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Full details confirmed of Tour de France route through Essex

Essex County Council says Stage 3 route finalised and provides details of all road closures

Essex County Council has announced precise details of the route the Tour de France will follow on Monday 7 July when Stage 3 of cycling’s biggest race passes through the county on the way from Cambridge to London.

The route of the 159km stage will see it cross into the county to the north of Saffron Walden, passing via the Uttlesford district to head through or past Braintree, Chelmsford and Epping Forest before it heads into Greater London.

The council says the route has now been finalised and has confirmed full details of the road closures that will be put in place, listed at the end of this article.

Source: www.letour2014.stage3.com, hi resolution version here

Essex County Councillor Ann Naylor, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Wellbeing, said: “We’re delighted to be able to say ‘bienvenue’ from Essex to a global audience of up to 3.5 billion people next July.

"This is yet another great sporting event to come to our county, building on our success with the Olympic Mountain Biking event and the Torch Relay for London 2012.

"Cycling is not only a fast-growing global sport but a great way of keeping fit and healthy.”

The county is the birthplace of Team Sky’s Ian Stannard and Movistar’s Alex Dowsett, who still lives there, while Mark Cavendish has a home there, with wife Peta Todd hailing from Essex.

Councillor Naylor added: “It’s wonderful that we may have two inspirational Essex-born stars riding through their home county and I’m sure the spectacle of the peleton flashing through our towns and countryside will be a brilliant way to showcase our county to the world.

“Over the coming months we will be working closely with the event organisers, district, borough and city councils and other partners to confirm plans and ensure Le Tour passes through Essex safely and successfully.

“We will provide residents and businesses with regular updates on the Tour De France coming to Essex. This will help residents and businesses to enjoy this fantastic sporting event and plan their movements for the day,” she added.

Full details of Stage 3 of the race can be found here.

Tour de France Stage 3 road closures in Essex

Uttlesford District

• The route enters Essex on the B184 from the A11 and down Windmill Hill towards Saffron Walden
• In the centre of Saffron Walden it turns left at the traffic signals from High Street into George Street/Hill Street
• It continues into East Street and on to the B1053/Radwinter Road
• In Radwinter the B1053 becomes the B1054 for a short distance
• Just east of Radwinter cyclists will turn right onto the B1053 again
• The route continues on the B1053 until just west of Great Sampford, where it becomes the B1051 for a short distance
• In Great Sampford the route turns left onto the B1053 again

Braintree District

• Route continues on the B1053 through Finchingfield
• It continues to Wethersfield, where cyclists will turn right to continue on the B1053
• Cyclists continue on B1053 until Church End then turn right onto unnamed road towards Shalford Green
• Continue on unnamed road towards Rayne passing through Duckend Green
• Enter Rayne on Shalford Road and go straight across at the traffic lights into Gore Road
• Turn right into New Road with the Flitch Way on your right
• Follow this road and it becomes School Road and goes over the A120

Uttlesford District

• Follow this road through Bannister Green towards Felsted
• In Felsted the route takes Braintree Road, the B1417, then cyclists will turn left into Chelmsford Road in the centre of Felsted
• Route continues on the B1417 until turning left onto the B1008

Chelmsford District

• At the roundabout the route turns right into Main Road towards Great Waltham
• Continues on Main Road through Howe Street and, in the centre of Great Waltham, turns right into South Street
• South Street becomes Breeds Road and goes through Fanners Green and Chignal Smealy
• At the junction turn left into Woodhall Hill
• Follow Woodhall Hill, which turns into Chignall Road, at the junction turn right and continue along Chignall Road
• At the traffic lights turn right into Roxwell Road, the A1060
• Continue along the A1060 and turn left into Vicarage Road towards Roxwell
• Continue through Roxwell where Vicarage Road turns into The Street and then Elms Road

Epping District

• Elms Road becomes Shellow Road and goes through Shellow Bowells
• Continue on Shellow Road which becomes Dukes Lane and then School Lane
• In Beauchamp Roding turn left on to Dunmow Road B184
• Continue on the B184 which becomes Ongar Road and turn right into Moreton Road at Clatterford End
• Continue on Moreton Road which becomes Fyfield Road and then Maltings Hill
• Continue through Moreton on Church Road which becomes Harlow Road
• Just north of Moreton turn left into Wind Hill
• Continue on Wind Hill and then turn left into Weald Bridge Road
• Continue straight across the Talbot Roundabout towards North Weald and Epping on the B181
• Continue on the B181 High Road which becomes Epping Road and goes under the M11
• At the traffic signals turn left towards Epping on the B1393
• Continue through Epping High Street and then High Road on the B1393 which goes over the M25 Bell Common Tunnel
• Continue on the B1393 which becomes Epping Road and at the roundabout go straight over into Epping New Road the A104
• Continue on the A104 Epping New Road and leave Essex

Roads on and connected to the route in Essex are anticipated to be closed as follows:

Uttlesford and Braintree – 7.30am to 4pm
Chelmsford – 8am to 5pm
Epping Forest – 8am to 5pm
Epping Forest A414 area – 8am to 5pm

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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21 comments

Avatar
Joelsim | 10 years ago
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I'll be on The Mall for sure.

