race,' says race directior Mick Bennett. 'We believe that with the combination of longer stages of over 200 kilometres, the tough circuit and time trial in Bristol and the summit finish at Haytor we have not just a great preparation for the World Championships but also a fantastic race that will showcase the British countryside.'
Indeed, the Tour of Britain's position on the calendar has made it somewhat of a prepatory event for riders targeting the World Championships in early October. But regardless of this fact, Bennett insists that the race also 'stands alone on its own right as a race riders will want to win.”
The first stage of eight will begin in Glasgow on the 4th September, hoping to benefit from the legacies of both the Commonwealth Games and National Championships which have been held in the city in recent years. A route through the hills of Galloway will follow before the finish in Castle Douglas.
Stage two from Carlisle to Kendal will include the climbs of Whinlatter Pass and The Struggle before an uphill finish on Beast Banks. Stage three sees the race tackle the 10 kilometre Cat and Fiddle climb in the Peak District; stage four a long slog through mid Wales from Denbigh to the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells.
Stage five also starts in Wales in Aberdare before heading across the border through the Forest of Dean and on to the first Bath stage finish. The summit finish at Haytor, where Simon Yates sprung on to the scene with victory back in 2013, returns to the race as the climactic finish of stage 6, before a split stage in Bristol. A 15km individual time trial around the city precedes a five-lap circuit race on the same course, with both routes including the 9% climb of Bridge Valley Road that should ensure that the standings remain open until these final stages.
The quite spectacular arena of central London will again provide the curtains on the 11th of September, with a circuit that will take in Regent Street, Piccadilly, the Strand, Whitehall and Westminster.
Stage One Sunday 4 September Glasgow to Castle Douglas 168km
Stage Two Monday 5 September Carlisle to Kendal 195km
Stage Three Tuesday 6 September Congleton to Tatton Park, Knutsford 182km
Stage Four Wednesday 7 September Denbigh to Builth Wells 217km
Stage Five Thursday 8 September Aberdare to Bath 205km
Stage Six Friday 9 September Sidmouth to Haytor, Dartmoor 150km
Stage Sevena Saturday 10 September Bristol Stage Individual Time Trial 15km
Stage Seven b Saturday 10 September Bristol Stage Circuit Race 76.5km
Stage Eight Sunday 11 September London Stage presented by TfL 100km
All images and maps are courtesy of Sweetspot.
