Tour of Britain

Cycling race

For the women's event, see Tour of Britain Women.

Tour of Britain 2024 Tour of Britain

Race details
Date| September
Region| Great Britain
Local name(s)| The Tour
Discipline| Road
Competition| UCI Europe Tour (2004–2021)
UCI ProSeries (2021–present)
Type| Stage race
Organiser| SweetSpot
Web site| www.britishcycling.org.uk/tourofbritain
History
First edition| 1945 (1945)
First winner|  Robert Batot (FRA)
Most recent|  Stephen Williams (GBR)

The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time.

The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the Second World War. Since then, various different events have been described as the Tour of Britain, including the Milk Race, the Kellogg's Tour of Britain and the PruTour.

The most recent version of the Tour of Britain began in 2004 as part of the UCI Europe Tour. From 2014, the race was rated 2.HC by the UCI.[1] The race became part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020.

## Tour of Britain (1945–1999)

[edit]

### Origins

[edit]

The Tour of Britain has its origins in a dispute between cyclists during the Second World War. The British administrative body, the National Cyclists' Union (NCU), had feared since the 19th century that massed racing on the roads would endanger all racing, including early-morning time trials and, originally, the very place of cyclists on the road.[2]

A race organised from Llangollen to Wolverhampton on 7 June 1942, in defiance of the NCU, led to its organisers and riders being banned. They formed a new body, the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC), which wanted not only massed racing but a British version of the Tour de France.[3]

The first multi-day stage race in Britain was the Southern Grand Prix in Kent in August 1944.[4] It was won by Les Plume of Manchester. The first stage was won by Percy Stallard, the organiser of the Llangollen-Wolverhampton race in 1942.

The experience encouraged the BLRC to run a bigger race, the Victory Cycling Marathon, to celebrate the end of the war in 1945. It ran from Brighton to Glasgow in five stages and was won by Robert Batot of France, with Frenchmen taking six of the top 10 places, the mountains competition and best team.

Chas Messenger, a BLRC official and historian, said: "No one had ever put on a stage race in this country, other than the Southern Grand Prix, and even fewer people had even seen one. So raw were they that Jimmy Kain (the organiser) even wrote to the Auto-Cycle Union – the body for motorcycle racing – and the flags used by them were taken as a guide to what was needed.[4] Kain recalled the precarious budget: "£44 entry fees and £130 of my own money and £16 when I went round with the hat after the Bradford stage."[5]

The writer Roger St Pierre said:

"It was reported that 20,000 watched the start but I've seen a picture which would indicate it was probably three or four times that number. What outsiders didn't see though was just what a ramshackle affair it all was, with riders finishing stages often miles longer than billed then having to find a bed for the night – with the poorer riders ending up spending the night huddled in barns, haylofts or even under the hedgerows."[6]

The BLRC was not recognised by the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale and so it recruited its French riders from another rebel organisation, the communist Fédération Sportive et Gymnastique du Travail, using French café-owners in Soho, London, as their link.

### Sponsors and politics

[edit]

Gordon Thomas receiving the 1953 Tour of Britain cup

The Victory Cycling Marathon was run on what little money the BLRC could raise. Riders stayed in cheap boarding houses and officials used their own cars. In 1947, the News of the World gave £500 to the race, by then called Brighton-Glasgow. Within a year it pulled out again, concerned by the internal arguments that had bedevilled the BLRC from the start. The 1950 race was sponsored by Sporting Record, another newspaper, followed by the Daily Express in 1951.

The cycling official John Dennis said in 2002:

"The most effective sponsor of the Tour of Britain (the Daily Express) was lost as a result of the constant bickering between rival officials and organisations. I was the press officer to the Express publicity director, Albert Asher, and saw it all happen. He was upset by the petty disagreements and decided to support the new Formula 1 motor-racing instead."[7]

Sponsorship was taken up by the makers of Quaker Oats in 1954, and then in 1958 by the Milk Marketing Board.