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gazzaputt | 10 years ago
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There will be some pissed off cabbies that day  21

I just hope the weather is excellent and everyone embraces the day the TdF come to the south and London instead of moaning about it.

Cannot wait to see the TdF back in blighty.

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mtm_01 | 10 years ago
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That end part almost looks like the start of the Dunwich Dynamo but in reverse to me!

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jollygoodvelo | 10 years ago
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According to that map - it might not actually go onto the Olympic park at all. The route in London is A104 through the forest, over the Waterworks roundabout crossing the A406, following A104 onto Lea Bridge Road, left onto Orient Way (past the Eurostar depot), left onto Ruckholt Road, right onto Leyton High Road. Then onto Major Road, right/left onto Leyton Road, clockwise around the Stratford one-way system, south on West Ham Lane, onto Price Regent Lane, down onto the A1020 and then in to the centre through the Limehouse tunnel.

The only time it might go onto the park is near Major Road in Leyton - there's a kink that doesn't match the actual road network...

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stuartp | 10 years ago
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Does anyone have a rough idea of the timings?
I have to make a journey to Norwich on the 7th so would like to try a see them pass at one point if it is at all possible.

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Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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They almost cycle down my road! I think they turn off before the Lea Bridge and take the A roads which is a shame - the traffic will be terrible that day. No one will get into Asda and do I give a f@uk? Do I f@ck.

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thebongolian | 10 years ago
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Thought it was meant to be finishing at the Olympic Park but it looks like the Mall from the map.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to thebongolian | 10 years ago
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thebongolian wrote:

Thought it was meant to be finishing at the Olympic Park but it looks like the Mall from the map.

Who on earth put the Olympic Park idea into your head?

Oh. Oops  40

http://road.cc/72655

Sorry... yeah, The Mall it is, confirmed back in January 2013.

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Al__S | 10 years ago
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I do think it's a pity that in Saffron Walden they're turning left at the bottom of the high street- it would be better for local spectators (face it, few people will be watching this stage live, and the highlights will be a shot of the departure in Cambridge as they roll past Kings College, maybe two seconds of them going through Walden, something about the break of the day, the intermediate sprint, the catch, the riders going through the Olympic park, and the Mall sprint. There will be a look back on the weekend in Yorkshire and some scary stuff about the following cobbles. The stage itself will be quite dull. Anyway...) to have the peloton charge up the hill and turn left around the war memorial.

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WolfieSmith | 10 years ago
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The cafe in Finchingfield will be happy. Nice route.

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DanTe | 10 years ago
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Hope the buggers stay of Strava, thats where I do half my riding...  17
Should be a good route that, the roads get pretty tight in the run up to Epping.
Bit of bonus for me really as hopefully Essex Council will fill in a few pot holes, if they don't half the peloton won't make it across the channel...
The run through Epping will be quick!!

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stealth | 10 years ago
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Looks like a day for a breakaway! More twists & turns than a twisty-turny thing.

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levermonkey | 10 years ago
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Will Operation Bluenose be finished by then?  35

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Northernbike replied to levermonkey | 10 years ago
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levermonkey wrote:

Will Operation Bluenose be finished by then?  35

There will be an added incentive to win the Yorkshire stages as the rider in the yellow jersey for stage 3 will be the only one who Essex plod won't stop for not wearing high viz

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cat1commuter | 10 years ago
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Not that "global audience of up to 3.5 billion people" guff again!

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Scoob_84 | 10 years ago
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Any danger of a more detailed map?? can't zoom in!

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jollygoodvelo replied to Scoob_84 | 10 years ago
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Scoob_84 wrote:

Any danger of a more detailed map?? can't zoom in!

I did this one a while back - I think it's pretty much spot-on.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3579007

Let's hope all the riders are wearing hi-vis and have lights, eh?

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Scoob_84 | 10 years ago
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Scoob_84 wrote:

Any danger of a more detailed map?? can't zoom in!

There's a link to it immediately below it  3

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Scoob_84 replied to Simon_MacMichael | 10 years ago
0 likes
Simon_MacMichael wrote:
Scoob_84 wrote:

Any danger of a more detailed map?? can't zoom in!

There's a link to it immediately below it  3

 40

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surfer35 replied to Scoob_84 | 10 years ago
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Click on the link underneath buddy....

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JeevesBath | 10 years ago
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My "stop Essex being used as a cycle track" petition will be on-line shortly.....

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