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Gloucestershire Tour of Britain route revealed

By David Wood | 6th April 2022

Gloucestershire's first-ever full stage of the Tour of Britain, the UK's leading cycle race, will feature Tewkesbury, the Cotswolds and a finish alongside the historic Gloucester Docks.

Organisers SweetSpot have announced more details of stage six (Friday 9 September), which promises to be one of the most picturesque in the event's modern history.

The medieval market town of Tewkesbury will host the stage start, before more than 100 of the world's best riders head into the Cotswolds and South Gloucestershire during the 169-kilometre (105- mile) route.

A thrilling finale into the cathedral city of Gloucester is guaranteed, as the closing 30 kilometres will feature a climb up Painswick (3km long, average gradient of 5%, maximum of 15.8%). Located 12 kilometres to the south east of the finish line, this is likely to see some of the day's most thrilling racing.

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.

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).

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director , said: "The Gloucestershire stage of the Tour of Britain really has it all: an historic start location, stunning scenery, challenging climbs and a brilliant finish venue.

"We're thrilled that the 2022 race is able to feature our first-ever full stage of the Tour in the county and we thank Gloucestershire County Council for their support. Of course, before that, we cannot wait to also bring the Women's Tour, the UK's most prestigious women's race, to Gloucestershire in June!"

While the 2016 race passed through the county, and the penultimate day of the 2017 event culminated in Cheltenham, this will be the first stage set entirely in Gloucestershire.

On average, the net economic benefit of hosting a stage of the Tour of Britain since 2016 has been worth £3.5m to venues.

Mark Hawthorne, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council , said: "With details of the fantastic route the men's tour will take through Gloucestershire now revealed, we can all begin making plans for where in the county we'll go to watch cycling's most elite race.

"We are also thrilled that we've been able to secure a stage of the Woman's Tour for Gloucestershire. Although details of the route the woman's race will take are yet to be announced, we are confident wherever you live in the county, the tour will be coming to a town or village near you. The benefits to the county from having two stages will be significant so I hope everyone is getting excited, I know I am!"

Hill-top finishes at Glenshee Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire and The Needles on the Isle of Wight will bookend the Tour of Britain, which returns for what promises to be a groundbreaking 18th modern edition in September.

Building on the success of last year's race, which saw the overall lead change hands five times in eight days, the battle for victory in the 2022 edition looks set to go down to the final pedal strokes once again.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage, as well as a nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, in part thanks to the event's partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.

Last year's star-studded race was won by Belgian rider Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo - Visma), with reigning world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe finishing third overall. A roadside crowd of over one million spectators resulted in the Tour of Britain generating £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy, according to research by Frontline.

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Tour of Britain 2023 unveils stunning Gloucestershire stage

Jul 24th, 2023 | City Centre

Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire will play a key role in deciding who is crowned this year’s Tour of Britain champion when the UK’s leading cycle race visits the historic county in September. The seventh and penultimate stage of this year’s Tour will start in Tewkesbury and finish alongside the historic Gloucester Docks on Saturday 9 September. This stage – the first full day of racing in Gloucestershire in race history – was originally scheduled to feature in last year’s Tour of Britain, but was cancelled following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The medieval market town of Tewkesbury will host the stage start, before over 100 of the world’s best riders head through Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire to a thrilling finale into the cathedral city of Gloucester. With the start and finish locations separated by a little over 10 miles, and the event being held on a Saturday, this is a great opportunity to view and support the event and fans will easily be able to attend both the start and finish on race day, which will further add to the atmosphere at this free-to-watch sporting spectacle. Details of the final route to be used for stage seven and the full stage timetable will be published during July, but it will be and undulating route to really test the riders on their penultimate day and will showcase the incredible sceanery and landscape that Gloucestershire has to offer, While the 2016 race passed through the county, and the penultimate day of the 2017 event culminated in Cheltenham, this will be the first stage set entirely within Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I delighted that we that we are able to host stage seven of the 2023 Tour of Britain, following on from the success of the Women’s Tour coming to the county in 2022. Events like the Tour of Britain are key to helping our economy thrive and showcase, to a significant international audience, all that Gloucestershire has to offer. Bringing world-class cyclists to our doorstep also has the potential to inspire more people to ride their bikes.” ITV4 will continue to broadcast live start-to-finish coverage of every stage, as well as a daily highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch the action unfold wherever they are. International coverage will be available in over 150 countries courtesy of Eurosport and GCN+. Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk

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Tour of Britain 2022 route

The 18th edition of the modern Tour of Britain set to take place between September 4 - 11

Tour of Britain 2022 Route

The Tour of Britain returns September 4, after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, for eight days of racing as a UCI ProSeries event, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events of Great Britain.