### The Milk Race

[edit]

"Milk Race" redirects here. For the video game, see Milk Race (video game).

The Milk Marketing Board (MMB) was a sales monopoly for dairy farmers in England and Wales. A semi-professional cyclist from Derby, Dave Orford, asked the MMB to pay for "Drink more milk" to be embroidered on the jersey of every semi-professional, or independent, rider in the country. The MMB could then advertise that races had been won because of the properties of milk and the winner would receive a £10 bonus as a result.

Orford met the MMB's publicity officer, Reg Pugh, at the board's headquarters in Thames Ditton, west of London. Orford said: "At the end of the discussion he stated that the MMB would prefer to sponsor a major international marathon. So the Milk Race, the Tour of Britain, was born, starting in 1958 and lasting for 35 years, the longest cycle sponsorship in the UK ever."[8] A tie-in video game, Milk Race, was released in 1987.

The first two races were open to semi-professionals but from 1960 until 1984 it was open only to amateurs. From 1985 until 1993 it was open to both amateurs and professionals. The Milk Race ended in 1993 because the MMB was wound up with the passing of the UK's Agriculture Act 1993.

In May 2013 the Milk Race name was revived for an annual one-day criterium in Nottingham, with elite men's and women's races. The event is organised by Race Director Tony Doyle and sponsored by the Dairy Council and the Milk Marketing Forum.[9][10]

### Kellogg's Tour and PruTour

[edit]

The caravane before the race passed near Halifax

The professional Kellogg's Tour of Britain ran for eight editions from 1987 to 1994. This tour, particularly in its early years, was characterised by very long hilly stages, a typical example being the Newcastle upon Tyne to Manchester stage via the Yorkshire Dales in the 1987 event. The Prudential plc-sponsored PruTour (1998–1999) ran twice. Concerns about safety during the races contributed to both events' demise through the withdrawal of sponsorship; in the case of the Kellogg's Tour this followed a member of the public driving head-on into the peloton in the Lake District,[11] and in the case of the PruTour a police motorcyclist being killed in a collision with a motorist near Worcester.[12]

### Winners

[edit]

