Racing

Tour of Britain 2016 route revealed

Scotland, Wales and England all feature on varied route

The route for the 2016 Tour of Britain will include stages in Scotland, Wales and England when it takes place in September.

Glasgow will host the opening stage on Sunday September 4 before the peloton works its way through North West England, across the border into the Wales and back out into South West England before the traditional finale in London on Sunday September 11.

The 2016 Tour of Britain starts in Glasgow, which hosts a stage for the first time since 2008 (pic: Sweetspot)

A summit finish on Haytor and a split individual time trial and circuit race in Bristol feature, as well as the climbing The Struggle and Cheshire’s gruelling Cat and Fiddle climb earlier in the race.

And race director Mick Bennett hopes the race, won last year by Edvald Boasson Hagen, will provide plenty of opportunities for a variety of riders.

“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,” he said.

“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.

“The route includes major cities such as Glasgow, Bristol, Bath and London, and visits each of Scotland, England and Wales, while at the same time touching many smaller communities and areas where we know the passion and support for cycling is so great.”

Glasgow, host of the Commonwealth Games in 2014, hosts a Tour of Britain stage for the first time since 2008, with the opening stage heading south out of the city and towards Galloway’s Castle Douglas in Dumfries.

Stage two could see some splits form overall, meanwhile, with Whinlatter Pass and The Struggle – the latter boasting an average gradient of 8.2 per cent on the 4.8km ascent – both on the cards as the race departs Carlisle before an uphill finish on Kendal’s Beast Banks.

A summit finish on Haytor and a split stage in Bristol await when the race heads to the South West (pic: SweetSpot)

Stage three, meanwhile, from Congleton to Tatton Park, tackles the 10km Cat and Fiddle climb which, despite a moderate average gradient of 3.2 per cent can be a tough slog on heavy roads.

Stage four moves into Wales, with Denbigh hosting a stage start for the first time before the race heads south to Powys and a stage finish at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.

Wales’ also hosts the stage start the following day, with the peloton leaving Aberdare en route to Bath via the Forest of Dean.

Stage six, meanwhile, from Sidmouth to Dartmoor, features the summit finish of Haytor where Simon Yates won in 2013.

Stage seven is another likely to prove pivotal too, with a 15km individual time trial in Bristol in the morning before a five laps of a 15.3km circuit in the city in the afternoon.

Both routes include the 600m climb of Bridge Valley Road, with an average gradient on none per cent, in the final kilometres.

And London once again hosts the final stage, which – as in 2015 – is centres on Regent Street and the Northbank.