The start and finish locations for the 2022 Tour of Britain were revealed today by organisers Sweetspot. As it did in 2021, the race will take in almost the entire length of Great Britain. A British version of the Race to the Sun, perhaps, the 2022 edition starts in Aberdeen the Scottish coastal city that hosted the 2021 race’s nail-biting finale. It finishes eight days later overlooking The Needles on the Isle of Wight.
It promises to be another tough edition. There is no team time trial – or any time trial for that matter – this year, meaning hilltop finishes, crosswinds, time bonuses and aggressive racing are likely to be the influential factors deciding the race’s overall winner. Any winner will certainly need good climbing legs. Every stage bar one (Stage 5) will have over 2000 metres of climbing and the race is bookended with hilltop finishes at Glenshee Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire and The Needles on the Isle of Wight.
Stage overview
Stage
Date
Start – finish locations
1
Sun 4 Sep
Aberdeen – Glenshee Ski Centre
2
Mon 5 Sep
Hawick – Duns
3
Tue 6 Sep
Durham – Sunderland
4
Wed 7 Sep
Redcar – Duncombe Park, Helmsley
5
Thu 8 Sep
West Bridgford – Mansfield
6
Fri 9 Sep
Tewkesbury – Gloucester
7
Sat 10 Sep
West Bay – Ferndown
8
Sun 11 Sep
Ryde – The Needles
Stage 1 | Sunday 4 September | Aberdeen – Glenshee Ski Centre
The Old Military Road climb from Auchallater to Glenshee measures 9.1 kilometres long, with the final five kilometres averaging a gradient of 4.8%. It is not a savage climb but it will be enough to ensure a good GC shake-out on the first day. As the old saying goes, no one will win the Tour of Britain here, but they could lose it.
Stage 2 | Monday 5 September | Hawick – Duns
The Scottish Borders will host a full stage for the second time in three editions on day two of this year’s race. Hawick, famous for its knitwear and the first whisky distillery to open in the region since 1837, will be the starting point of stage two. The race’s eighth visit to the Borders will feature a mix of roads old and new to the event, before a first-ever finish in Duns.
The stage winner will be crowned in the shadow of the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum on Newton Street which celebrates the two-time Formula 1 world champion who lived nearby.
Stage 3 | Tuesday 6 September | Durham – Sunderland
This year’s race ventures onto English soil for the first time on stage three, which takes place between Durham and Sunderland. History will be made when riders roll out in the shadow of the city’s famous cathedral: Durham has never previously hosted a stage start or finish in a professional edition of the Tour of Britain, despite hosting a much-cherished Tour Series round for several years (won by a junior by the name of Tim Pidcock back in 2017).
Stage three’s route will initially head west, taking the peloton through the North Pennines AONB, before heading back through County Durham and into Sunderland. The route will weave past some of the city’s beautiful green spaces and through communities on its approach to the finish line outside of Sunderland’s new City Hall, which forms part of a £500m development in the city.
2017 Tour Series Round 9, Durham – Ph-MAS Paul Milnes/Oldfield ERT’s Tom Pidcock celebrates the win. Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Stage 4 | Wednesday 7 September | Redcar – Duncombe Park, Helmsley
Stage four will likely be another day that will shape the general classification. The start will be the first time the borough of Redcar and Cleveland has hosted the Tour of Britain, while the finish marks the race’s return to North Yorkshire in 13 years. Popular seaside towns such as Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Whitby will be raced through before the route heads into the North York Moors National Park.
The unforgiving final 30 kilometres of this 150-kilometre stage feature the climbs of Carlton Bank (2km long, 9.8% average gradient) and Newgate Bank (2km long, 6% average gradient) before descending into the finish at Duncombe Park, one of Yorkshire’s finest historic houses and estates.
Stage 5 | Thursday 8 September | West Bridgford – Mansfield
The Tour’s first Nottinghamshire stage since 2018 will start and finish in the same places – West Bridgford and Mansfield – as it did four years ago, albeit with a different route that takes in Cotgrave, Gedling, Southwell, Retford and Worksop before heading into Mansfield via Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest.
The finish will again be outside Mansfield’s Civic Centre, however it will be approached from the opposite direction to which Team Sky rider Ian Stannard approached it en route to a memorable solo victory. This will be the only stage of the 2022 Tour with less than 2,000 metres of climbing.
