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news
Tour of Britain 2016 route launched in Bristol - all stage details + full screen route gallery
The route for the 2016 edition of the Tour of Britain has been launched in Bristol this evening, with the city in the southwest of England promising to provide a spectacular backdrop on the penultimate day when it hosts an individual time trial followed by a circuit race.
Starting in Glasgow on Sunday 4 September, the race finishes in London a week later on the same circuit in the heart of the West End that made its debut in last year's edition, when Edvald Boasson Hagen won the overall for the second time in his career.
On its way from Scotland's largest city to the UK capital, the race will pass through Dumfries and Galloway, the northwest of England, mid and south Wales and England's southwest, where it returns after a one-year absence.
Race Director Mick Bennett said: "We are confident that this year's route for the Tour of Britain will provide the opportunity for eight exciting days of racing and a multitude of opportunities for riders and teams to be aggressive and make the race.
"We believe that with the combination of longer stages of over 200-kilometres, the tough circuit and time trial in Bristol and the summit finish at Haytor we have not just a great preparation for the World Championships but also a fantastic race that will showcase the British countryside and stands alone in its own right as a race riders will want to win.”
British Cycling director of cycle sport and membership, Jonny Clay, commented: "We are proud to announce the 2016 route for Britain's national tour. Every year the Tour of Britain offers a chance for the public to see some of the world's best road riders racing through their local area.
"Last year's race had a bit of everything; fast flat sections, rolling roads and a great hill top finish which led to exciting racing for the competitors and fans alike. .This year's route has all the same ingredients, so promises to be a great event.”
Once again there will be live TV coverage courtesy of Channel 4, while returning jersey sponsors are Chain Reaction Cycles (points), Yodel (sprints) and Skoda (king of the mountains).
Hugh Roberts, chairman of SweetSpot who have organised the race since it was revived in 2004, since when it has gone from strength to strength, said: "This year's Tour of Britain features a fantastic combination of major cities like Glasgow, Bristol and London, smaller communities across Scotland, England and Wales and the stunning scenery and testing climbs of the Lake District and Dartmoor.
"With hundreds of thousands of fans at the roadside and millions more watching via live television in the UK and around the world, the 2016 Tour of Britain is a fantastic showcase for the brands involved in the event.
To see the full screen version of all the stage routes click the full screen icon on our gallery at the top of the page
To see the full screen version of all the stage routes click the full screen icon on our gallery at the top of the page
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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19 comments
I would love to see a stage in Cornwall, we have the climbs and scenery but being 300+ miles from London I think that we will never get it. I'd love to see a brutal/hilly 50mile ITT, and I could pick a few routes for them if they wished!
Well, the good burghers of Bristol have started up on our local paper's website. Best comment IMO - and bear in mind they are talking about the Tour of Britain - is someone grumbling that their council tax is being spent so Sustrans and friends can have a party. Apparently they genuinely believe that Sustrans has something to do with the Tour of Britain
I'd love to watch that race. Each stage a different sustains route.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/tour-of-britain-2013-route-revealed-...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-of-britain/tour-britain-2014-...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-of-britain
Just to shut a few up, have a look at the last few routes and compare to this years. Apart from London it does move around the country. It can never cover the whole country in 8 stages.
End of the day money talks, councils have to want to put up with the disruption it causes, some see it as a positive and some don't.
If you want it local to you i guess start with lobbying your council and find some sponsors.
Anyway, might try and see it in the FoD then head for the Severn bridge and see it as it heads south on the other side.
Heaven forbid we actually have a major sporting event in this country and London isn't involved !
Just because its the capital doesn't mean it has to be a part of the tour but money talks.
I digress though, stage 2 to Kendal appears to be a cracker, thats where i'll be headed.
Without the money you have no race.
Are there any more detailed route maps or directions available? It's hard to make out exactly where the Congelton Stage 3 is headed once in the hills.
Even if they are finishing in London, the penultimate day doesn't have to be in southern England. They could have a long transfer.
And actually somewhere like Sheffield isn't much further in time terms from London than Bristol. It's a small island we live on.
The London thing makes for good photos, so I imagine that is why it is done.
I suspect London is where the Sponsors want to be for the finish! But I would have no problem with seeing the race in other places and why not have the finish in one of the captials on rotation? Cardif, Edinburgh, London not sure about the West Country Plymouth perhaps? Day 6 looks like it would be nice to visit.
Yes and no. The London finish only fixes one end of the race - the other end can move about.
However... there are aprts of the UK, such as the Scottish highlands, Cornwall etc which cannot fit in the middle of the race, so can only be the 1st stage. The problem is that if the start the race is in the Highlands or in Cornwall, you would have an epically hard day and decide GC on day 1...
Sometimes I think it would be nice to occasionally Start at London, and then out.
London also (always) gets more public and media attention, which is good for the event (profile, sponsorship, etc.), if not ideal for the rest of the country.
Tour of the West of Britain? (except London, obviously!)
A break in Bath/Bristol looks tempting assuming I've got a job and some cash.
Does anyone else think that the ToB could have a far more interesting route and visit more distant places, if it didn't have to finish in bl00dy London every year?
Yep totally agree.
Excellent! They're coming back to Devon
Might have to go take a trip to Bristol for the day on the Saturday too!
wow, stage 5 goes right past my house!!!!!
Yay, and the London stage goes right past mine!
Stage 3 has that pinch point near mine, so I'll nip down the road and see it twice! Yay
A great couple of days in Bristol/Bath and I'm already on holiday