Now in its 18th edition, 18 teams, five of them WorldTour level, will begin on the first Sunday of September in the city centre of Aberdeen and travel southward to the finale on September 11 in the historic Needles on the Isle of Wight.

First four days

Stage 1 opens in Scotland for 181.3 kilometres from Aberdeen, which is the most northerly overall start for the Tour of Britain. Last year Aberdeen hosted the race finale. It becomes the third Scottish city to host the start of the race, while Glenshee Ski Centre becomes the first-ever opening day summit finish. A trio of intermediate sprints and KOM climbs sprinkle the route to reach the approach to the final climb, which is uncategorised. To reach the finish line, the route will follow the 9.1km Old Military Road from Auchallater, facing an average gradient of 4.8% on the final five kilometres.

The second day of racing rolls south of Edinburgh across the rolling hills and rural areas of Scottish Borders, which hosts a full stage for the second time in three editions. From Hawick, the route will cover 175.2km to a first-time finish in Duns. The middle section of the route offers two intermediate sprints - Morebattle and Coldstream - as the roads skirt the North Sea at Eyemouth. Then the final intermediate sprint at Reston leads to a succession of three categorised climbs in the final 30 kilometres - Wanside Rigg (2.1km at 5.7%), Mainslaughter Law (1.7km at 5.9%) and Hardens Hill (1.9km at 4.7%). From the summit of Hardens Hill, the route descends 5.5km to the finish in Duns. 

Stage 3 takes on 163.6km on English soil with a first-time start in Durham and winding in a counter-clockwise direction to Sunderland. The route heads west through the North Pennines AONB, with two categorised climbs in the area - first-category Chapel Fell (4.1km at 7.8%) followed by second-category Billy Lane (1.8km at 7.1%). There is one intermediate sprint in the opening 29km, at Stanhope, and then a pair on the road back toward Sunderland, Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill, only 9.5km between the two sprint points. A small category 3 climb at High Moorsley (1.2km at 5.3%) stands in the way to the fast finish outside Sunderland’s new City Hall.

Just a short distance south on the coast will be the start for stage 4 at Redcar, an inaugural host borough. The149.5km route goes through the popular sea-side town of Whitby, which will stage the first intermediate sprint of the day. Following are two short classified climbs at Robin Hood’s Bay and Egton Bank. Once through the next sprint line at Stokesley, with 33km to go, the route heads into the North York Moors National Park with two climbs, opening with the cat 1 Carlton Bank (1.9km at 10.2%). There next climb offers intermediate sprint points at the top, not KOM points, at Newgate Bank (1.3km at 7.3%). The final 85.km descent into Duncombe Park in Helmsley, one of Yorkshire’s finest estates.

Second four days

The longest day of the Tour of Britain is Thursday, September 8 on stage 5 with 186.8km in Nottinghamshire. Like the race did four years ago, the start will be in West Bridgford and the finish is set for the Civic Centre in Mansfield, but the route has changed. From West Bridgford, this year’s route takes in Cotgrave, Gedling, Southwell, Retford and Worksop before heading into Mansfield via Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest. It is a flat day with a trio of intermediate sprints - Edingley, Retford and Clumber Park - and two small classified climbs - at Keyworth (1km at 3.4%) and Sparken Hill (.4km at 8.5%). 

All 170.9km on stage 6 roll through Gloucestershire, beginning in the mediaeval market town of Tewkesbury. Only 10km separate this town from the cathedral city of Gloucester, but the route takes the peloton in a clockwise direction into the Cotswolds. In the first 45km there are KOM points at round Hill (1.8km at 9.4%) and Withington Hill (1.5km at 6.9%). A trio of intermediate sprints unfold at Cirencester, Rangeworhty and Dursley before the final categorised climb at Crawley Hill (1.7km at 8.1%). The peloton will then have 25km to go and approach the finish by the historic Gloucester Docks, the country’s most inland port, from South Gloucestershire.

The race reaches the English Channel for stage 7, with a start in West Bay. The route run parallel with the West Dorset Heritage coast as it winds 175.9km on mainly inland roads towards Dorchester, Wareham and Knowlton, all with intermediate sprints. The classified climbs at Daggers Gate (1km at 3.1%) and Whiteways HIll (1.5km at 7.1%) strike as a tandem after the first 55km, the two separated by 8.5km. The final stiff climb comes with 46km to go at Okeford Hill (1.7km at 7.1%). The stage concludes with finishing circuits in Ferndown.

