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news
Tour of Britain full route announced
The route of the 2014 Tour of Britain was unveiled this evening at Canary Wharf in London. As well as the Stage 1 circuit in Liverpool, revealed this morning, the race will also be visiting Bath and Brighton on an eight-day journey round the country that culminates in a double-header final day in London with an individual time trial followed by a road stage, as happened in 2011.
We'll bring you more later, but to start with, as the race raises its profile — this year, for the first time, it has UCI 2.HC status — there will be three hours of live TV coverage every day on ITV. Now that is something to look forward to.
Race director Mick Bennett says: "With our toughest summit finish yet, an individual time trial in London and several longer stages, this year's Tour of Britain has a varied and testing route that will present opportunities to a variety of riders.
"The route will again showcase some fantastic scenery, and combine major British cities with charming and picturesque towns and villages, as well as testing climbs, all of which will make for a memorable Tour.”
Jonny Clay, director of cyclesport at British Cycling, added: "This year's Tour of Britain is set to be the biggest and best yet and is a fantastic way to showcase the event's new, upgraded 2.HC status.
"The Tour of Britain will not only deliver on every level for cycling fans, giving them the opportunity to see the best teams and riders in the world competing on their door step, but it is also a great day out for people of all ages. Watching the race from the roadside is free, allowing thousands of spectators to get caught up in the excitement of the event passing through their city, town or village.”
Organisers have agreed with Transport for London that the Tour of Britain will finish in London for the next five years.
Here's the route:
| Stage 1 | Sun 7 Sep | Liverpool |
| Stage 2 | Mon 8 Sep | Knowsley to Llandudno |
| Stage 3 | Tue 9 Sep | Newtown to the Tumble |
| Stage 4 | Wed 10 Sep | Worcester to Bristol |
| Stage 5 | Thu 11 Sep | Exmouth to Exeter |
| Stage 6 | Fri 12 Sep | Bath to Hemel Hempstead |
| Stage 7 | Sat 13 Sep | Camberley to Brighton |
| Stage 8a | Sun 14 Sep | London individual time trial, presented by TfL |
| Stage 8b | Sun 14 Sep | London circuit race, presented by TfL |
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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81 comments
Dartmoor in September? Tasty.
Looks like a good summer of cycling to me, yes it does miss big bits of the country but you just hope that as the the race becomes more established that the organisers are fair and that starts and stages are spread throughout the country in the coming years. I was personally was hoping for a Horseshoe pass stage this year (Liverpool to Llandudno) but you have to take what you get!
Nice to see some action in the South East, no I don't mean that smelly traffic filed blot on the landscape we call our capital, will be heading to Brighton for stage 7.
perhaps we can rename it to "The Tour of London" ??
Looks like the route on the Friday is going through Wallingford via Nettlebed to Chinnor. I'll be ducking out of work and cycling over to see that I expect!
Plenty of short and steep (15%+) climbs around that bit of the route but I expect they won't be using them. Too narrow for the riders, cars etc.
Disappointed they have dispensed with 'filthy mountain - although the double ascent was a bit daft. The atmosphere and crowds particularly over the last 2 years were epic. Had hoped they would find a way to finish the Welsh stage in Cardiff somewhere but...I guess a nice little ride up to The Tumble is now in order. Just need to find a nice pub....
I have travelled across from Northumberland to Carlisle to watch The Tour of Britain for the last two years. Was really hoping my area got a look in this year. Would be a really good back drop seeing the Castles of Northumberland been cycled past, especially for TV coverage.
I am not really sure when it last past my way, sure those with a better memory will tell me when the North East last had a visit?
The Route has rather disappointed me but I shouldn't get too down as I have 2 nights booked in Yorkshire when the main event is on!
Oh at last! Something is coming down towards the South East! About time, lovely scenery
It goes past the road one up from me in Sussex ... I'm happy
It did Darlington - Gateshead in 2008 and 2009 with a loop up into Kielder Forest.
The NE hasn't seen as much of the Tour of Britain as some other areas but that's not necessarily down to the organisers - maybe one town really wants it but there's no suitable finishing town nearby on that day. Maybe one council won't allow it through their area on that day. Whole host of reasons.
Petition your council to bid for a stage.
no one complaining that Abergavenny gets a stage finish and the nationals then....
The "Tour of England and Wales".
As others have said, you can;t cover the entire country decently in 8 days. So leaving aside the transfer concerns by the teams, there appear to be two options
1) spread it around geographically every year, and just expect people to drive up to 3 hours to see "their" region's leg.
2) Pick areas of the country each year to locate it... so the south gets it this year, the NW next, east anglia and the midlands in 2016 - etc.
Which ever is picked somebody somewhere will lose out. The past few years in the South-west has meant Sidmouth for us in Wiltshire - or London. Hardly "doorstep".
As it I am well chuffed that its coming within a mile of my front door this year. I'm happy enough that it probably won't be back around these parts for a few years. Them's the breaks.
didds
Just in preparation for Scottish independence. will enjoy watching tour of Scotland though, lots of mountain stages
Just in preparation for Scottish independence. will enjoy watching tour of Scotland though, lots of mountain stages
Have a look at this pipe dream for next year: http://www.strava.com/routes/92370
There is, of course, the third option where the whingers do a bit of growing up and recognise that it's not always going to go their way.
It'd probably a step to far to ask them to get behind the Tour and offer congratulations to those areas that have the opportunity to showcase this time round..
Simon, i assume your from London, although i maybe wrong.
Its when your not from London you realise how much more the city gets compared to other areas. Its not just cycling but a lot of other sports as well and its the mentality of a lot of Londoners that becuase its the capital it should automatically get more and its this that annoys and frustrates people.
I dont particularly like London having worked and lived there for a while but i suppose being the capital it will get more.
In the end as long as the race showcases the country and the fans then all is well and good.
Time to make this a two week race and spread it around a bit more. A lot of the country is left untouched, central britain, the east and northeast, nothing.
No lake district stage..... BOOOOOOOOO !
No lake district stage..... BOOOOOOOOO !
I guess the Scottish referendum has already happened, new to be, why are there no stages anywhere even remotely close to Scotland at all, the highlands would be an epic stage and easy to get from Aberdeen to watch some form of professional cycling
Haha! Some South East action, definitely pop to Brighton for the day
Unless I'm mistaken, the ToB takes the route to places that support it financially so it can only go where the councils are willing to a) host it and b) pay for it. That's one of the main issues behind the long transfers and the geographic inequalities. If you want a stage, a council near you has to be willing to do it and to put its hand in its pocket.
As well as cost, from an armchair perspective there's hopefully consideration given to choosing a course that showcases some of the country's areas of natural beauty and obviously some decent gradients. Basically it needs to look good on telly!
Then of course you'll get the NIMBYs not wanting spectators and everything else descending end masse into the national parks......and also if the stages are out in the sticks there'll be fewer spectators.
We've been spared a Stoke stage!
And thinking about it, they may even fill in some of the trenches in the town, especially if they don't want to see Pro riders sprawling outside the joys of Iceland and the 99p store
I like the look of that mate
I like this idea. You could even take it further and use a couple of towns/cities as hubs and run the stages in a different direction from the hubs each day.
You could say have four days based out of Taunton, a rest day and then another four days based out of Stirling one year and the next year pick another two hubs. The rest day is only there to facilitate the relocation between hubs. Can you imagine the concentrated revenue brought into an area and the boost to local cycling.
Just an idle musing. Please don't shoot me, it's been a very long day.
Would you like some help with that chip on your shoulder? Perhaps a flower in your hair would make you feel better?
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