Hill-top finishes at Glenshee Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire and The Needles on the Isle of Wight will bookend the Tour of Britain 2022, which returns for an 18th modern edition in September.
Building on last year’s race, which saw the overall lead change hands five times in eight days, the battle for victory in the 2022 edition takes place on September 4-11).
This year’s Tour of Britain will comprise the following stages:
- Stage one – Sunday 4 September – Aberdeen to Glenshee Ski Centre
- Stage two – Monday 5 September – Hawick to Duns
- Stage three – Tuesday 6 September – Durham to Sunderland
- Stage four – Wednesday 7 September – Redcar to Duncombe Park, Helmsley
- Stage five – Thursday 8 September – West Bridgford to Mansfield
- Stage six – Friday 9 September – Tewkesbury to Gloucester
- Stage seven – Saturday 10 September – West Bay to Ferndown
- Stage eight – Sunday 11 September – Ryde to The Needles
Aberdeen will become the third Scottish city to host the start of the race when the Tour of Britain’s most northerly Grand Départ to date takes place there on Sunday 4 September. Not only will this stage feature an entirely new route compared to last year’s finale in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, it will also include the first-ever opening day summit finish in modern race history.
The Old Military Road climb from Auchallater to Glenshee measures 9.1 kilometres long, with the final five kilometres averaging a gradient of 4.8%.
The Tour will become the biggest-ever sporting event to take place on Isle of Wight soil when the race finishes there on Sunday 11 September. Stage eight features a 150km route from Ryde to The Needles.
The route showcases the island to a worldwide TV audience. Its county town of Newport, as well as the popular tourist locations of Cowes, Sandown, Shanklin, Totland, Ventnor and Yarmouth all feature.
Fans will be able to catch the stage on the Isle of Wight in multiple locations owing to the way it loops around the Isle.
Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain Race Director, said “As promised when we unveiled the Tour of Britain’s host regions in February, this year’s race features a number of surprises, none more so than hill-top finishes to start and end the eight days of world-class competition.
“Creating a route that encourages aggressive racing and brave tactics from day one will enhance the reputation of the race, leave the one million plus spectators watching on in-person for free with long-lasting memories, showcase the stunning beauty of our host venues, and repeatedly entertain a worldwide audience.”
ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage, as well as a nightly highlights show. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, in part thanks to the event’s partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.
