WELCOME

Welcome to this guide to the 2017 Tour of Britain, a race that continues to grow in stature with an impressive 10 World Tour teams set to take to the start line in Edinburgh. With such a wealth of talent likely to be fighting for honours and form ahead of the world championships, and with a course to suit the sprinters, we can expect a tight race that won’t be won until the final charge for the line in Cardiff. Inside we get route director Andy Hawes to talk us through every stage, assess the roads of stage eight for ourselves, and offer our advice on the best way to watch the action. With a 10-mile time trial set to play a crucial role in the race, we also look at how to master this very British discipline, and why you probably shouldn’t copy everything the pros do…