Tour of Britain Race Guide
Friday 13 September 2013 14:25, UK
Everything you need to know about the Tour of Britain, including stage previews and the best places to watch.
Preview of the 10th edition
Team Sky are looking forward to racing on home soil during the 10th edition of the Tour of Britain and Sir Bradley Wiggins will lead a strong six-man team who are aiming to impress in front of a vociferous home crowd. The Tour of Britain has grown in stature every year since returning to the cycling calendar in 2004 - routinely attracting some of the biggest names in the sport - and this time around 114 riders from 19 teams take to the start line for the eight-day event comprising stages in Scotland, England and Wales. The race is a very attractive prospect for a number of riders looking to put the finishing touches to their preparations for the World Championships, and Wiggins will be joined by Josh Edmondson, Bernhard Eisel, Mathew Hayman, David Lopez and Ian Stannard as he aims to stamp his authority over a tough and varied parcours. Stage 1: Sunday, September 15 – Peebles to Drumlanrig Castle, 208.6km
The race starts in the Scottish Borders and takes the riders on an undulating route ending in Dumfries and Galloway. The day includes three climbs, the first of which, the category-three Black Castle Hill, comes just 38.5km into the race and is sure to sting the legs over its 3.7km distance.
An intermediate sprint is then followed by the category-two ascent of Lime Kiln Edge, which is the day’s shortest but toughest test at 3.2km long. The route then rolls downhill and flattens out for the best part of 90km, before rising up out of Dumfires to the category-three, 3.9km climb to Dunscore. From there, more undulating road takes the riders on to two laps of a finishing circuit ending with the uncategorised climb to Drumlanrig Castle. Although not overly difficult, it should prove too feisty for the sprinters and instead see a punchy climber take the victory.
Start time: 10.30am. Finish time (estimated): 3.44pm.
Best place to watch: Drumlanrig Castle. Arrive early to get a spot on the lower part of the climb up and you will see the riders battling it out not once, but twice, including in the final metres before the finish line.
Stage 2: Monday, September 16 - Carlisle to Kendal, 186.6km
The race crosses the border into England for another hilly day containing three categorised climbs and what is sure to be the sternest test of the whole race: the infamous Honister Pass.
The stage rolls out of Carlisle and heads south towards the coast for an opening 80km that rumbles along relatively gently. However, it then turns inland towards the Lake District and, after the day’s third intermediate sprint, the climbing begins. First up is the category-two Fangs Brow, which is 1.2km long and arrives after 97.9km, and is soon followed by the category-one Honister. Amateur riders will be familiar with this brute of a climb, which is 2.2km long and carries vicious ramps of up to 25 per cent.
An ascent of the category-two Chestnut Hill follows at the 136km mark, before the road rolls towards the finish line in Kendal. There is a sting in the tail, though, because after a 90-degree right-hander in the centre of town, the riders must climb up the wonderfully named Beast Banks, which lives up to its name by hitting the riders with a short, sharp climb to the finish line.
Start time: 10.45am. Finish time (estimated): 3.26pm.
Best place to watch: Honister Pass. Aim to get positioned on the turns or the steepest sections, where the 25 gradient will slow the riders down to a near crawling pace and provide a perfect natural theatre for spectators to enjoy the drama.
Stage 3: Tuesday, September 17 - Knowsley to Knowsley, 16km individual time trial
The time trial experts come to the fore on day three for a short but technical race against the clock around Knowsley Safari Park. The route is not pan flat but isn’t overly hilly either, so the winner will be the man who can output the highest power on the straight sections and then keep momentum going through the turns. The first half of the course is largely downhill and fast, so should not split the favourites too significantly. However, latter half is gently uphill and ends with a series of tight corners just before the finish line, and it is here where the day’s winners and losers will be decided.
Start time: 12.01pm. Finish time (estimated): 2.23pm.
Best place to watch: Knowsley Lane (B5194) or Liverpool Road (A57). Get a good spot here and you will see the riders twice, both on their way out and way back. The turn-off for Knowsley Safari Park should also be a decent place as the riders will also pass by it twice, but this will be busier.
Stage 4: Wednesday, September 18 – Stoke-on-Trent to Llanberis, 188.4km
Day four and already country No 3. The stage starts in the Potteries and then heads west into Wales, cresting three categorised climbs before reaching a stunning finale in the shadow of Snowdon. The opening 90km roll relatively gently and take in the first intermediate sprint, but following the feed zone, which comes after 93km, an uncategorised ascent kicks off the climbing. Two more intermediate sprints follow, before the peloton tackles the back-to-back category-two climbs to Groes and Llansannan, which are 3km and 1.9km long respectively and are separated by a short descent.
