Caerphilly Mountain to host spectacular finale for September’s Tour of Britain

Caerphilly Mountain will provide a spectacular backdrop to what organisers hope will be a gripping final showdown in this year’s Tour of Britain as the race returns to the climb in South Wales for the first time in a decade.

The final stage of this year’s race on Sunday 10 September will begin at Margam Country Park near Port Talbot and features a double ascent of the climb, which is 1.3km long and has an average gradient of 10.1 per cent, before finishing outside Caerphilly Castle.

It will be the fourth time that Caerphilly has hosted a stage finish in the race, the last time being in 2013 when Sam Bennett, riding for An Post-Chain Reaction, won a 177.1km stage from Machynlleth, with that stage also featuring two late ascents of Caerphilly Mountain.

> Tour of Britain Stage 5: An Post's Sam Bennett wins in Caerphilly

The stage has the backing of the Welsh Government, which last year agreed with organisers SweetSpot to host a stage of the Tour of Britain and sister race the Women’s Tour in alternate years until 2026, although the latter race was cancelled this year due to a combination of increased costs and lack of sponsorship.

> Women's Tour cancelled for 2023, organisers cite lack of financial backing

Dawn Bowden, Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, commented: “We’re looking forward to welcoming the Tour of Britain back again later this year.  Wales’ credentials for hosting cycling events is now well-established.

“The Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour are the perfect showcase for our landscape as well as the welcome we provide to the competitors and spectators - and we look forward to working with our Local Authority partners as the Tour of Britain continues to reach new areas Wales. Seeing some of the world’s best riders is also an excellent way of inspiring people to get active and explore Wales on their bikes.”

The race starts in Greater Manchester on Sunday 3 September, and will then head into north Wales followed by stages taking in East Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Essex ahead of the finish in Caerphilly.

Race director Mick Bennett said: “Together with the Welsh Government we wanted to design a stage that would combine sporting drama with visiting new areas of the country for the Tour of Britain, and, of course, including the climbs that south Wales is famous for.

“We are confident that, with the help of the Welsh Government and our stakeholders in Wales, we have achieved just that with a route that will take the outcome of the Tour down to the final climb. Stage eight is going to be challenging for these amazing riders, feature a true party atmosphere along the route, and will look incredible on TV for those watching around the world. I cannot wait!” 

As in previous years, the race, which was relaunched in 2004 after a five-year hiatus and is organised on behalf of British Cycling by Surrey-based SweetSpot, will be shown live on ITV4, with full coverage of each stage as well as a highlights programme in the evening.

Last year’s race was won by the Movistar rider Gonzalo Serro, with the final three stages, including a planned finale overlooking the Needles on the Isle of Wight, cancelled following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

> Isle of Wight Council says it is £350,000 out of pocket after Tour of Britain stage cancelled due to Queen’s death

The Tour of Britain last finished in Wales in 2017, with Team Dimension Data’s Edvald Boasson Hagen winning a rain-soaked final stage from Worcester to Cardiff.

The Norwegian finished the race second overall to LottoNL-Jumbo’s Lars Boom, with the Dutchman repeating his 2011 success as he won the Tour of Britain for the second time, with that earlier edition also featuring Caerphilly Mountain, the then Rabobank rider finishing second on the stage to world champion Thor Hushovd of Garmin-Cervélo that day.