It’s that time of year again, the grizzly first week of September that marks the end of summer and the dreaded back to school run – oh, and the Tour of Britain, of course. Running from the 2nd to 9th of September, this eight-day stage race – the longest on British soil – is set to fill this dreary period with some thrilling action to keep us all on the edge of our seats.
Where is the race heading?
Starting in Pembrey Country Park, Wales, the race travels down to the south west before arching back up the spine of the UK to the wet and hilly Lake District. From there it goes flying back down all the way to London for a speedy 77km criterium around the busy streets of the capital.
The race is set to be a tough one – far harder than many editions in the past decade. But which stages are going to throw up the most action? Well, the first two don’t exactly ‘ease’ the riders into racing. Both are hilly routes, one to Newport and the other to Barnstaple, introducing the international peloton to the trials and tribulations involved with our lumpy terrain and notoriously potholed roads.
It’s coming home!
Stage three is a home stage for us at Bicycle Chain – a lumpy circuit in the Bristol area. If you find yourself in any one of our stores on the 4th of September, then make sure you plan add watching the riders fly past to your plans. If you’re eager to see the riders destroyed on the climbs, then head to Cheddar Gorge. If you’re one for the action-packed sprint finish, then set up camp in the city centre where the victor will be decided.
Cruel, cruel climbs
After Bristol, the riders head towards the Lake District where they’ll tackle a nasty looking 14km Team Time Trial up the hellishly steep Whinlatter Pass on stage five – the TTT meets that old British tradition that is hill climbing – before grinding back up the climb once more at the finish of stage six’s mountainous excursion around the region. These are the two stages that may just spice up the GC and decide the eventual winner of this race.
Stage seven’s sprint to Mansfield will allow some respite before the riders are thrown into a twisty, testing circuit around the streets of London. Pan flat, but extremely fast, this is going to be one spectacular end to a thrilling week of British racing.
Who to look out for
The beauty of the Tour of Britain is that we get to see some of our favourite World Tour heroes pitted against our rugged domestic pros. On one hand, we have the big names and Grand Tour winners, and the other, a host of experienced riders who have grown up and forged their careers on the roads they’ll be racing on.
Quick-Step Floors come to this race with probably the strongest team – on this terrain, at least. They bring a three-leader approach that looks set to take many stages, and possibly a jersey or two, at this race. Julian Alaphilippe, Bob Jungels and Max Schachmann are all dangerous riders, especially as the roads head uphill, and aboard their super lightweight and versatile S-Works Tarmacs, they’ll be tough to beat. Don’t count them out on the flats either…
They’ll face fierce competition from the Brits however, with Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome, Tom Pidcock and Max Stedman all capable of throwing a spanner into the well-oiled Quick-Step machine. Youngsters Pidcock and Stedman are two promising riders who will be targeting the third, lumpy stage into Bristol – a day that should suit their punchy riding styles.
For the sprints, it’s going to come down to a hotly contested showdown between three young riders – with one veteran thrown in for good measure. Going up against Fernando Gaviria, Andre Greipel and Caleb Ewan will be Team Sunweb’s Phil Bauhaus, the young German a promising sprint talent rocking the super-speedy Giant Propel bike that powered him to a stage win at this year’s Abu Dhabi Tour and last year’s Critérium du Dauphiné.
We hope you’ll come and visit one of our Bristol-based stores, not only to peruse our wide range of pro road bikes, but to also watch stage three’s sprint spectacular.