Year  | Race name  | Rider status  | Winner  | Team/Country

|
|
|
|

1945  | Victory Marathon  | amateur  | Robert Batot  | France
1946  | Brighton-Glasgow  | am-ind  | Mike Peers  | Manchester
1947  | Brighton-Glasgow  | am-ind  | George Kessock  | Paris Cycles
1948  | Brighton-Glasgow  | am-ind  | Tom Saunders  | Dayton Cycles
1949  | Brighton-Glasgow  | am-ind  | Geoff Clark  | ITP
1950  | Brighton-Glasgow  | am-ind  | George Lander  | Fréjus Cycles
1951  | Butlin Tour[13] | amateur  | Stan Blair  | England
1951  | Brighton-Glasgow  | amateur  | Ian Greenfield  | Comet CC
1951  | Tour of Britain  | am-ind  | Ian Steel | Viking Cycles
1952  | Brighton-Glasgow  | amateur  | Bill Bellamy  | Romford CC
1952  | Tour of Britain  | am-pro  | Ken Russell  | Ellis Briggs
1953  | Brighton-Newcastle  | amateur  | Frank Edwards  | Norfolk Olympic
1953  | Tour of Britain  | am-ind  | Gordon Thomas | BSA
1954  | Circuit of Britain  | amateur  | Viv Bailes  | Teesside
1954  | Tour of Britain  | am-ind  | Eugène Tambourlini  | France
1955  | Circuit of Britain  | amateur  | Des Robinson | Yorkshire
1955  | Tour of Britain  | am-ind  | Tony Hewson  | Sheffield
1956  | Circuit of Britain  | amateur  | Dick McNeil  | North-east
1958  | Milk Race  | am-ind  | Richard Durlacher  | Austria
1959  | Milk Race  | am-ind  | Bill Bradley  | England
1960  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Bill Bradley  | England
1961  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Billy Holmes[14] | England
1962  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Eugen Pokorny  | Poland
1963  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Pete Chisman | England
1964  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Arthur Metcalfe | England
1965  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Les West | Midlands
1966  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Józef Gawliczek | Poland
1967  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Les West | Britain
1968  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Gösta Pettersson | Sweden
1969  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Fedor den Hertog | Netherlands
1970  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Jiří Mainuš | Czechoslovakia
1971  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Fedor den Hertog  | Netherlands
1972  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Hennie Kuiper | Netherlands
1973  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Piet van Katwijk | Netherlands
1974  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Roy Schuiten | Netherlands
1975  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Bernt Johansson | Sweden
1976  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Bill Nickson | Britain
1977  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Said Gusseinov | USSR
1978  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Jan Brzeźny | Poland
1979  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Yuri Kashirin | USSR
1980  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Ivan Mitchenko | USSR
1981  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Sergei Krivosheev | USSR
1982  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Yuri Kashirin  | USSR
1983  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Matt Eaton | USA
1984  | Milk Race  | amateur  | Oleg Czougeda | USSR
1985  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Eric van Lancker | Fangio
1986  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Joey McLoughlin | ANC
1987  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Malcolm Elliott | ANC
1987  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Joey McLoughlin | ANC
1988  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Vasily Zhdanov | USSR
1988  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Malcolm Elliott | Fagor
1989  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Brian Walton | 7-Eleven
1989  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Robert Millar | Z–Peugeot
1990  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Shane Sutton | Banana
1990  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Michel Dernies | Weinnmann-SMM
1991  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Chris Walker | Banana
1991  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Phil Anderson | Motorola
1992  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Conor Henry | Ireland
1992  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Max Sciandri | Motorola
1993  | Milk Race  | pro-am  | Chris Lillywhite | Banana
1993  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Phil Anderson  | Motorola
1994  | Kellogg's Tour  | pro  | Maurizio Fondriest | Lampre
1998  | PruTour  | pro  | Stuart O'Grady | Crédit Agricole
1999  | PruTour  | pro  | Marc Wauters | Rabobank

## Tour of Britain (from 2004)

[edit]

After a five-year hiatus, the Tour of Britain returned in 2004. It began as a five-stage race before increasing to six days in 2005, seven in 2007 and eventually an eight-stage race in 2008. It is a professional men's race, typically attracting between 10 and 12 UCI WorldTeams, as well as a handful of UCI ProTeams, four British-registered UCI Continental Teams and a Great Britain national squad which often comprises riders from British Cycling's Senior Academy programme.

Stage 3 of the 2005 race passing through Honley, near Huddersfield

### Winners

[edit]

See also: General classification in the Tour of Britain

Year  | Country  | Rider  | Team

|
|
|

2004 |  Colombia | Mauricio Ardila | Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
2005 |  Belgium | Nick Nuyens | Quick-Step–Innergetic
2006 |  Denmark | Martin Pedersen | Team CSC
2007 |  France | Romain Feillu | Agritubel
2008 |  France | Geoffroy Lequatre | Agritubel
2009 |  Norway | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Team Columbia–HTC
2010 |  Switzerland | Michael Albasini | Team HTC–Columbia
2011 |  Netherlands | Lars Boom | Rabobank
2012 |  Australia | Nathan Haas | Garmin–Sharp
2013 |  Great Britain | Bradley Wiggins | Team Sky
2014 |  Netherlands | Dylan van Baarle | Garmin–Sharp
2015 |  Norway | Edvald Boasson Hagen | MTN–Qhubeka
2016 |  Great Britain | Steve Cummings | Team Dimension Data
2017 |  Netherlands | Lars Boom | LottoNL–Jumbo
2018 |  France | Julian Alaphilippe | Quick-Step Floors
2019 |  Netherlands | Mathieu van der Poel | Corendon–Circus
2020  | No race due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021 |  Belgium | Wout van Aert | Team Jumbo–Visma
2022 |  Spain | Gonzalo Serrano | Movistar Team
2023 |  Belgium | Wout van Aert | Team Jumbo–Visma
2024 |  Great Britain | Stephen Williams | Israel–Premier Tech

