Tour of Britain: Route for 10th Anniversary Edition

The 2013 10th Tour of Britain will start in Peebles Scotland and finish in London with two stages in Wales, a ten mile time trial and a summit finish in Devon!

At a gala launch in London on Thursday evening, details of the tenth edition of the Tour of Britain were unveiled in Covent Garden.

Tenth anniversary Tour of Britain prepares to get tough

â€¢ First ever summit finish for the modern Tour of Britain on Stage Six in Devon
â€¢ Longest ever individual time trial at Knowsley Safari Park on Stage Three
â€¢ Central London finish with iconic circuit on Sunday 22nd September

The Tour of Britain will celebrate its tenth anniversary in style, with the hardest ever route including the first ever summit finish for a stage and the raceâ€™s longest ever individual time trial. The race will get underway from the Peebles in the Scottish Borders on Sunday 15th September and visit the Lake District and Snowdonia for the first time, before ending in the heart of London on Sunday 22nd September with a ten lap circuit race finishing on Whitehall.

Headlining the features will be the finish at Haytor on Dartmoor on Stage Six, which will bring the drama of a summit finish to Britainâ€™s biggest professional cycle race for the first time ever, as well as a 10-mile individual time trial based around Knowsley Safari Park on Merseyside on day three.

Challenges for the worldâ€™s top riders will be present throughout, with Stage Two seeing The Tourâ€™s longest ever leg, at 225-kilometres through the heart of Cumbria and the Lake District, with a tricky uphill finish in Kendal, whilst Stage Five through Wales includes two ascents of Caerphilly Mountain towards the end of a gruelling route.

The Tour will also visit Dumfries & Galloway, Stoke-on-Trent and Surrey during the eight stage event. â€œThis yearâ€™s Tour will be an exciting and dynamic route, building on the success of last yearâ€™s race and celebrating what has been an incredible ten years of growth for The Tour of Britain and cycling in the UK,â€ said Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of SweetSpot Group, the organisers and promoters of The Tour of Britain. â€œI would also like to welcome the return of IG Group as Partners of the Race. I am sure in 2013 whoever wears the race leaderâ€™s IG Gold Jersey will definitely have earned the honour.â€

The Tour of Britain was revived by SweetSpot Group in 2004, with Jonathan Tiernan Locke becoming the first British winner in the modern raceâ€™s history last year.

â€œThis will definitely be the most challenging Tour of Britain yet,â€ said Race Director Mick Bennett. â€œWe have several unique features and are very excited about the inclusion of our first ever summit finish. Our longest ever time trial balances the course and will ensure that for spectators at the roadside and at home on television The Tour of Britain is a thrilling battle throughout.â€

The route of the 2013 Tour of Britain is as follows:

Stage One
Sunday 15th September Peebles to Drumlanrig Castle 201km

Stage Two
Monday 16th September Cumbria, The Lake District Stage, Carlisle to Kendal 225km

Stage Three
Tuesday 17th September Knowsley Individual Time Trial 16km

Stage Four
Wednesday 18th September Stoke-on-Trent to Llanberis 190.9kmÂ (more on the Stoke Stage here)

Stage Five
Thursday 19th September Machynlleth to Caerphilly 177.1km

Stage Six
Friday 20th September Sidmouth to Haytor, Dartmoor 137km

Stage Seven
Saturday 21st September Epsom to Guildford 150.4km

Stage Eight
Sunday 22nd September The London Stage, presented by TfL 88km

2012 Report Results & Photos from the Tour of Britain

Photos from all nine editions so far from Larry Hickmott

FORMER WINNERS