It's obviously me having a senior moment but I can't find the route anywhere.
I am specifically after the first Sunday 3rd September, Manchester stage as my charity is supposed to be doing a ride through the same area that day.
It's being announced very piecemeal. There's bits of info on start and finish venues, no exact info on routes yet.
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/
You can make an educated guess on some of it - Manchester on Stage 1 will probably head somewhere to the west / southwest due to the move to Wrexham the next day.
Stage 7 (still showing as TBC) will be somewhere between Essex and S.Wales (as in, it won't be in (eg) Cumbria!).
I suspect some of it is still subject to sponsorship and final agreement between venues and "en route" towns.
Really showing off the best of British towns and cities there: Goole. Wrexham. Felixstowe. Sarfend on Sea. Harlow.
martinhutch - stage 4 passes through worksop, retford and tuxford before finishing in newark.
You would be hard pressed to find much to fill a
60 second film clip from that lot - I live in newark and know the area.
Start is in/at sherwood forest which, as it's a big place, is vague.
Clumber Park is pleasant - now.
Let's hope the police lock down tolney lane...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-66222104.amp
Stage 3 announcement with standard soundbites from local dignitaries/tourist board.
Let’s hope the police lock down tolney lane…
I feel bad for laughing, but it was an interesting patch to work.
@Frankconway - I think they are starting from the Major Oak/RSPB visitor centre in Edwinstowe.
I am reliably informed that stage 1 has not been finalised yet but will probably go through Ramsbottom. Does that mean they will do the rake?
I find it odd that it is not agreed and sorted months ago.
Manchester on Stage 1 will probably head somewhere to the west / southwest due to the move to Wrexham the next day.
I'd missed this. Looking at the stages, my guess is that stage 1 will be north of manchester and the teams will stay in manchester then just get a transfer over to wrexham the next day for stage 2, with the race coming back through the peak district. Stage 3 is then over in East yorks so they'll then head over to goole ready for the next dat
I find it odd that it is not agreed and sorted months ago.
Yep, this is just a month away and still no detail. Shoddy really
I find it odd that it is not agreed and sorted months ago.
There's a load of back story behind it. The race was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid. 2021 ran along the originally proposed 2020 route which required the roll-over of all the stage start/finish funding.
2022, the race ran 5 days then the final 3 days were cancelled due to the death of the Queen which left a lot of councils absolutely wrecked in terms of paying for something that was never delivered (though no real fault of anyone).
Everyone else is looking at this and weighing up the risks, the high costs of hosting (vs a rather intangible set of benefits like "tourist spend") and the disruption and more or less deciding against it.
You end up with other logistics too - let's say Edinburgh are keen to host a start but can only do Day 1. Meanwhile Cardiff are really keen to host a finish but can also only do Day 1. You can only please one of them so in effect you lose an entire potential day just because a city can only host on a specified day that doesn't fit with race logistics. There are rules around length of transfers so you can't go from Dorset to Cumbria in a day then back down to Essex for example so again if there's an area you can put a viable stage, you then need a nearby area for the stages before and after that.
Add in hotels (which are booked by the race organisation) for everyone, riders and staff and you can see how the logistics start getting difficult. Sometimes you can have confirmed start and finish towns but a neighbouring council/authority won't let the race go through their patch to get between them due to other factors (maybe an airshow or other big public event is going on so they know traffic will be bad, people will be otherwise occupied etc).
Yep, this is just a month away and still no detail. Shoddy really
Sweetspot (the race organisers) are partly involved in the Cycling World Champs in Glasgow at the moment as well so I can imagine things are quite stretched there.
lets shut the m60 and have a massive crit race round it 😀
Thanks @crazy-legs that all makes sense, I guess it's easy from a punter's perspective to wonder what's going on, but I can see it'd be a nightmare to organise
Everyone else is looking at this and weighing up the risks, the high costs of hosting (vs a rather intangible set of benefits like “tourist spend”) and the disruption and more or less deciding against it.
Thats interesting the Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire have done amazing things for the economy of Yorkshire.