### History

[edit]

### 2004

[edit]

Main article: 2004 Tour of Britain

The 2004 Tour of Britain was the first edition of the modern incarnation of the race. It took place over five days between Wednesday 1 – Sunday 5 September, organised by Surrey-based SweetSpot Group in collaboration with the BCF (British Cycling Federation). It was the first Tour of Britain to be held since 1999. SweetSpot MD Hugh Roberts and race director Mick Bennett, who were behind the event's return, are still involved with the race in 2020.[15]

Sponsored by the Regional Development Agencies, it attracted teams such as T-Mobile and U.S. Postal Service. It was designated a 2.3 category race on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar. Highlights of the event were shown as part of BBC'S Grandstand programme a week after the final stage.

The tour climaxed with a 45 miles (72 km) criterium in London, where an estimated 100,000 spectators saw a long break by Bradley Wiggins last until the penultimate lap, before Enrico Degano of Team Barloworld took the sprint on the line. The Colombian Mauricio Ardila, of Chocolade Jacques, won the General Classification.[16]

### 2005

[edit]

Main article: 2005 Tour of Britain

The 2005 race was run as a UCI 2.1 category in six stages starting in Glasgow on Tuesday 30 August and finishing in London on Sunday 4 September. British rider Roger Hammond took victory in Blackpool on stage two, becoming the first home rider to win a stage of the modern race. However, the overall title was won by Belgian rider Nick Nuyens, who is only one of two riders to have led the modern race from start to finish.

Future Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish both made their first appearances in the race during the 2005 Tour; Thomas placed 42nd overall,[17] Cavendish (who finished third in Blackpool on stage two and sixth in Nottingham two days later) 84th.

### 2006

[edit]

Main article: 2006 Tour of Britain

The 2006 Tour of Britain took place from Tuesday 29 August to Sunday 3 September as a UCI category 2.1 event. Martin Pedersen and Andy Schleck of Team CSC won the overall and King of the Mountains classification, respectively. Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile Team) won the points classification and Johan van Summeren (Davitamon–Lotto) the sprints classification. Like Nuyens in 2005, Pedersen topped the overall standings from start to finish. The race's final stage, held between Greenwich Park and The Mall, was televised live on BBC's Grandstand, making it the first and only stage to enjoy such coverage between 2004 and 2011.

### 2007

[edit]

Main article: 2007 Tour of Britain

The 2007 Tour of Britain was extended to seven days, with the extra day being used to run a stage in Somerset for the first time. Instead of finishing in London, the 2007 race started in London and finished in Glasgow, which used the event to boost its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. French rider Romain Feillu won overall by just 0.49 seconds over Spaniard (and stage four winner in Bradford) Adrián Palomares. His victory margin remains the smallest in modern race history. Mark Cavendish won the race's opening two stages (a 2.5 km prologue at Crystal Palace Park and in Southampton) as well as the points competition, while Yorkshire's Ben Swift won the mountains competition.

### 2008

[edit]

Main article: 2008 Tour of Britain

The tour increased by yet another day for 2008, with eight stages scheduled, from Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 September. The race began in London and finished in Liverpool.[18] ITV4 broadcast the race for the first time, with each stage enjoyed hour-long highlight shows presented by Ned Boulting. As per compatriot Romain Feillu in 2007, overall champion Geoffroy Lequatre claimed the victory despite not winning a single stage of the Tour. Italian rider Alessandro Petacchi and future champion Edvald Boasson Hagen both won three stages apiece; Petacchi triumphed in London (stage one), Gateshead (six) and Liverpool (eight), while Boasson Hagen was first across the line in Stoke-on-Trent (stage four), Dalby Forest (five) and Drumlanrig Castle (seven).

