Split stage on final day includes a time trial for the first time in six years
The route of the Tour of Britain was presented in London today, with a course that features a time trial for the first time since 2005. The route begins, as previously reported, in southern Scotland and takes in stages in the north west of England, the Midlands, Wales, the South West and East Anglia, before finishing in Whitehall in the centre of London.
The London stage, sponsored by Transport for London (TfL) will be split into two, with a 10km time trial in the morning followed by a circuit race in the afternoon. The time trial will allow overall contenders to finally settle the standings before the largely ceremonial afternoon stage.
“We are very excited about the route for the 2011 Tour of Britain, particularly with the inclusion of the final day time trial in the very heart of London,” said Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain Race Director.
“Anyone who remembers the crowds who flocked to see the Tour de France Prologue in 2007 will know what to expect and look forward to this September,” he continued. “After the success of the 2010 Tour of Britain we are pleased to unveil another tough and demanding route that visits England, Scotland and Wales, making it a true Tour of Britain.”
The race will begin with a 170km stage between Peebles and Dumfries in the Scottish borders, followed by a stage across the Lake District from Kendal, finishing, as it has done for the past three years, on the famous “Golden Mile” seafront of the northwestern resort town of Blackpool.
Another regular stage city follows the next day with a stage around the Staffordshire countryside that finishes on the uphill finishing straight in centre of Stoke-on-Trent.
The next day sees the race cross Wales between Welshpool and Caerphilly, including the crossing of the Brecon Beacons and Caerphilly Mountain, before taking in two stages in the south west of England.
Both south western stages will feature plenty of climbing, with stage 5, between Exeter and Exmouth, crossing Dartmoor, and stage, between Taunton and Wells, featuring the ascent of Cheddar Gorge.
After a long transfer from the south west to the east of the country, the next stage will be the longest of the race, between Bury St Edmunds and Sandringham, before heading to London for the time trial and circuit race.
16 teams invited from home and abroad
The 16 teams invited to the race to compete for the new IG Markets sponsored gold jersey, and will be the usual mix of first division ProTeams and local Continental squads. Seven ProTeams have been invited: Garmin-Cervélo, Leopard Trek, Rabobank, Team Sky (with Bradley Wiggins expected to ride as usual), HTC-Highroad and Vacansoleil-DCM.
In addition to the seven ProTeams, five Professional Continental teams have been invited: AN Post-Sean Kelly, Colnago-CSF Inox, Europcar, NetApp and Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator. The remaining four places have gone to British Continental teams Endura Racing, Motorpoint, Rapha-Condor-Sharp and Raleigh, who will be hoping to provide the first domestic-based winner of the race in its modern history.
Last year’s race was won by Michael Albasini (HTC-Columbia).
Tour of Britain 2011 stages:
September 11th, Stage 1 – Peebles to Dumfries
September 12th, Stage 2 – Kendal to Blackpool
September 13th, Stage 3 – The Stoke-on-Trent Stage
September 14th, Stage 4 – Welshpool to Caerphilly
September 15th, Stage 5 – Exeter to Exmouth
September 16th, Stage 6 – Taunton to Wells
September 17th, Stage 7 – Bury St Edmunds to Sandringham
September 18th, Stage 8a – The TfL Stage, Individual Time Trial
September 18th, Stage 8b – The TfL Stage, Circuit Race
16 teams invited:
AN Post-Sean Kelly Cycling Team (Irl)
Colnago-CSF Inox (Ita)
Endura Racing (GBr)
Garmin-Cervelo (USA)
Leopard Trek (Lux)
Motorpoint (GBr)
Rabobank (Ned)
Rapha-Condor-Sharp (GBr)
Sigma Sport-Specialized (GBr)
Sky Professional Cycling Team (GBr)
Team Europcar (Fra)
Team HTC – Highroad (USA)
Team NetApp (Ger)
Team Raleigh (GBr)
Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator (Bel)
Vacansoleil-DCM (Ned)