The Tour of Britain does appear to be very poorly organised and executed in comparison and certainly doesnt generate the same intrest
Thanks @crazy-legs that all makes sense, I guess it’s easy from a punter’s perspective to wonder what’s going on, but I can see it’d be a nightmare to organise
A few years ago, Cycling Weekly weighed in on the debate following some criticism of the race route (it's not a Tour of BRITAIN, why doesn't it go to [insert favorite climb], it should go here/there/everywhere, blah blah) and they invited readers to submit their ideas for stages.
It went as badly as can be expected with answers like:
5 laps of the Fred Whitton route!
a summit finish on Great Dun Fell!
every climb in the 100 Greatest Climbs book!
some gravel!
and none of it was remotely practical or reasonable but then I guess the readers can't be expected to know UCI rules on stage distance/severity, transfer length etc, accommodation requirements, TV logistics, and so on.
The Tour of Britain does appear to be very poorly organised and executed in comparison and certainly doesnt generate the same intrest
That's unfair, Tour of Britain and Women's Tour are both very highly thought of but at the moment the situation in the UK with councils having zero money, sponsors being unwilling to commit in the current financial climate, cost-of-living, inflation etc makes it incredibly hard to organise this - it requires absolute buy in and significant financial commitment from councils to work.
Thats interesting the Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire have done amazing things for the economy of Yorkshire.
If you ignore the downfall of Welcome to Yorkshire amid financial scandals and bullying, yes...
Admittedly it had it's highlights but the whole thing is marred by the aftermath.
Crazy-Legs - It sounds like you have a little more insight to organisation of bike races than I do as a general punter, so my views are about general public perception, not necessarily those in the business who know the details.
Before the Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire people knew very little about cycling in Yorkshire. People even now talk about it. You dont even hear the Tour of Britain mentioned unfortunately. Its not a criticism of those working hard to try and make the ToB happen, its just a statement on how the general public see it.
The drip drip of information continues...
https://twitter.com/TourofBritain/status/1682284522891788290?t=zI-v94gReiQTd_sVqZNrXg&s=19
Looks like they'll run the stage planned for last time that was cancelled then the queen died, maybe?
Cheers also to @crazy-legs
Very inciteful.
Hopefully our tandem ride will go ahead OK. The last big one we planned got cooked by Bury half marathon which managed to completely cut off the club from the western world!
Many years ago they went up Rosedale Chimney - many carrying or pushing. Take it the UCI rules have knocked some sense in now.
Interested to see where the Wrexham to Wrexham stage goes. In fact I could be tempted to take the day off work if only they would share the route.
Theres potential for some stunning scenery in that days racing if they choose the right route.
Do they know which riders are turning up yet, or is that still to be confirmed too ?
Due to costs the Wrexham to Wrexham stage is just a 400m sprint, not good if you're at the back of the peloton.
lets shut the m60 and have a massive crit race round it 😀
There’d still be a traffic jam at Stockport.
Well we know where Stage 1 STARTS now at least
https://twitter.com/TourofBritain/status/1684533844148457472
The actual route is still a mystery though.
Maybe all bike races should be like this? Turn up at THIS location at THIS time ready to race. You don’t know if it’s a TT, a mountain stage or a sprint stage. Just be ready to ride.
Maybe all bike races should be like this? Turn up at THIS location at THIS time ready to race. You don’t know if it’s a TT, a mountain stage or a sprint stage. Just be ready to ride.
I'd be a big fan of that but for the minor issue that it makes the race inaccessible to the public who want to spectate or for councils etc to warn of road closures.
But yes, I absolutely agree on the idea - turn up and you've got no idea how long the stage is, how hilly etc. No radios either!
😂
It would appear that the organisers have no idea where it is, either - according to the map on their website, Southend-on-sea is nowhere near the sea.
I'm surprised they can find roads smooth enough to race on in this country!
Route's been announced, looks like the same route as the last time they visited GM?
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/stage-one/a href="https://singletrackmag.com/user/madbillmcmad/" style="" title="MadBillMcMad">@MadBillMcMad - full route for Stage 1
Coming up the A6 through High Lane, I can hear the SK12 Facebook group screaming about the traffic build up already 🙂
Hoping the Wrexham stage is going to tackle some well known climbs in North Wales, given it's so close to the likes of Horseshoe Pass; The Shelf; Penbarras; Road To Hell; Hirnant Pass etc.