### 2009

[edit]

Main article: 2009 Tour of Britain

The sixth edition, the 2009 Tour of Britain, was also raced over eight days, Saturday 12 to Saturday 19 September. The race started in Scunthorpe and finished in London. Boasson Hagen was the dominant overall winner, claiming a record four-consecutive stage victories (in Peebles, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent and Bideford) en route to the title. In his first season as a pro, Katusha–Alpecin rider Ben Swift memorably took his maiden career victory ahead of team-mate Filippo Pozzato in Yeovil.

### 2010

[edit]

Main article: 2010 Tour of Britain

The 2010 edition of the Tour of Britain was held from Saturday 11 to Saturday 18 September and was won by Michael Albasini. His winning margin of 65 seconds over Slovenian rider Borut Božič is the largest in modern race history. Albasini laid the foundations of his victory by winning in Swansea on stage three; that day's route included two ascents of the city's famed Constitution Hill, a 300-metre cobbled climb that averages a gradient of 19.3%.[19] Team Sky made their race debut in the 2010 Tour, winning stage two in Stoke-on-Trent with New Zealander Greg Henderson. While the race finished in London for the fifth time in seven editions, the 2010 Tour finale took place around ExCeL London owing to a clash with the Pope's visit to London, which meant that the centre of the city was out of bounds to the race on the orders of the police and security services.[20]

### 2011

[edit]

Main article: 2011 Tour of Britain

The 2011 Tour of Britain was held from Sunday 11 to Sunday 18 September. Stage two, scheduled to take place between Kendal and Carlisle, was cancelled due to bad weather.[21] It remains the only stage of the modern race not to run as planned. The general classification was won by Dutch rider Lars Boom.[22] This edition of the race outlined the event's growing stature on the international cycling calendar, as Thor Hushovd became only the second reigning UCI road world champion to win a stage of the race wearing the iconic Rainbow Jersey when he triumphed in Caerphilly on stage four. Furthermore, Mark Cavendish returned to the race for the first time since the 2007 Tour of Britain less than two months after he won the Points classification in the Tour de France. The Manxman won the opening stage in Dumfries and London circuit race finale; he also set up HTC–Highroad team-mate Mark Renshaw to win in Exmouth on day five.

### 2012

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Tour of Britain

The 2012 Tour of Britain was held from Sunday 9 to Sunday 16 September.[23] With the British public's interest in cycling high off the back of Bradley Wiggins' victory in that summer's Tour de France and the London 2012 Olympic Games, the final two hours of each stage during the 2012 race were shown live on ITV4 and Eurosport.[24]

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke originally won the event, the first British rider to do so since its relaunch. In 2014, following investigation for biological passport irregularities, Tiernan-Locke was banned for two years and stripped of his 2012 title.[25] The race was retrospectively awarded to Australia's Nathan Haas, riding for the Garmin–Sharp team.[26] Mark Cavendish, in his last race as World Champion, won three stages including the final stage in an uphill sprint up Guildford's cobbled high street. Tour de France 2012 winner, Bradley Wiggins was forced to pull out of the Tour after stage 5, as a result of a stomach bug.

### 2013

[edit]

Main article: 2013 Tour of Britain

The tenth edition, the 2013 Tour of Britain, took place from Sunday 15 to Sunday 22 September[27] comprising eight stages. Wiggins won in what proved to be Team Sky's only general classification victory in the race,[28] beating IAM Cycling's Martin Elmiger by 26 seconds, having put 54 seconds into the Swiss rider during the stage three individual time trial around Knowsley, Merseyside.[29] The race notably featured its first hill-top finish, which took place upon Haytor, Devon, on stage six. Riding for the Great Britain national team, future Vuelta a España winner Simon Yates – then aged just 21 – took a famous victory.[30]