The Isle of Wight hosts the final day of racing, 148.9km from Ryde to The Needles. In between are a sequence of tourist towns - Sandown, Yarmouth and Cowes with intermediate sprints. Scattered among those are three classified climbs - Brading Down (1.9km at 5.8%), Cowleaze Hill (1.7km at 6.1%) and Zig Zag Road (1.4km at 6.3%). 

The final 20 kilometres will take the peloton along 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 averaging 9.6%, making it the toughest ending to any Tour of Britain in modern history.

• Stage 1 - Aberdeen to Glenshee Ski Centre, 181.3km
• Stage 2 - Hawick to Duns, 175.2km
• Stage 3 - Durham to Sunderland, 163.6km
• Stage 4 - Redcar to Duncombe Park, Helmsley, 149.5km
• Stage 5 - West Bridgford to Mansfield, 186.8km
• Stage 6 - Tewkesbury to Gloucester, 170.9km
• Stage 7 - West Bay to Ferndown, 175.9km
• Stage 8 - Ryde to The Needles, 148.9km

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Gloucestershire to host Tour of Britain 2022 - this is where it will go

• West Country
• Tour of Britain
• Gloucestershire
• Wednesday 6 April 2022 at 12:24pm

Gloucestershire will host its very own full stage of the 2022 Tour of Britain.

The UK’s leading cycle race will feature Tewkesbury, the Cotswolds and a finish alongside the historic Gloucester Docks when it rolls through the country in September of this year.

The Tour of Britain has come through Gloucestershire on previous stages but has never fully finished one in the area.

The race features around 100 of the best riders in the country and last year riding enthusiasts were given a treat when  Mark Cavendish rode in the event.

Where will the tour go in Gloucestershire?

The route in Gloucestershire this year will feature the climbs of Crawley Hill and Painswick and spectators will be able to see both the start and finish line as they are separated by just 10 miles.

The medieval market town of Tewkesbury will host the stage start, before more than 100 of the world’s best riders head into the Cotswolds and South Gloucestershire during the 169-kilometre (105-mile) route.

Mick Bennett the tour's Race Director said the area was a perfect setting for the sixth stage of the event on September 9.

“The Gloucestershire stage of the Tour of Britain really has it all: an historic start location, stunning scenery, challenging climbs and a brilliant finish venue," he said.

"We’re thrilled that the 2022 race is able to feature our first-ever full stage of the Tour in the county and we thank Gloucestershire County Council for their support."

The region will also see the Women's Tour use a similar route between Tewkesbury and Gloucester in June 2022.

Four Gates of Gloucester

Four Gates of Gloucester promoting Gloucester

Tour of Britain 2023 unveils stunning Gloucestershire stage

Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire will play a key role in deciding who is crowned this year’s Tour of Britain champion when the UK’s leading cycle race visits the historic county in September.

The seventh and penultimate stage of this year’s Tour will start in Tewkesbury and finish alongside the historic Gloucester Docks on Saturday 9 September.

This stage – the first full day of racing in Gloucestershire in race history – was originally scheduled to feature in last year’s Tour of Britain, but was cancelled following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The medieval market town of Tewkesbury will host the stage start, before over 100 of the world’s best riders head through Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire to a thrilling finale into the cathedral city of Gloucester.

With the start and finish locations separated by a little over 10 miles, and the event being held on a Saturday, this is a great opportunity to view and support the event and fans will easily be able to attend both the start and finish on race day, which will further add to the atmosphere at this free-to-watch sporting spectacle.

Details of the final route to be used for stage seven and the full stage timetable will be published during July, but it will be and undulating route to really test the riders on their penultimate day and will showcase the incredible sceanery and landscape that Gloucestershire has to offer,

While the 2016 race passed through the county, and the penultimate day of the 2017 event culminated in Cheltenham, this will be the first stage set entirely within Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I delighted that we that we are able to host stage seven of the 2023 Tour of Britain, following on from the success of the Women’s Tour coming to the county in 2022. Events like the Tour of Britain are key to helping our economy thrive and showcase, to a significant international audience, all that Gloucestershire has to offer. Bringing world-class cyclists to our doorstep also has the potential to inspire more people to ride their bikes.”

ITV4 will continue to broadcast live start-to-finish coverage of every stage, as well as a daily highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch the action unfold wherever they are. International coverage will be available in over 150 countries courtesy of Eurosport and GCN+.

