City to welcome Tour of Britain

CYCLING fans will welcome some of the sport’s top riders to Cardiff tomorrow, as the city hosts the final stage of the Tour of Britain.

It is the first time the UK’s premier bike race has finished in the Welsh capital, and just the fourth time the race has ended outside London, with riders expected to cross the finish line at City Hall just after 3pm.

Hometown cycling star and Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas was the highest-placed of the UK riders last night. He was in ninth place, 19 seconds off the lead.

Holland’s Lars Boom remained in first place.

A number of road closures will be put in place for tomorrow’s 190km stage, which begins in Worcester and heads through Monmouthshire and Newport before heading into the capital.

There will be rolling road closures from 2pm along Wentloog Avenue, Lamby Way, Rover Way, Ocean Way, East Tyndall Street and Herbert Street.

The riders will then join Lloyd George Avenue, where they will enter a race circuit from Cardiff Bay to the Civic Centre and back down to the Bay.

The race circuit will be completed three times before the riders finish at City Hall.

As a result of the sporting action, the following road will be closed from 5am to 8pm:

North Road at the junction with Column Road;

Corbett Road from the junction with Park Place/Column Road to the junction with North Road;

Boulevard de Nantes, and Kingsway southbound at the junction with Greyfriars Road; Duke Street and Castle Street; Cowbridge Road East at the junction with Cathedral Road/Lower Cathedral Road;

Westgate Street, Quay Street and Womanby Street;

Guildhall Place, Wharton Bakers Row, Golate Y Gwter;

Tudor Street at the junction with Clare Road/Clare Street;

Wood Street, Park Street, Road and Havelock Street;

St Mary Street at the junction with Wood Street and at the junction with Tresillian Way; Caroline Street; Penarth Road will be closed at the junction with the Network Rail car park exit; Customhouse Street; Tresillian Way to be closed at the junction with Penarth Road/Dumballs Road; Callaghan Square and Hope Street; Bute Street at the junction with Bute Terrace to the junction with North Church Street;

Tyndall Street, Link and East Tyndall Street;

Herbert Street and Lloyd George Avenue;

Vellacott Close, Letton Silurian Place, Glanhowny Street, Scott Road, Close and Ffordd Garthorne;

Hemingway Road will be closed at the junction with Schooner Way to the junction with Bute Street;

Pierhead Street at the junction with Caspian Way/Falcon Drive to the junction with Bute Place; and

Bute Place at the junction with Pierhead Street to the junction with Bute Street/James Street.

There will also be road closures in the Civic Centre throughout the day tomorrow until 9pm. These include Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, King Edward VII Avenue, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens.