September’s Friends Life Tour of Britain will start on Anglesey in Wales and head through northern England on its way to and from the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, before what promises to be a spectacular finale on a brand new circuit in London.
Unveiled at Wembley Stadium this evening, the race, now ranked 2.HC by the UCI, will start in Wales for the first time ever, and also makes its first visit to Edinburgh since it was relaunched in 2004 by current organisers, SweetSpot.
In recent years, the race, which ends a week before the UCI Road World Championships, has been toughened up and is increasingly chosen over the Vuelta as preparation by those with an eye on the rainbow jersey – Michal Kwiatowski and Sir Bradley Wiggins, respectively road and time trial world champions, both made the podium last year.
It’s also a race though that gives young riders a chance to show themselves and last year was no exception, with 22-year-old Garmin-Sharp rider Dylan van Baarle a surprise winner of the overall.
Here are full details, in the organisers’ words, of the route of September’s race, which runs from 6-13 September and concludes with a stage on a very compact Y-shaped circuit in London, centred on Trafalgar Square with its prongs at Regent Street, Aldwych and Parliament Square.
Stage One
Sunday 6 September
Beaumaris, Anglesey to Wrexham, 177km
Having welcomed the Friends Life Tour of Britain annually since 2010, Wales will play host to the opening stage for the first time in the modern race's history, with a stage which will take in all six regions of North Wales as it heads from Anglesey to Wrexham. It will also be the first time that the race has started on an island.
Stage Two
Monday 7 September
Clitheroe to Colne, 162km
Stage Two sees the race return to the heart of Lancashire for the first time since 2010, with Ribble Valley and Pendle playing host to a stage from Clitheroe to Colne, which will pass through the Forest of Bowland and Dunsop Bridge, the geographic centre of the United Kingdom.
Stage Three
Tuesday 8 September
Cockermouth to Floors Castle, Kelso, 216km
Cockermouth in Cumbria will be the start venue for the first of two stages to include Scotland, with Stage Three heading through Carlisle, Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders to the finish in the grounds of Floors Castle at Kelso.
Stage Four
Wednesday 9 September
Edinburgh to Blyth, 218km
A second Scottish stage will begin from Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, showcasing some of the city's iconic landscapes before heading through the Borders and Northumberland to the finish on the coast in Blyth.
Stage Five
Thursday 10 September
Prudhoe to Hartside Fell, 171km
Stage Five will trace Hadrian's Wall from Prudhoe in Northumberland into Cumbria and the Lake District before finishing atop Hartside Fell in the Pennines. At five-miles long and 1,904-feet high, the climb will provide the highest and toughest summit finish in the modern Tour of Britain's history.
Stage Six
Friday 11 September
Stoke-on-Trent to Nottingham, 189km
Friday 11 September's stage will join two English cities with the peloton racing from Stoke-on-Trent to Nottingham, the latter returning to the route for the first time since 2012.
Stage Seven
Saturday 12 Septmber
Fakenham to Ipswich, 225km
The penultimate stage will be the longest of the 2015 Friends Life Tour of Britain at 225-kilometres, heading from Fakenham in Norfolk to Ipswich in Suffolk, before the final stage in the centre of London.
Stage Eight
Saturday 13 September
London stage presented by TfL, 93km
The London stage presented by Transport for London will feature an entirely new route in 2015, starting and finishing on Regent Street St James and providing an iconic backdrop for Britain's biggest professional cycle race which will take in Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the Strand and Whitehall.
Race director Mick Bennett said: "Overall we are absolutely delighted with the course for the 2015 Friends Life Tour of Britain and believe it offers something for everybody across eight very different stages.
"Our hope and intention is to again encourage eight days of aggressive, uninhibited racing, the sort of action that we hope is becoming the trademark of the race.
“We want our national Tour to reflect the tough terrain which is part and parcel of our cycling scene in the UK, and to showcase both the race and the British countryside to spectators at the roadside and to the television audience both at home and around the world.”
British Cycling president Bob Howden, added: "At British Cycling, we measure the success of our major events strategy by the number of people who watch and are then inspired to participate in our sport and, as our national stage race and the biggest event of the year, the growing popularity of the Friends Life Tour of Britain is further proof that in this country cycling has never been in better health.
