News: Cornwall to host Tour of Britain

News: Cornwall will host the Tour of Britain for the first time ever in September 2020, with the Grand Depart of next year’s race seeing riders travel 170 kilometres through the Cornish countryside, starting at Penzance and ending in Bodmin.

News: Cornwall to host Tour of Britain

The stage’s provisional route (subject to final approval) will also visit St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Newquay, St Austell and the Eden Project.

Chris Opie, Cornwall’s most successful professional cyclist, said: “As a proud Cornishman and Cornwall’s most successful Professional Cyclist, I am a lifelong athlete who grew up in Cornwall, but had to look further afield for inspiration from world class athletes. Should the bid to host the Tour of Britain be successful, the opportunity to inspire a younger generation would be incredible.
… continued after advert

“The chance to witness the world’s top athletes competing in one of the world’s toughest events right on their doorstep, enabling a generation to dream and to aim for large, exciting, ambitious goals could be genuinely life changing. Very few individuals have the belief they can do something extraordinary in life, the Tour of Britain is the perfect vehicle to showcase that life can be special.

“As a competitor, the idea to race along the roads I grew up cycling on is truly spine tingling. To stand on the start line in a Cornish town or city as part of a world class sporting event would fill me with a pride unrivalled by any sporting experience imaginable.”

Commenting on the announcement, former professional cyclist Tom Southam, Director Sportif of the EF Education First team, who hails from Penzance and has both ridden in and managed teams at the Tour added: “A Tour of Britain start in Cornwall will be fantastic. They are roads that I grew up riding on and absolutely love. It’s a great part of the world and to showcase it by hosting the opening stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain is going to be an incredible event for everyone in Cornwall to get involved with.”

Speaking on behalf of the Cornish Saint Piran team, professional cyclist Steve Lampier from Helston, who has ridden the Tour of Britain on five occasions, including finishing in the top 20 overall in 2013 and 2014, said: “We are super excited for the Tour of Britain to be coming to our beautiful county of Cornwall, a county in which I grew up racing and training in and dreaming of a major cycling event coming down. I can’t wait to see the Tour of Britain here in September 2020.”