- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
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.
Latest Comments
- mitsky 20 min 52 sec ago
Intersting article in The Spectator advocating drivers who have a dashcam to "snitch" on littering/flytipping by other drivers....
- Rendel Harris 42 min 13 sec ago
May not be in her manifesto but she has frequently said in interviews that she will remove any cycle lane that impedes traffic flow - obviously a...
- chrisonabike 1 hour 3 min ago
Thank your chosen deity (except Sciurid-related ones) we invented spanners - we should be able disable them by undoing their nuts!
- andystow 1 hour 4 min ago
My granny started driving before driving tests were implemented. When they were, she was grandfathered (grandmothered?) in, and she ticked all the...
- Hirsute 1 hour 14 min ago
Road was closed so I had no choice https://youtu.be/NV7XHFiXhyU
- wtjs 1 hour 26 min ago
A delightfully tactful description of being arrested for vagrancy and loitering? No. A friendly offer and an open cell door!
- Bungle_52 1 hour 49 min ago
Thank you for all the considered comments. I have thought about what happened a great deal over the last few days....
- arowland 1 hour 54 min ago
Engo Eyewear heads up glasses "offer real-time information in your field of vision, such as ... how far it is to the next cafe."...
Add new comment
81 comments
more likely they'll claim they are recreating the Forest of Arenberg
Born in Scotland, lived there a few years and have often gone back, grew up and started working in London, went to university in Wales and have lived last several years in Oxford and, more recently, the Cotswolds. So been around a bit and certainly don't have London-centric mindset.
Stage 2 Braemar - Dundee, having a summit finish up Craigowl Hill (3.4km at 9.3%)
Stage 2 Braemar - Dundee, having a summit finish up Craigowl Hill (3.4km at 9.3%)
Dont get me wrong folks, i'm not saying the NE deserves it more, far from it. As people have said we have the Tour coming to Yorkshire so thats probably why there are no stages up this way in the ToB, which i agree with.
It's the london thing that annoys me but thats personal and got nothing to do with the ToB. As i said i hope its a cracking race but i wont be watching the last 2 stages, a tt around london followed by a circuit of london, really gets the blood pumping in anticipation doesn't it
.
God, not in the Cotswolds ....again! I expect it to go past my house every other year or i'll..i'll....i'll
I'm giving up bike for 30 days!
That'll show 'em.
Apart from most of Stage 4
Lets see if they do it properly...
anyone for Bushcombe Lane...
http://cyclinguphill.com/cleeve-hill-bushcombe-lane/
Lot of moaning about the route, but that's basically an indicator of the ToB's rising status - everyone wants a piece. The article says the organisers want the stages closer together this year, but I'm sure they will continue to experiment with routes to cover the beautiful hills in the North and Scotland. Chill folks - it's great news that the event is growing in popularity.
No stage of the Tour of Britain in Yorkshire yet again, Good enough for 2 stages of the Tour de France but not the Tour of Britain it seems.
I would imagine all the cities and local authorities are spent up after chucking money at ASO to get the Tour.
Are you not taught to share in Yorkshire?
Not as greedy as it would seem that London is
Olympics route/Prudential or whatever they call it, a finish of le Tour and still "two stages" on top.
Personally don't think it's too bad for Yorkshire, we did have MTB world cup for two years, National Champs t'other year and now the greatest show on earth. Also after le Tour, TofB looks a bloody miserable affair and Liverpool is not a million miles away.
Okay, so London gets three days of racing at UCI HC or WorldTour level, and probably two HC in future.
One of those races, RideLondon, will take place mainly in Surrey, while this year the Tour de France spends maybe an hour in London.
But from next year, Yorkshire - and nowhere else - gets its very own THREE-day stage race, arranged by ASO and probably also at HC level.
Don't get me wrong, it's great that it will be taking place.
But it does rather shoot down the argument that London (home to around 60 per cent more people than Yorkshire, by the way) gets everything.
Simon, not quite sure what your point is, other than you can cut and paste to take things out of context.
With reference to Scotland and the North East of England, you can only please some of the people some of the time. Unless of course you live in Knowsley, East Devon and London.
But Yorkshire has Le Tour and Scotland the Commonwealth Games, I hear you say. Who really give a flying fart about the Commonwealth Games? All the pro teams will be lining up for that!
As you can see in the link, the Commonwealth Road Race lacks any imagination. The planners must have only had a Day Tripper bus ticket when planning the route. "hills to the North and South you say?" Let's showcase the best Scotland has to offer by going past Glasgow Central Station...
erm.... it isn't going past Central Station, it's going past Queen Street Station, Argyle Street Station, High Street Station and Buchanan Street Underground.
It looks like it is here:
http://www.glasgow2014.com/image/cycling-road-map
The above from the website's press releases today.
Personally I'm delighted that there's a couple of stages around South Wales and Bristol / Bath and damning the fact that these stages are mid-week.
There's always next year for the ToB to go elsewhere.
You've got to know that they've had a lot of crap from teams/riders about the transfers involved when it's covered the whole of the country in 8 days.
Reckon a more compact route like this is a sign of things to come - and it'll hopefully vary year on year,
As the man says you can't run a eight day stage race that will visit every corner of the UK.
I'm sure it will be back to the Peak District and Yorkshire in coming years so I'll have to put up with the Tour de France this year and the Tour of Yorkshire (Criterium International ?) in the subsequent few years.
East Anglia's got the TdF and the Womens Tour coming that way which other areas are not getting.
Isn't the Vuelta finishing in Santiago de Compostela this year BTW ?
Before The North gets too huffy I'd just like to remind everyone about that little bike race in Yorkshire this July.
Still had to have the 3rd stage finishing in the dump didnt we though rather than the east coast of Yorks which would have been far better.
day off for the bath to hemel hemestead stage
Yay... still coming to Wales.. happy days
Vote no to independence and maybe there will a Scottish stage next year. If not there will be a need for a tour of Scotland. (-;
no real surprises about the london finish, and tbh it will almost certainly bring in the majority of sponsors, but always wondered why they don't make more of the UK landscape? Britain is pretty small and so transfers will never be THAT arduous. always thought 1 stage in any of; scotland, wales, NE/NW to start then at least 1 other of those areas in stage 2 and then snake down country with various landmarks/famous climbs in there? not going to throw toys out pram cos not a scottish stage this year, as last couple have been great, but don't see why it has to be such a small area covered. regardless of thoughts on route, the coverage, profile and participation is growing every year, which can only be a good thing.
Wow. "London" content = 7.
It doesn't always finish in London, it's finished in Glasgow and also Liverpool since being revived in 2004
the fact is, eight stages can't cover the whole of Britain and they never will.
So having spoken face to face this evening with the people who make these decisions; they know that the route wouldn't please everyone, but they are committed to taking it back to Scotland, North of England, East Anglia etc in the next few years.
Pages