Very exciting.
The council actually resurfaced some of Wybersely road through to Ridge Road last time the race came through. It's been a joy to ride ever since.
except for the increasing amounts of traffic that now use it as a "short cut" to avoid the queues on the A6 of course. We'll aim to bag the same viewing spot as last time, though it's tempting to get the train into That Manchester to see the finale. Will Mathieu van der Poel take a sprint win again, like last time?
https://www.cyclingstage.com/tour-of-britain-2019/stage-8-results-gb-2019/
Thx for the update @crazy-legs.
Noted. You know who your mates are, don't you!
We’ll aim to bag the same viewing spot as last time, though it’s tempting to get the train into That Manchester to see the finale.
Probs time to do both, no?
Probs time to do both, no?
Probably yes, last time our pal staying chez NBT watched in the midde of Marple then went into Town. I'm just not a big fan of Going Into Town.
I am reliably informed that stage 1 has not been finalised yet but will probably go through Ramsbottom. Does that mean they will do the rake?
They will indeed be doing the Rake. I'm just designing some promo stuff for Bury council. It was great last time it came through in 2019. One of the Ineos chaps decided to go for a solo breakaway as they hit the bottom of Carr Street. The lunatic! This was coming past our house before you hit the bottom of the Rake. It'll be everyone round to ours again this year 😀
For @MadBillMcMad - The Bury Times just published this great shot of the solo breakaway up the Rake in 2019. For those that don't know it, its an absolutely brutal 25% gradient at this point. Definitely worth being on there for that in September
And in the usual self-promoting way, the posters I've just done that'll be going up in the locale, featuring the descent from Holcombe down Lumb Carr Lane, which would be another good place to watch. They'll be quick down there!
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Stage 2 Wrexham to Wrexham route is available now, sort of, doesn’t list start time or direction, link in here . Seems disappointingly flat, so potentially a sprint finish.
And in the usual self-promoting way, the posters I’ve just done that’ll be going up in the locale, featuring the descent from Holcombe down Lumb Carr Lane, which would be another good place to watch. They’ll be quick down there!
Can't remember exactly what race it was but I remember driving down a very similar road in/around that area and nearly getting air off the undulations in the road. We'd had to push quite a long way forward at the front of the race to create space for the riders who could go far faster than we could down there.
Very disappointing stage 2 Wrexham route. 🙁
Very disappointing stage 2 Wrexham route
Do the planners think AONB means 'Area of No Biking'? The stages seem to go to great length to swerve anything marked dark green on the map, and as a former south Essex denizen, I can confirm that the route is almost entirely dull as shit. I'm not seeing a great deal of interest in the Newark/Suffolk/Hull stages either.
Im amazed at the Wrexham route, there was potential there for a day in the hills, some great roads, climbs etc.
Seeing how successful the WC road race was yesterday and how exciting the shorter TDF stages have been, how about making the TOB stages about 100km long with a town centre crit style finish?
how about making the TOB stages about 100km long with a town centre crit style finish?
The Tour of California worked that way for several years. A to B ride for 100 - 150km then anything from 3-8 laps of a town centre circuit to finish.
You need to watch the circuit layout carefully - if there are significant gaps in the peloton coming into it, it makes the circuit very difficult to control as the back of the peloton can arrive at the circuit entrance as the front of the peloton is about to go past it again. It's even more difficult when you're trying to work out how many team cars can fit into the circuit and issues about the back of the convoy being caught by the front of the race!
Not dissimilar to the confusion that can arise in the Roubaix velodrome as riders coming in to start their 1.5 lap are potentially arriving into groups on their last 0.5 lap.
Stage 7 Chucksbury to Glos... any tips on where to watch?
I'm not a roadie but it is a Saturday and I live pretty much in the centre of the stage. From watching TdF on the box, seems like climbs are good vfm.
Cowbells, cheering, beer preferred. Chateaux optional.
Either the climb out of Dursley (which should be a busy spot given it's a Saturday), or the uncategorised climb at Pitchcombe.
Sprints are over in seconds, so a decent climb is value for money.