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk

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See the Tour of Britain in Gloucestershire

The Tour of Britain reveals the full route for its Gloucestershire stage racing through the county in September 2023, with plenty of opportunities for spectators to catch the world's top cyclists in action as they ride from Tewkesbury to Gloucester.

With Gloucestershire hosting its first full stage of the  Tour of Britain  this September 2023, the full route has now been revealed — with plenty of opportunities to see the world's top cyclists as they whizz through the county. 

During the penultimate seventh stage of this year's race, the riders will cover 106.3 miles as they travel from Tewkesbury to the historic  Gloucester Docks  on Saturday 9 September 2023.

It’s the first time Gloucestershire has hosted a full stage of the iconic cycling race, which passed through the county in 2016 and culminated in Cheltenham in 2017, after the 2022 event was cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Local spectators can pitch up to cheer on the racers at various checkpoints including Bishops Cleeve, Winchcombe, Cirencester, Tetbury, Chipping Sodbury, Yate, Dursley and Stroud — and w ith just 10 miles between the start and finish locations.

The route presents a challenge as the cyclists take on more than 2,200 metres of ascent on roads full of tricky twists and turns.  It also features two locations that fit into the King of the Mountains category of the race — Winchcombe Hill and Crawley Hill — both with thigh-burning gradients to tackle.

But despite the tricky route, cyclists will also be treated to some of the most beautiful scenery in the south west, showing off the county's natural beauty on the global stage. 

Leader of  Gloucestershire County Council , councillor Mark Hawthorne said: 'This route will showcase what is so great about Gloucestershire, passing through the Cotswolds and Stroud on its way from Tewkesbury to Gloucester.

'Events like the Tour of Britain are key to helping our economy thrive and showcase, to a significant international audience, all that Gloucestershire has to offer.'

The Tour of Britain is part of the UCI ProSeries, which saw  Charlie Hatton from the Forest of Dean put Gloucestershire on the map as he claimed gold in the 2023 World Championships . 

For anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the action, the flag lifts on the race on Saturday 9 September 2023 at 11am in Tewkesbury, with riders due to pass through Winchcombe from 11.35am; Cirencester from 12.30pm; Tetbury from 1.04pm; Chipping Sodbury from 1.35pm; Yate from 1.38pm; Wotton-under-Edge from 2.02pm; Dursley from 2.14pm; and Stroud from 2.33pm, with timings based on the earliest estimates for riders to arrive at each destination. 

The race is free to watch and will also be broadcast on ITV4 from Sunday 3 September 2023, for anyone who can't make it in person. 

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22nd April 2024

Serving the people of Dursley

Dursley is getting ready to welcome the Tour of Britain

Gloucestershire will host the 6th stage of the UK's most prestigious and longest-running international cycle race on Friday 9th September.

The race is estimated to go through Dursley at approx. 2:14pm, travelling along Kingshill Road, Castle Street, Bull Pitch & Uley Road.

We want to give the riders & spectators a warm welcome on the day.

The route will be decorated with bunting & the wonderful Queen's Platinum Jubilee flags created by the community.

There will also be a town centre 'cycle art' feature created with the help of the Vibe Youth Centre.

We hope spectators will make the most of Dursley's high street, which is itself home to two specialist bike shops.

It's also a great opportunity to find out more about our wonderful town, which is the birthplace of the distinctive 'Dursley Pedersen' cycle.

Watch out for more cycling news as the race date nears.

Race information for the community & residents along the route can be found online using the link below.

#VisitGlosUK #visitdursley #TourofBritain #gloucestershire

More information: https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk

Posted: Tue, 23 Aug 2022

Tags: Events , Tourism , Visit Dursley , Visitstroud

No-nonsense, practical and more popular than King Charles: Princess Anne's busy royal life

Analysis No-nonsense, practical and more popular than King Charles: Princess Anne's busy royal life

There was a moment in February this year when Princess Anne stepped out in a familiar purple checked coat.

It was a regular day for the Princess Royal, back-to-back engagements including visits to a therapy group and a shawl factory in Nottingham in England's Midlands.

The velvet coat — the hue of Scottish heather — had belonged to her late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, a favourite worn in private and twice in public. It's not a dressy piece, Her Majesty was seen teaming it with trousers and her trademark headscarf, while Anne opted for a skirt and knee-high boots.

Of course, this is the sort of thing we all do. A poignant way to keep a loved one close while also recycling old and, in the late Queen's case, extremely well-made clothes (the piece was designed by Elizabeth II's dressmaker Angela Kelly). It's also very Princess Anne, quietly respectful, no-nonsense, practical — and one reason she continues to poll as the UK's most popular royal from the King's generation.

