The Tour of Britain returns this Sunday (3 September). The premier men’s race in the UK begins its eight-stage journey in Greater Manchester before zig-zagging across England and Wales, culminating in a mouthwatering finale in Caerphilly. The race also makes a return to Yorkshire and features a maiden appearance in Gloucestershire.
Sprinter-friendly stages dominate much of the early stages, with hillier parcours (mostly) saved for the back-end of the race. This will likely mean that the general classification battle remains tight throughout, assuming the peloton decides to keep breakaways on a tight leash. Nonetheless, climbing legs will be tested to the extreme with a brutal final stage in South Wales which features four category one climbs on the way to a finish at Caerphilly Castle.
Stage overview
Stage
Date
Start – finish locations
1
Sun 3 Sep
Altrincham – Manchester
2
Mon 4 Sep
Wrexham – Wrexham
3
Tue 5 Sep
Goole – Beverley
4
Wed 6 Sep
Sherwood Forest – Newark-on-Trent
5
Thu 7 Sep
Felixstowe – Felixstowe
6
Fri 8 Sep
Southend-on-Sea – Harlow
7
Sat 9 Sep
Tewkesbury – Gloucester
8
Sun 10 Sep
Margam Country Park – Caerphilly
Stage 1 | Sunday 3 September | Altrincham – Manchester
The start of the race returns to Greater Manchester, 19 years after the North West played host to the departure of the very first edition of the Tour of Britain.
Starting in Altrincham, the race loops round the outer edge of Greater Manchester before cutting in towards the centre through Salford and into what should be a high-speed finish in Deansgate – scene to a round of the Tour Series last year, and where Mathieu van der Poel vanquished the competition to win a near-identical stage in 2019.
While the finish might be a sprint, there’s a few stings in the middle. The Ramsbottom Rake – a Cat 1 climb – will be familiar to hill climbers, having hosted the British Championships three times. With a 10.4% average gradient, and ramps at almost 20%, the Rake could be an early test of resolve for some in the peloton.
Stage 2 | Monday 4 September | Wrexham – Wrexham
Crossing the border into Wales for the first of two stages in the country this year, as part of a deal to bring the Tour of Britain and the Women’s Tour to Wales until 2026, the stage is one long circuit.
A day for the sprinters, Elia Viviani pipped Andre Greipel and Mark Cavendish to victory the last time Wrexham hosted a stage finish. This time around there are a few lumpy climbs towards the end as the course runs back towards America’s favourite Welsh city thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Clocking in at just 109.9km, this stage is the race’s shortest since the finale of the 2006 edition.
Stage 3 | Tuesday 5 September | Goole – Beverley
A jaunt across country and a return to Yorkshire for the second edition in a row also promises to be another day which will have the sprinters licking their lips.
Starting out in Goole on the Humber, the route takes the peloton North East through the Yorkshire Wolds and out into the traditional British seaside town of Bridlington.
With the two Cat 3 climbs dealt with by the time the route hits the coast, a flat ride down the coast, taking in Skipsea and Hornsea, could be buffeted by crosswinds coming off the North Sea splitting up the race.
Turning back in land, the race will culminate a fast finish into Beverley.
The third longest stage of the 2023 edition features just 1200m of climbing as the route takes in some of the National Trust’s most scenic sites as the route wiggles its way round Nottinghamshire for a second finish in Newark-on-Trent.
A poignant moment of the stage will come when the peloton passes the memorial to 1965 World Road Race Champion Tom Simpson in Harworth.
Fernando Gaviria triumphed the last time the race took in Newark, expect another sprinter to take the pickings six years on from the Colombian’s triumph.
Stage 5 | Thursday 7 September | Felixstowe – Felixstowe
Heading to one of England’s flattest counties means Stage 5 is another one where the climbers will be left waiting for another day. Starting and ending in Felixstowe, this 192.4km brute takes in picture-postcard villages around Suffolk along with what will hopefully be a crowd-lined run through Ipswich on the way out from Felixstowe.
