THE WORLD’S top cyclists are set to descend on Warwickshire this September when it hosts stage four of the Lloyds Men’s Tour of Britain.
Taking in all five boroughs and districts of Warwickshire, the stage on Friday September 5, will head from Atherstone to the ever-popular hilltop finish at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
WCC leader Coun George Finch said: “This is a fantastic boost for Warwickshire, and I am particularly delighted to see the breadth of the county that will be encapsulated within the Tour. From north to south, towns to countryside, this event will shine a light on what an incredible place Warwickshire is to live and visit onto an international stage.
“We’re thrilled to have been given the opportunity to host such an exciting and esteemed event, and I hope the people of Warwickshire will take to the streets and the hills, as they always have, to give the Tour the support it deserves.”
This September will be the third time that Warwickshire has hosted Britain’s biggest professional men’s cycle race, with the most recent occasion being in September 2019, when Dutch sensation Mathieu van der Poel won atop Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma also won a stage of the women’s race in the same location that year, with Warwickshire having also hosted the Tour of Britain Women on five occasions in the last decade.
The county additionally hosted the men’s and women’s road races in the Commonwealth Games in August 2022, with both events starting and finishing in Warwick.
The detailed route of the Warwickshire stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will be published later in July.
Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, added: “Warwickshire has a long and proud history of hosting the Lloyds Tour of Britain with great support from the communities across the county, so we are delighted to be returning, especially with such a challenging finale at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, that will draw spectators from right across the heart of England.”
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins in East Suffolk on Tuesday September 2, with an opening leg between Woodbridge and Southwold.
Further announcements about the host venues of the remaining stages, as well as the participating teams for the Lloyds Tour of Britain will be made over the coming weeks.