2018 OVO Energy Tour of Britain – Stage 7: West Bridgford to Mansfield – Ian Stannard of Team Sky celebrates the stage win. Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Stage 6 | Friday 9 September | Tewkesbury – Gloucester
Gloucestershire’s first-ever full stage of the Tour of Britain will take place between the medieval market town of Tewkesbury and the cathedral city of Gloucester. With the start and finish locations separated by a little over 10 miles, fans will easily be able to attend both on race day, which will further add to the atmosphere at this free-to-watch sporting spectacle.
Stage six’s route will head into the Cotswolds before approaching the finish by the historic Gloucester Docks via South Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire County Council’s commitment to supporting tourism and active travel will see the Women’s Tour, the UK’s most prestigious women’s cycle race, also visit the county in 2022 for a Tewkesbury to Gloucester stage (Wednesday 8 June), albeit using a different route.
Stage 7 | Saturday 10 September | West Bay – Ferndown
Dorset’s natural beauty – including the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs through the county – will be showcased to the world on the penultimate day of this year’s race. Stage seven will take the riders from West Bay, known for its striking golden cliffs, to Ferndown via one of the most stunning routes in Tour history.
It will run parallel with the West Dorset Heritage coast before passing through Dorchester, West Lulworth and Corfe Castle. The route heads inland towards Wareham, Milton Abbas and Wimborne Minster and loops round into the heart of Ferndown town centre.
Stage 8 | Sunday 11 September | Ryde – The Needles
The Tour will become the biggest-ever sporting event to take place on Isle of Wight soil when the race finishes there on Sunday 11 September. Stage eight promises unforgettable for riders and fans alike, owing to the spectacular 150-kilometre route from Ryde to The Needles. Not only will the route showcase the island a worldwide TV audience – its county town of Newport, as well as the popular tourist locations of Cowes, Sandown, Shanklin, Totland, Ventnor and Yarmouth all feature – fans will be able to catch the race in multiple locations owing to the way it loops around the Isle.
The final 20 kilometres will take the peloton along the stunning Military Road, which offers stunning panoramic views out across the English Channel, towards The Needles Landmark Attraction. This year’s race culminates with a two-kilometre climb up to Tennyson Down, the final 400 metres of which average a gradient of 9.6%, making it the toughest ending to any Tour of Britain in modern history.
Featured photo: SWpix.com. 2021 AJ Bell Tour of Britain Stage 4 – Aberaeron to Great Orme. Jumbo Visma’s Wout Van Aert sprints to victory on stage 4 as he holds off Deceuninck Quick-Step’s Juliane Alaphilippe.
The start and finish locations for the 2022 Tour of Britain were revealed today by organisers Sweetspot. As it did in 2021, the race will take in almost the entire length of Great Britain. A British version of the Race to the Sun, perhaps, the 2022 edition starts in Aberdeen the Scottish coastal city that hosted the 2021 race’s nail-biting finale. It finishes eight days later overlooking The Needles on the Isle of Wight.
It promises to be another tough edition. There is no team time trial – or any time trial for that matter – this year, meaning hilltop finishes, crosswinds, time bonuses and aggressive racing are likely to be the influential factors deciding the race’s overall winner. Any winner will certainly need good climbing legs. Every stage bar one (Stage 5) will have over 2000 metres of climbing and the race is bookended with hilltop finishes at Glenshee Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire and The Needles on the Isle of Wight.
Stage overview
Stage 1 | Sunday 4 September | Aberdeen – Glenshee Ski Centre
Aberdeen will become the third Scottish city to host the start of the race when the Tour of Britain’s most northerly Grand Départ to date takes place there on Sunday 4 September. Not only will this stage feature an entirely new route compared to last year’s finale in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, it will also include the first-ever opening day summit finish in modern race history.
The Old Military Road climb from Auchallater to Glenshee measures 9.1 kilometres long, with the final five kilometres averaging a gradient of 4.8%. It is not a savage climb but it will be enough to ensure a good GC shake-out on the first day. As the old saying goes, no one will win the Tour of Britain here, but they could lose it.
Stage 2 | Monday 5 September | Hawick – Duns
The Scottish Borders will host a full stage for the second time in three editions on day two of this year’s race. Hawick, famous for its knitwear and the first whisky distillery to open in the region since 1837, will be the starting point of stage two. The race’s eighth visit to the Borders will feature a mix of roads old and new to the event, before a first-ever finish in Duns.
The stage winner will be crowned in the shadow of the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum on Newton Street which celebrates the two-time Formula 1 world champion who lived nearby.