The final 6km should be familiar to most, being a direct copy of the finale of the 2021 Women’s Tour – Elisa Balsamo prevailing on that occasion.
Stage 6 | Friday 8 September | Southend-on-Sea – Harlow
A touch lumpier than the stage before, Stage 6 heads a touch further south and into Essex for what is expected to be a very spectator-friendly route which goes inland from the mouth of the Thames towards Harlow. Zig-zagging back and forth means spectators should be able to watch the race quite a few times if they can plan properly.
The one Cat 3 climb comes just outside of Chelmsford but won’t be much of a challenge to riders already well bedded-in to the race after five stages previously.
Familiarity is the name of the game with this finish, like the day previous in Felixstowe, as Lorena Wiebes prevailed in the same finale when Harlow hosted Stage 2 of last year’s Women’s Tour.
Stage 7 | Saturday 9 September | Tewkesbury – Gloucester
After days of stages with the odd lump of a climb, the Tour of Britain’s first full appearance in Gloucestershire will be a rude awakening with a pair of Cat 2 climbs and a punishing ascent of the aptly named uncategorised climb of Painswick will shatter the race and could be the stage for a thrilling climax.
Winchcombe Hill – 7.2% average gradient – starts the day off but it’s Crawley Hill with its 6.4% gradient in the final 30km of the stage that could be decisive, especially when you couple it with Painswick just over 10km later.
Stage 8 | Sunday 10 September | Margam Country Park – Caerphilly
Not one but two ascents of the Caerphilly Mountain climb – returning for the first time in 10 years – means the finale of this year’s race won’t be a casual cruise to the finish, it’ll be a ferocious battle right to the end.
Averaging 10.1% over its 1.3km length, the two ascents of the mountain are two of four Cat 1 climbs on the final day with Rhigos and Bryn Du adding to the lung-busting efforts needed to reach Caerphilly.
10,000 spectators lined the roads at the end of the stage back in 2013, and if similar numbers descent on South Wales for the 19th edition, they should be in for quite a treat.
Featured image: SWpix.com – 12/09/2021 – Cycling – AJ Bell Tour of Britain Stage 8 – Stonehaven to Aberdeen, Scotland – Jumbo Visma’s Wout van Aert takes victory at the Tour of Britain after winning stage 8
The Tour of Britain returns this Sunday (3 September). The premier men’s race in the UK begins its eight-stage journey in Greater Manchester before zig-zagging across England and Wales, culminating in a mouthwatering finale in Caerphilly. The race also makes a return to Yorkshire and features a maiden appearance in Gloucestershire.
Sprinter-friendly stages dominate much of the early stages, with hillier parcours (mostly) saved for the back-end of the race. This will likely mean that the general classification battle remains tight throughout, assuming the peloton decides to keep breakaways on a tight leash. Nonetheless, climbing legs will be tested to the extreme with a brutal final stage in South Wales which features four category one climbs on the way to a finish at Caerphilly Castle.
Stage overview
Stage 1 | Sunday 3 September | Altrincham – Manchester
The start of the race returns to Greater Manchester, 19 years after the North West played host to the departure of the very first edition of the Tour of Britain.
Starting in Altrincham, the race loops round the outer edge of Greater Manchester before cutting in towards the centre through Salford and into what should be a high-speed finish in Deansgate – scene to a round of the Tour Series last year, and where Mathieu van der Poel vanquished the competition to win a near-identical stage in 2019.
While the finish might be a sprint, there’s a few stings in the middle. The Ramsbottom Rake – a Cat 1 climb – will be familiar to hill climbers, having hosted the British Championships three times. With a 10.4% average gradient, and ramps at almost 20%, the Rake could be an early test of resolve for some in the peloton.
Stage 2 | Monday 4 September | Wrexham – Wrexham
Crossing the border into Wales for the first of two stages in the country this year, as part of a deal to bring the Tour of Britain and the Women’s Tour to Wales until 2026, the stage is one long circuit.