### 2014

[edit]

Main article: 2014 Tour of Britain

The eleventh edition, the 2014 Tour of Britain, consisted of eight stages between Sunday 7 and Sunday 14 September. For the first time, it was categorised as a UCI 2.HC race and featured a title sponsor: Friends Life Group. It began in Liverpool and finished in London, with two stage finishes in Wales, three in the west of England, and two in the south-east. The race was won by Dylan van Baarle.[31] German sprinter Marcel Kittel won the stages in Liverpool and London just weeks after he triumphed in two of the three British stages that featured in the 2014 Tour de France; his London victory in the Tour of Britain came on Whitehall, whereas stage three of the 2014 Tour de France finished on The Mall, London. Another British victory looked likely when Essex's Alex Dowsett, riding for the Movistar Team (men's team), moved into the race lead after forming part of a three-man breakaway on stage six between Bath and Hemel Hempstead. However, he lost the lead after the following day's stage between Camberley and Brighton,[32] and went on to finish eighth overall.

### 2015

[edit]

Main article: 2015 Tour of Britain

Edvald Boasson Hagen made more history at the 2015 Tour of Britain when he became the first rider to win the modern edition for a second time. The 12th edition of the modern race, held between Sunday 6 and Sunday 13 September, was sponsored by Aviva following their acquisition of Friends Life in April 2015. In another first, Anglesey hosted the Grand Départ, becoming the first of Britain's small islands to welcome the Tour. The race visited the cities of Edinburgh (stage four start), Stoke-on-Trent (stage six start) and Nottingham (stage six finish), as well as smaller towns such as Prudhoe (population of 11,675 in the 2011 United Kingdom census) and Fakenham (population: 7,357). London again hosted the final stage, however the Tour used a new circuit centred around Regent Street and Piccadilly as opposed to its traditional Whitehall loop, versions of which featured in seven editions of the race between 2004 and 2014.[33] German rider André Greipel, riding for Lotto–Soudal was first across the line but was subsequently disqualified for a dangerous sprint.[34] In doing so, he became the first rider to be stripped of a stage win in modern race history; Elia Viviani was awarded the victory to go alongside successes in Wrexham on stage one and Floors Castle on stage three.

### 2016

[edit]

Main article: 2016 Tour of Britain

The 2016 Tour of Britain, held between Sunday 4 and Sunday 11 September,[35] was won by home rider Steve Cummings,[36] who had previously finished second in 2008 and 2011. The race ran without a title sponsor for the first time since 2013 following the conclusion of a sponsorship agreement with Aviva in June of that year.[37]

Glasgow hosted the race's Grand Départ for the first time in 10 years; as per the 2006 Tour, Castle Douglas also welcomed the first finish of the race, won by André Greipel. Cummings formed the basis of his overall victory by placing second on Kendal's steep Beast Banks climb on stage two, before moving into the race lead after the individual time trial in Bristol on stage 7a (the 2016 race was the third and, at present, last edition to feature a split stage). Team Sky enjoyed a productive week, with Ian Stannard soloing to a memorable victory at Tatton Park and Wout Poels taking victory atop a wind-swept Haytor on stage six. Poels' success followed his win on Hartside Pass in the 2015 race's hill-top finish stage. The 2016 Tour also proved to be the last professional race of Bradley Wiggins' cycling career before he retired from the sport. He placed 105th overall, riding for the eponymous WIGGINS squad.[38]

### 2017

[edit]

Main article: 2017 Tour of Britain

The 2017 Tour of Britain, which took place between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September, was won by Dutch rider Lars Boom. The LottoNL–Jumbo rider's victory saw him become the second rider to win the modern race overall for a second time following Edvald Boasson Hagen's wins in 2009 and 2015.