Another steep descent follows, before the long drag up to the category three Pen y Pass begins. The climb itself in only 1.6km long, but the road starts angling up towards it 20km before then and legs will be weary by the time the peloton reaches the summit. The day then ends with a straight and high-speed descent into Llanberis.
Start time: 11am. Finish time (estimated): 3.44pm.
Best place to watch: Pen y Pass: The road to the finish in Llanberis is likely to be busy and the riders will pass at high speed, so instead, head for the day’s final climb, where the riders will be going slow enough to get a good look, but the action will be fierce as the stage nears its conclusion.
Stage 5: Thursday, September 19 – Machylleth to Caerphilly, 177.1km
The race stays in Wales for a second day and heads to the south of the country from the bottom edge of Snowdonia to just north of the capital, Cardiff. It’s another lumpy but picturesque stage for the peloton, containing three category-one climbs, one category-three climb and a crossing of the Brecon Beacons.
A series of uncategorised climbs inside the opening 30km will see a breakaway go clear but the first category-one climb, up Cwm Owen, does not arrive until the 79km mark and is set to provide a stern test over its 4.2km distance. The road then rears up to a 6.7km, category-three climb in the Brecon Beacons, before undulating back down towards Caerphilly, where two laps of an 8km finishing circuit – each including an ascent of the category-one Caerphilly Mountain - awaits. The climb is 2.3km long and steep, which will provide the perfect platform for a punchy climber to attack over the summit and then hold on down the speedy descent to the finish.
Start time: 11am. Finish time (estimated): 3.28pm.
Best place to watch: Caerphilly Mountain. The riders will make this category-one ascent twice and, on the second passage, there should be plenty of attacking.
Stage 6: Friday, September 20 – Sidmouth to Haytor, 137km
The race moves back into England for a short but potentially decisive day in Devon. It is only 137km long, but carries three category-two climbs and then a category-one summit finish in Haytor, a village in the Dartmoor National Park. The route heads north out of Sidmouth and is relatively flat for the first 55km, but the road then rises up Stoke Hill, which lasts for 1.9km and is followed by a descent and then around 20km of flat. The 3.8km climb to Mamhead follows after 80km, with the final category-two ascent, of Six Mile Hill, arriving 25km from home. The riders will have the respite of a gentle downhill, before a right-hand turn just outside of Bovey Tracey marks the start of the final, 5.8km climb to the finish.
Start time: 11am. Finish time (estimated): 2.30pm.
Best place to watch: Haytor. This summit finish could well deliver the most dramatic and significant moments of the whole race, with the man first to the top here likely to be the overall winner. There’s plenty of road from which to watch and the action should be fierce.Stage 7: Saturday, September 21 – Epsom to Guildford, 155km
The race’s penultimate stage is the proverbial game of two halves, with a hilly opening 70km containing three category-one climbs being followed by a far gentler final 85km that is almost certain to end in a bunch sprint. The first two climbs – Crocknorth Road and Coldharbour – come early and in quick succession, at 12km and 23km, with the latter being the longer of the two at 1.9km. The third climb, the 2.5km-long Barhatch Lane, comes after 48km and is followed by another ascent that is uncategorised but will nevertheless sting the legs. Intermediate sprints are sprinkled in between the mountains, so those riders chasing the points jersey will need to ensure they are up near the front on the climbs. The route then heads north towards Chertsey before sweeping back south for a loop just outside Guildford. The sprint trains will need to get themselves into position as they head into the town, and also be wary of a tight right-hand turn in the closing stages.
Start time: Noon. Finish time (estimated): 3.56pm.
Best place to watch: Puttenham Hill (B3000). The riders will pass this short stretch of road twice and it should also be far less busy than the stage finish in central Guildford.
Stage 8: Sunday, September 22 – London to London, 88km
The race ends with ten laps of an 8.8km circuit along the Thames starting and ending on Whitehall. The route is pan flat and follows the course of the northern bank of the river. However, there are technical turns at each end of the circuit and two tight right-handers just before the finishing straight. The general classification will have decided by now, but the day could decide the destination of the points jersey.
Start time: 3.30am. Finish time (estimated): 5.30pm.
Best place to watch: Take your pick: the finish line on Whitehall, Parliament Square, the end of Westminster Bridge and the Tower of London should all provide good vantage points.