The 2024 Ipsos poll , which annually measures attitudes to the Royal Family in Britain, showed Anne three percentage points ahead of her brother the King, with the Wales family members topping the poll. This was one percentage point higher than Anne's figures the previous year and a recognition of how vital she is to Charles' reign.

A hardworking royal

The Princess Royal is regularly described as the most hard-working royal, based on the tally of her annual engagements — 457 in 2023 according to the Court Circular, compared to 425 carried out by the King. While this is not an entirely accurate workload analysis — much is done by King Charles and Queen Camilla aside from engagements — it does give a clear indication of just how much of the often mundane public service toil Anne takes on.

Since the King stepped back from public-facing duties to undergo cancer treatment, Anne has been even more in evidence. Last week she carried out six engagements — more than any other royal — and next week there are a further nine scheduled.

There's no great fanfare to Anne's work, which usually sails under the radar. She's rarely trailed by a media pack and travels with a tiny staff retinue, often just security and one aide.

I have interviewed Princess Anne twice, including at a photo shoot on her Gatcombe Estate farm, and travelled with her on her last major visit to Australia to open the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2022.

In person, she is warm, down to earth and eager to get on with the job. She has a quick, dry sense of humour and hits the ground running, never fading. "It's quite frenetic but for quite short spaces," she told me. "There will be quite a lot of flying in between. You just learn to pace yourself. I can now sleep in any form of transport, which does help."

At the Easter Show, she strode through the grounds checking out the animals and meeting local farmers. She was completely in her element.

The royal juggle

It's no surprise, this is very much Princess Anne's manner. "I've never been a city girl. I may have been born within the sound of Bow Bells but definitely never my scene," she told me for an Australian Women's Weekly interview to mark her 70th birthday, in which she talked with fervour about her own farm in Gloucestershire.

"London was to me school days ... weekends were at Windsor ... where there was a farm, mostly dairy but there were pigs and chickens as well. My background ... was always on the farm."

Fitting in royal work with running her farm is a juggle, but like her mother and the King, the public service side of her job is non-negotiable. "We as a family see ourselves as there to support [the monarch]," she said in a 2023 interview with CBC in Canada, ahead of her brother's coronation. "What we do, we hope, contributes to the monarchy and the way in which it can convey continuity … service and understanding the way that people and communities want to live their lives."

Anne was very close to both parents and from her mother says she learned that the job is all about "the way you treat people, with respect for individuals". On engagements, she is happiest chatting with regular folk who I've noticed warm to her quickly. "You just find people with stories to tell," she says.

Her daughter Zara Tindall, who lives nearby on Aston Farm on the Gatcombe Estate, says she can't see her mother ever slowing down or retiring. She's probably right, but Princess Anne is on the record criticising the reduced number of working royals now available to call on, something that has become more apparent with the family's current health issues.

"I think the 'slimmed-down' [monarchy] was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment," she told CBC in 2023. "I mean, it doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing."

The comment caused a few raised eyebrows, but there is no sign that the King is about to call on the likes of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice or recall Prince Harry and Meghan from the US to swell the ranks with an injection of youth.

'A very mixed blessing'

When the Queen was crowned, Princess Anne was second in line to the throne. Today she is 17th behind many non-working royals and both of her younger brothers.

At the end of 2022, Anne and her brother Prince Edward were added to the list of Counsellors of State who can be called on to fill in for the Monarch if he is ill or overseas, but the succession line remains with Prince Harry and Prince Andrew and their children ahead of the Princess Royal.

Some Brits have told me they would feel more comfortable seeing Princess Anne higher up, but it will never happen. In a hierarchical monarchy, the outmoded gender rule that put male heirs ahead of females was changed when the Succession to the Crown Act was passed in 2013, but it doesn't apply retrospectively.

While it must be galling, Anne has taken this gender inequality on the chin, saying she's always felt she was treated as "an honorary man" in other parts of her life — notably in her chosen sport of horse-riding in which she was an Olympian.

The Princess Royal did however famously ensure that her own children were not given titles. This allowed them independence to make their own way and not be indentured to a life of royal work as their mother had been.

"I think even then [when I made the decision] it was easy to see that it [a title] was a very mixed blessing," Princess Anne told me when I interviewed her in 2020. "And in my case because I was female, no advantages at all, really."

Juliet Rieden is a royal commentator.

• X (formerly Twitter)

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