This edition of the race was sponsored by OVO Energy, the first of three editions that the Bristol-based energy supply company were the title partner of. In another move that emphasised the race's status on the international cycling calendar, ITV4 broadcast each stage live in full for the first time.[39]

### 2018

[edit]

Main article: 2018 Tour of Britain

Julian Alaphilippe became the first Frenchman to win the Tour of Britain since 2008 when he triumphed in the 2018 edition. Held between Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 September, the 2018 Tour of Britain was watched by over 1.5 million roadside spectators and featured the likes of Chris Froome – his first participation in the event since 2009 – and that year's Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas. Fittingly for Thomas, the race started in Wales, with the other seven stages taking place in England.

Outlining the event's innovative nature, the race's first-ever team time trial stage took place on day five of the Tour. Starting in Cockermouth, the 14 km uphill stage finished at Whinlatter having climbed the western side of the fell. The following day's stage also finished atop Whinlatter, albeit after two ascents of its eastern side.[40]

### 2019

[edit]

Main article: 2019 Tour of Britain

The 2019 Tour of Britain, the first edition of the race to be run from Saturday to Saturday since 2010 (7 to 14 September),[41] was won by Mathieu van der Poel after a race-long battle with Italian rider Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton–Scott).

Together with compatriot Dylan Groenewegen, van der Poel won three stages of the race, including the Greater Manchester finale on day eight – one that started in Altrincham and visited all 10 boroughs of the metropolitan county before finishing along Deansgate. While the 2019 Tour was the first edition of the race since 2012 that did not visit London, Glasgow and Newcastle both featured along the route.

### 2020

[edit]

Scheduled to take place between Sunday 6 and Sunday 13 September, the 2020 Tour of Britain was due to start with its first Cornwall Grand Départ.[42] Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen were to host the final stage,[43] marking the furthest point north the race would have visited. The race would have formed part of the UCI ProSeries, comprising the second tier of the men's elite road cycling events, launched by the sport's governing body for 2020. In May 2020, the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Tour of Britain followed the route scheduled for the 2020 edition.[44]

### 2021

[edit]

Main article: 2021 Tour of Britain

The men's Tour of Britain racereturned to its usual September format after the previous year's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race started on 5 September in Penzance, Cornwall, and finished on 12 September in Aberdeen, Scotland.

### 2022

[edit]

Main article: 2022 Tour of Britain

The race returned to Yorkshire for the first time since 2009 and was scheduled to pass through Dorset for the first time.[45] The final three stages were cancelled, and the race declared completed, due to the death of Elizabeth II.[46]

### 2023

[edit]

Main article: 2023 Tour of Britain

The 2023 race began in Manchester on 3 September and finished in Wales on Sunday 10 September. Full details of the route were announced in summer 2023.[47]

### 2024

[edit]

Main article: 2024 Tour of Britain

In late 2023, British Cycling terminated its agreement with race organiser and promoter SweetSpot due to a financial dispute; it was reported that SweetSpot was alleged to owe British Cycling £700,000 in unpaid licencing fees.[48] In January 2024, SweetSpot entered liquidation, and the race was removed from the 2024 calendar.[49][50] In February, British Cycling stated its intention to take on the organisation of both the Tour of Britain and the Women's Tour, which was renamed to the Tour of Britain Women.[51] Both Tours were eventually re-added to the UCI calendar.[52] Although British Cycling initially intended the 2024 Tour of Britain Men to consist of eight stages, it was reduced to six, with the intention being also to extend the Tour of Britain Women to six stages in 2025, equalising the men's and women's tours.[53] In May, Lloyds Bank agreed with British Cycling to become title partner of both the men's and women's Tours, a deal reportedly worth around £20 million over five years.[54] The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men began in Kelso, Scottish Borders, on Tuesday 3 September, and concluded in Felixstowe, Suffolk on Sunday 8 September.[55] The men's tour was won by Stevie Williams.[56]

### 2025

[edit]

The 2025 edition will take place from Tuesday 2 September to Sunday 7 September.