"This year's route will excite any fan of cycling and further boosts the Friends Life Tour of Britain's reputation as one of world cycling's must-watch races, but it will also give people all over Britain a chance to see some of the world's best riders in action and encourage them to get out on their bikes.”
Commenting on the final stage, Transport for London’s director of surface strategy and planning, Ben Plowden, said: "It's fantastic to be able to welcome back Britain's biggest professional cycle race to the streets of the London.
“With a revamped route touching new areas of the city, I've no doubt that this year's race will inspire a new breed of cyclists, who will soon be able to make use of our new and upgraded cycling infrastructure, including segregated Cycle Superhighways.”
ITV will broadcast three hours’ live coverage of each stage, as well as a one-hour highlights programme each evening.
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16 comments
I would like to see the TOB extended to 2 weeks as it grows and that will enable the extra stages to take a more balanced spread across the whole of the U.K. There is definately the support here for the race as the crowds in previous years have shown. It may also assist in getting the TOB classified higher on the UCI Calendar too.
I would suggest that it is inevitable that for an 8 day stage race there are going to be huge swathes of the country unvisited each year. Otherwise every area being covered every year will in reality mean "your" stage may still be 80 miles away. Better I reckon the ToB concentrates on a an area each year... it may take 4 years to get back close to you but at least it may mean there is more than one option open to those within an area.
YMMV
didds
I'm gonna have to take two days off work ,can't believe the tour is to finish in Blyth and starts in Prudhoe .Finishing atop Hartside fell .If no ones been to the top of the fell the climb up has got to be one of the best climbs in the country ,well worth a day trip to watch the race and ride ,Chapau T.O.B.
Happy Days .
Hartside has been shrouded in mist every time I've been up it on a bike Do you think they'll nip into the bikers caff for a cuppa afterwards?
By the way, for anyone wanting to sound all knowledgeable and that, Prudhoe is pronounced 'Prudder'. You're welcome.
Stage 2 will be a tough day as very hilly. Wiggo should do well there as he trains regularly on those roads.
Nottingham finish!! Do I go there or into the peaks? I need to know the full route details now!!
Last year, we were very lucky - there were a lot of big races in the country, and they did a good job spreading themselves out across the country (Giro in NI, Commonwealth in Scotland, TDF in North East, Womens Tour in South East, TOB in Wales and South West)
This year, its just a little shame that there is quite a substantial 'overlap' in the graphical spread of the three big races in the country.
I'm sure the route will make for good racing, but lets hope the TOB and Womens Tour can spread themselves out a bit next year?
Also, no time trial this year?
Good to see it spread a bit more around Britain this year rather than concentrating in the south. Having said that, I can see why that happened last year with the TdF being in Yorkshire. Looking forward to seeing how my Strava times on Hartside and Nick of Pendle compare with the pros - can see me losing a few places!
nice - 2 stages going through Northumberland! Stage 4 passes within 2 miles of my house but stage 5 looks great - the ride out along the wall will be great and finish up Hartside will be a cracker.
I'm looking forward to the stuff between Wooler and the Border - some of the best cycling roads I've ever seen.
Yes that's going to be a good section but I think stage 5 is going to be pretty spectacular. It looks like they are heading along the military road towards Cumbria which in true Roman style goes in more or less a straight line whatever the contours. It's very exposed and with a headwind that could be brutal. Then into the lakes and back out into the Pennines to Hartside pass.
km, miles and feet in the same article. My eyes...
"It will also be the first time that the race has started on an island."
Doesn't the Tour of Britain always start on an Island??
before anyone says anything....
Yes it is a pity there are no stages anywhere near i live, but there was a distinct lack of northern stages last year. Can only hope more of the country gets included in future years.
It would be nice if it finished somewhere other than London, but i guess that is never going to happen.
tour-of-britain-2014-route-map.jpg
Yep, I was going to bemoan the lack of any Southern stages this year, but that is a completely fair comment.
I was looking for an early September UK holiday destination, so think I might try and find somewhere in the Lake District to catch a couple of stages.
I live in Surrey and also went looking for the stages near me. But yes fair comment we've had more than our fair share of events inc London Surrey Classic and TofB right by here in recent years so fair play.