Stage 3 | Tuesday 6 September | Durham – Sunderland
This year’s race ventures onto English soil for the first time on stage three, which takes place between Durham and Sunderland. History will be made when riders roll out in the shadow of the city’s famous cathedral: Durham has never previously hosted a stage start or finish in a professional edition of the Tour of Britain, despite hosting a much-cherished Tour Series round for several years (won by a junior by the name of Tim Pidcock back in 2017).
Stage three’s route will initially head west, taking the peloton through the North Pennines AONB, before heading back through County Durham and into Sunderland. The route will weave past some of the city’s beautiful green spaces and through communities on its approach to the finish line outside of Sunderland’s new City Hall, which forms part of a £500m development in the city.
Stage 4 | Wednesday 7 September | Redcar – Duncombe Park, Helmsley
Stage four will likely be another day that will shape the general classification. The start will be the first time the borough of Redcar and Cleveland has hosted the Tour of Britain, while the finish marks the race’s return to North Yorkshire in 13 years. Popular seaside towns such as Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Whitby will be raced through before the route heads into the North York Moors National Park.
The unforgiving final 30 kilometres of this 150-kilometre stage feature the climbs of Carlton Bank (2km long, 9.8% average gradient) and Newgate Bank (2km long, 6% average gradient) before descending into the finish at Duncombe Park, one of Yorkshire’s finest historic houses and estates.
Stage 5 | Thursday 8 September | West Bridgford – Mansfield
The Tour’s first Nottinghamshire stage since 2018 will start and finish in the same places – West Bridgford and Mansfield – as it did four years ago, albeit with a different route that takes in Cotgrave, Gedling, Southwell, Retford and Worksop before heading into Mansfield via Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest.
The finish will again be outside Mansfield’s Civic Centre, however it will be approached from the opposite direction to which Team Sky rider Ian Stannard approached it en route to a memorable solo victory. This will be the only stage of the 2022 Tour with less than 2,000 metres of climbing.
Stage 6 | Friday 9 September | Tewkesbury – Gloucester
Gloucestershire’s first-ever full stage of the Tour of Britain will take place between the medieval market town of Tewkesbury and the cathedral city of Gloucester. With the start and finish locations separated by a little over 10 miles, fans will easily be able to attend both on race day, which will further add to the atmosphere at this free-to-watch sporting spectacle.
Stage six’s route will head into the Cotswolds before approaching the finish by the historic Gloucester Docks via South Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire County Council’s commitment to supporting tourism and active travel will see the Women’s Tour, the UK’s most prestigious women’s cycle race, also visit the county in 2022 for a Tewkesbury to Gloucester stage (Wednesday 8 June), albeit using a different route.
Stage 7 | Saturday 10 September | West Bay – Ferndown
Dorset’s natural beauty – including the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs through the county – will be showcased to the world on the penultimate day of this year’s race. Stage seven will take the riders from West Bay, known for its striking golden cliffs, to Ferndown via one of the most stunning routes in Tour history.
It will run parallel with the West Dorset Heritage coast before passing through Dorchester, West Lulworth and Corfe Castle. The route heads inland towards Wareham, Milton Abbas and Wimborne Minster and loops round into the heart of Ferndown town centre.
Stage 8 | Sunday 11 September | Ryde – The Needles
The Tour will become the biggest-ever sporting event to take place on Isle of Wight soil when the race finishes there on Sunday 11 September. Stage eight promises unforgettable for riders and fans alike, owing to the spectacular 150-kilometre route from Ryde to The Needles. Not only will the route showcase the island a worldwide TV audience – its county town of Newport, as well as the popular tourist locations of Cowes, Sandown, Shanklin, Totland, Ventnor and Yarmouth all feature – fans will be able to catch the race in multiple locations owing to the way it loops around the Isle.
The final 20 kilometres will take the peloton along the stunning Military Road, which offers stunning panoramic views out across the English Channel, towards The Needles Landmark Attraction. This year’s race culminates with a two-kilometre climb up to Tennyson Down, the final 400 metres of which average a gradient of 9.6%, making it the toughest ending to any Tour of Britain in modern history.
Featured photo: SWpix.com. 2021 AJ Bell Tour of Britain Stage 4 – Aberaeron to Great Orme. Jumbo Visma’s Wout Van Aert sprints to victory on stage 4 as he holds off Deceuninck Quick-Step’s Juliane Alaphilippe.
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