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Tour of Britain – TT for Brum stage
The Tour of Britain have revealed the details for the 5th stage of this year’s race, taking place on Saturday 3rd of September. We caught up with Tony Doyle (the event manager) at Herne Hill on Friday and he said he was thrilled by the idea of a city centre TT as it will shape the race and add thrills and spills for the TV and spectators.
The 4km Time Trial will be the first in The Tour of Britain and will be a spectacular event that will take place in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre. Spectators will ge a little more time to take in the riders and racing with 96 riders taking to the start ramp it will offer a good few hours of excellent entertainment and it will be tight affair. Amongst the riders will be Quickstep-Davitamon’s Michael Rogers, the Australian rider is currently the reigning Time Trial World Champion and has dominated the discipline for the last two years. He said:
“I am really excited about riding for the first time in the Tour of Britain and especially looking forward to this year’s time trail stage. I really believe that with support of Quickstep, we have great chance of going one further than last year and winning the Tour.
With the inclusion of a ‘Time Trial’ stage this year it increases my chances of winning and I am looking forward to using this stage to help boost my chances of defending my Time Trail World Title in Spain later in September.”
Councillor John Alden, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture said:
“We are delighted that the Tour of Britain has selected Birmingham for the fifth stage of the tour. This city is an international city of sport and cycling is a welcome addition to the prestigious list of sports which have been showcased in Birmingham. I hope that local people will welcome the tour by lining the route to support the competitors taking part.”
Revised ToB stages:
Stage 1 – Glasgow to Castle Douglas
Stage 2 – Carlisle to Blackpool
Stage 3 – Leeds to Sheffield
Stage 4 – Buxton to Nottingham
Stage 5 – Birmingham (Time Trial)
Stage 6 – Westminster, London (Criterium)