A day for the sprinters, Elia Viviani pipped Andre Greipel and Mark Cavendish to victory the last time Wrexham hosted a stage finish. This time around there are a few lumpy climbs towards the end as the course runs back towards America’s favourite Welsh city thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Clocking in at just 109.9km, this stage is the race’s shortest since the finale of the 2006 edition.
Stage 3 | Tuesday 5 September | Goole – Beverley
A jaunt across country and a return to Yorkshire for the second edition in a row also promises to be another day which will have the sprinters licking their lips.
Starting out in Goole on the Humber, the route takes the peloton North East through the Yorkshire Wolds and out into the traditional British seaside town of Bridlington.
With the two Cat 3 climbs dealt with by the time the route hits the coast, a flat ride down the coast, taking in Skipsea and Hornsea, could be buffeted by crosswinds coming off the North Sea splitting up the race.
Turning back in land, the race will culminate a fast finish into Beverley.
Stage 4 | Wednesday 6 September | Sherwood Forest – Newark-on-Trent
The third longest stage of the 2023 edition features just 1200m of climbing as the route takes in some of the National Trust’s most scenic sites as the route wiggles its way round Nottinghamshire for a second finish in Newark-on-Trent.
A poignant moment of the stage will come when the peloton passes the memorial to 1965 World Road Race Champion Tom Simpson in Harworth.
Fernando Gaviria triumphed the last time the race took in Newark, expect another sprinter to take the pickings six years on from the Colombian’s triumph.
Stage 5 | Thursday 7 September | Felixstowe – Felixstowe
Heading to one of England’s flattest counties means Stage 5 is another one where the climbers will be left waiting for another day. Starting and ending in Felixstowe, this 192.4km brute takes in picture-postcard villages around Suffolk along with what will hopefully be a crowd-lined run through Ipswich on the way out from Felixstowe.
The final 6km should be familiar to most, being a direct copy of the finale of the 2021 Women’s Tour – Elisa Balsamo prevailing on that occasion.
Stage 6 | Friday 8 September | Southend-on-Sea – Harlow
A touch lumpier than the stage before, Stage 6 heads a touch further south and into Essex for what is expected to be a very spectator-friendly route which goes inland from the mouth of the Thames towards Harlow. Zig-zagging back and forth means spectators should be able to watch the race quite a few times if they can plan properly.
The one Cat 3 climb comes just outside of Chelmsford but won’t be much of a challenge to riders already well bedded-in to the race after five stages previously.
Familiarity is the name of the game with this finish, like the day previous in Felixstowe, as Lorena Wiebes prevailed in the same finale when Harlow hosted Stage 2 of last year’s Women’s Tour.
Stage 7 | Saturday 9 September | Tewkesbury – Gloucester
After days of stages with the odd lump of a climb, the Tour of Britain’s first full appearance in Gloucestershire will be a rude awakening with a pair of Cat 2 climbs and a punishing ascent of the aptly named uncategorised climb of Painswick will shatter the race and could be the stage for a thrilling climax.
Winchcombe Hill – 7.2% average gradient – starts the day off but it’s Crawley Hill with its 6.4% gradient in the final 30km of the stage that could be decisive, especially when you couple it with Painswick just over 10km later.
Stage 8 | Sunday 10 September | Margam Country Park – Caerphilly
Not one but two ascents of the Caerphilly Mountain climb – returning for the first time in 10 years – means the finale of this year’s race won’t be a casual cruise to the finish, it’ll be a ferocious battle right to the end.
Averaging 10.1% over its 1.3km length, the two ascents of the mountain are two of four Cat 1 climbs on the final day with Rhigos and Bryn Du adding to the lung-busting efforts needed to reach Caerphilly.
10,000 spectators lined the roads at the end of the stage back in 2013, and if similar numbers descent on South Wales for the 19th edition, they should be in for quite a treat.
Featured image: SWpix.com – 12/09/2021 – Cycling – AJ Bell Tour of Britain Stage 8 – Stonehaven to Aberdeen, Scotland – Jumbo Visma’s Wout van Aert takes victory at the Tour of Britain after winning stage 8
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