TOUR de France winners Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome will be among cycling’s elite pedalling through Warwickshire today in the Ovo Energy Tour of Britain.
The two Team Sky riders, who placed first and third in July’s Tour de France, will both be on competing when the biggest event in domestic cycling comes to the county for the 183.4km stage 4.
The riders will set off from Nuneaton for the fourth stage of the event at 11am and head towards Atherstone before taking in the north Warwickshire countryside and Meriden.
They will then head to the University of Warwick, before passing Kenilworth and Warwick castles, en route to Stratford.
The riders will also have to take on three King of the Mountain climbs – an ascent of more than 1,700 metres. The first at Ilmington, followed others at Edge Hill and Burton Dassett Country Park.
The race will then head through Moreton Morrell, Wellesbourne, Kineton, Tysoe, Shipston, Fenny Compton and Southam, and then towards Princethorpe before finishing in the centre of Leamington around 3.30pm.
The race is currently led by New Zealander Patrick Bevin of the BMC Racing team. He was narrowly pipped to victory in stage 3 in Bristol yesterday by Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who won the King of the Mountains jersey at this summer’s Tour de France.
Warwick District Council has arranged activities in the Pump Room Gardens to celebrate the tour’s arrival – including big screen, inflatables and food.
For full details of today’s stage click here