## See also

[edit]

* Tour de Yorkshire

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Tour of Britain upgraded to 2.HC status by UCI". The Tour of Britain. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
2. ^ "From James Moore to Laurent Fignon", Cyclist Monthly, September 1983
3. ^ "100 years of racing", Cycling, 29 April 1978
4. ^ a b Messenger, Chas (1998). Ride and be Damned. Harpenden: Pedal Publishing. p. 151\. ISBN 978-0-9534096-0-0.
5. ^ Letter to Percy Stallard, 1 January 1979
6. ^ St Pierre, Roger, Cycling Plus, UK, undated
7. ^ Fellowship News, Fellowship of Cycling Old Timers, issue 28, 2002
8. ^ Private papers, January 2003
9. ^ Wynn, Nigel (28 March 2013). "Milk Race returns". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
10. ^ "BBC Sport – Milk Race: Dani King wins women's race in Nottingham".
11. ^ Robin Nicholl (10 August 1994). "Cycling: Rogue driver stuns riders". The Independent. UK.
12. ^ Martin Ayres (29 May 1998). "Cycling: Death of police escort rider cancels Tour of Britain stage". The Independent. UK.
13. ^ seven-stage race between Butlin holiday camps
14. ^ Bill Holmes, cyclingarchives.org
15. ^ Fotheringham, William (13 December 2003). "Plans for Tour of Britain to return". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
16. ^ "Tour of Britain 2004". Tour of Britain. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
17. ^ Bull, Nick (16 December 2018). "A look back at Geraint Thoma's Tour of Britain record". Tour of Britain.
18. ^ "Video: Relive the 2008 Tour of Britain". The Tour of Britain. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
19. ^ "Constitution Hill, Swansea segment". VeloViewer.
20. ^ "Tour of Britain 2010 route revealed". Cycling Weekly. 20 April 2010.
21. ^ "Tour of Britain: Second stage cancelled because of high winds". BBC Sport. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
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23. ^ Tour of Britain 2012
24. ^ Bull, Nick (6 September 2012). "Daily live coverage for the Tour of Britain". Cycling Weekly.
25. ^ "Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke gets two-year doping ban". BBC Sport. 17 July 2014.
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27. ^ UCI Europe Tour calendar, accessed 25 September 2012
28. ^ Cycling Weekly 18 September 2012, accessed 25 September 2012
29. ^ Bull, Nick (17 September 2013). "Bradley Wiggins: I had to win the Tour of Britain time trial". Cycling Weekly.
30. ^ "Simon Yates reflects on his best career win to date at the Tour of Britain". Cycling Weekly. 20 September 2013.
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## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Tour of Britain palmares at Cycling Archives (archived, or current page in French)

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Tour of Britain

Tour of Britain Open|

* 1978

Kellogg's Tour of Britain|

* 1987
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PruTour|

* 1998
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Ovo Energy Tour of Britain|

* 2004
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AJ Bell Tour of Britain|

* 2021
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Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain|

* 2024

* General classification in the Tour of Britain

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British Cycling races

Stage races|

* RideLondon Classique
* Tour of Britain
* Tour of Britain Women

One-day races|

* Beaumont Trophy
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* Lincoln Grand Prix

Other|

* Tour Series
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* Junior Tour of Wales
* Welsh National Road Race Championships
* Derby Cyclo-cross Series
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* Strathpuffer

National championships|

* British National Track Championships
* British National Road Race Championships
* British National Time Trial Championships
* British National Circuit Race Championships
* British National Mountain Biking Championships
* British National Cyclo-cross Championships
* British National Hill Climb Championships

Defunct races|

* Archer Grand Prix
* Milk Race
* PruTour
* Velothon Wales
* Wincanton Classic
* Women's Tour of Scotland
* Tour de Yorkshire
* Women's Tour de Yorkshire
* London–Surrey Classic
* London Nocturne
* Newport Nocturne

*[FRA]: France
*[GBR]: Great Britain
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