19th Tour of Britain race gets under way on Sunday

The Tour of Britain, the UK’s leading cycle race, will return for the 19th time between Sunday 3 and 10 September, with two of the eight stages taking place in Wales.

On Monday 4 September, the race returns to Wrexham for the first time in eight years, with a stage that starts and ends in the same place.

When Wrexham last hosted the race in 2015, Elia Viviani won a three-way sprint against André Greipel and Mark Cavendish in front of an estimated 10,000 spectators.

Welshman, and former stage winner Luke Rowe, will feature in a strong INEOS Grenadiers team, led by Yorkshire’s Tom Pidcock.

Last year Pidcock narrowly missed out on claiming the overall victory in the race. He was just three seconds down on Movistar Team’s Gonzalo Serrano when the race was curtailed in 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Rowe won the opening stage of the Tour in 2012. Having established himself as one of the sport’s leading domestiques, this will mark his first appearance in the race in 11 years.

INEOS Grenadiers are one of the most successful teams in modern Tour of Britain history, having won the second most stages (19) to date. Sir Bradley Wiggins delivered the team’s sole overall victory in the event, which came in 2013 during their Team Sky era.

Loop

The route, which includes one category three climb, comprises a clockwise loop that passes across the border into Cheshire, before returning to Welsh soil after Threapwood.

The riders will pass through Llay, Gresford, Rossett, Holt, Malpas, Bangor-on-Dee, Eyton, Johnstown, Ruabon and Rhos before completing the circuit back in Wrexham.

At 109.9 kms, this stage of the race will be the second shortest point-to-point road stage in the tour’s history, with the shortest being the final stage of the 2006 race, which comprised an 82km ride from Greenwich to The Mall in London.

Gruelling

The race will then return to Wales for the final stage on September 10, and will include will feature its first return to the legendary Caerphilly Mountain climb since 2013 as part of a spectacular finale in South Wales.

Stage eight of the Tour will see the world’s best riders race from Margam Country Park to the finish line at Caerphilly Castle on Sunday 10 September.

The route will pass through the boroughs of Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, and Rhondda Cynon Taff and includes three gruelling category one climbs.

Riders will start at Margam Park before taking in Porthcawl, Ogmore-by-Sea, Cowbridge, Bryncae on to Treorchy and over the category one climb to Rhigos. From there they continue to Hirwaun, Aberdare, Bryn-Du, Perthcelyn, Abercynon and Ystrad Mynach.

The sting in the tail comes in the form of a double ascent of Caerphilly Mountain, the gradient of which averages 10.1% across its 1.3 kilometres.

Stage eight is supported in principle by Welsh Government as part of an agreement unveiled in 2022 that will see the Tour of Britain and its sister race, the Women’s Tour, each visit the country in alternate years through to 2026.

This year’s race will comprise the following eight stages:

• Grand Depart | Sunday 3 September | Greater Manchester: Altrincham > Manchester
• Stage two| Monday 4 September | Wrexham > Wrexham
• Stage three | Tuesday 5 September | The Howdens Stage: Goole > Beverley
• Stage four | Wednesday 6 September | Sherwood Forest > Newark-on-Trent
• Stage five | Thursday 7 September | Felixstowe > Felixstowe
• Stage six | Friday 8 September | Southend-on-Sea > Harlow
• Stage seven | Saturday 9 September | Tewkesbury > Gloucester
• Stage eight | Sunday 10 September | Margam Country Park > Caerphilly

Cycling enthusiasts will be able to watch the 2023 race on ITV4 as they exclusively broadcast all eight stages live from start to finish for the fifth edition running. A one-hour highlights show will also be shown each evening.

Spectators attending the stage start at Margam Country Park MUST pre-book a pass in advance of race day. Click here for more details.