Or the Sudeley climb out of Whinchcombe if you want something further north. You could probably do one of the above too by taking the direct route south
@martinhutch A trick was missed with omitting the Bawdsey Ferry, John would have enjoyed that challenge and a good bit of shouting at people to wait while he lifts the bikes on! There's plenty of town centres to watch them hurtle by in though and up Needham High Street is a change usually it's the other way round so another bunch of KOM times will be out of reach for the local fast boys!
Very disappointing stage 2 Wrexham route.
looking at that really glad I didn’t book the day off work to ride out and watch. What an incredibly dull stage.
Then they wonder why the Tour of Britain isn’t that popular with the general public
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/2021-champion-wout-van-aert-set-for-tour-of-britain-return/
Wout alert!
I think the Wrexham route was their back-up plan. Originally, it went into Wales - Llangollen and over Horseshoe pass, which would be much better. Then it got changed a few weeks ago .
I think the Wrexham route was their back-up plan. Originally, it went into Wales – Llangollen and over Horseshoe pass, which would be much better. Then it got changed a few weeks ago .
There was a similar issue a couple of years ago with the Women's Tour - can't remember exactly what but the planned stage got changed to a crit race at Cyclopark in Gravesend. Followed by a delightful drive around the M25 at rush hour once the stage finished to get to South Wales for the final stage the next day.
Team lists are begining to emerge, still some gaps though
It's looking very good; Bora and Jumbo-Visma are strong.
Team lists are begining to emerge, still some gaps though
I see Tom Pidcock is leading Ineos - presumably they're counting on his CX and MTBing skills to get around the UK [s]potholes[/s] roads... 😉
Looks like the Rake is getting resurfaced in anticipation of Sunday. A good job as its presently like the surface of the moon
Josh Tarling as well to drag Pidcock along the flat bits.
It's coming up Caerphilly mountain, so looking forward to that. 10 years ago !!
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/0jXLhtL7/1273844-10200790141782166-1990176350-o.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/0jXLhtL7/1273844-10200790141782166-1990176350-o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://postimages.org/ ]image hosting facebook[/url]
Full Ineos team confirmed
https://twitter.com/INEOSGrenadiers/status/1697172703839461398?t=NO4lcARJ0RVtvHLtRbd5KQ&s=19
I've picked a Tour of Britain 'velogames' team, it contains quite a few Ineos riders.
Jumbo and Bora both have strong teams with big names.
Stage one just started live on ITV4, just had first crash of one rider.
Just seen it's going up 'The Rake' at Ramsbottom in a little while, keep an eye out for Binners 😉
Be interesting to see how the Pros skip up it!
(BTW it's on ITV4)
I've watched the hill climb champs on the rake.
The fastest guys are on singlespeed. Crackers
Stage one just started live on ITV4, just had first crash of one rider.
Did you see me standing on the corner where they turned left off Carr Brow?
It all looked a bit pedestrian TBH, more like a club social ride out.
You don't really get how steep The Rake is on TV.
Saw my parents outside their house!
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What the F is going on with images now?!
Looks great on TV. Made up with the glorious weather forecast for this week.
OMG slight thread diversion but F-M, these ITV4 adverts are either dying dogs or deaf cataracts with the odd gammon cruise ship holiday advert thrown in for a bit of happiness. I can't wait for the peloton to get to Manchester so I can get back to a streaming channel.
"RNLI Wills" too. It does make you wonder what they think the demographic of ToB viewers is.
Very exciting sprint finish.
This morning found a group of us STWers watching the race pass through Marple Ridge. Then we went into 'that Manchester' and got a good spot to view the sprint finish, 10 metres from the line. Toddled round to the buses and got right up to some of the riders passing to get back to their turbo trainers.
You don’t really get how steep The Rake is on TV.
Saw my parents outside their house!
Nice to see it on such a nice day. 👍
I am sure I saw binners watching at the steep corner,or maybe it was Vin Diesel.
😉 😃
This morning found a group of us STWers watching the race pass through Marple Ridge.
Ooh I was up there.
Ooh I was up there
We got on TV and everything!
I was on the orange e-cargo bike if you saw that parked up on the hill...?
Went into Manchester for the finish, stopped off at the Rapha cafe for a bit to watch some of it on TV then headed to Deansgate for the finish.
