It’s a Grand Depart for Wales in Tour of Britain
THE Tour of Britain – with a Welsh grand depart – will feature its first team time trial this year on a route designed to be unpredictable.
After a 2017 edition dominated by sprinters, the 2018 race should be more punchy with two stages – including the team time trial – finishing on Whinlatter Pass in Cumbria and plenty of challenging climbs thrown in elsewhere.
The race will start on Sunday, September 2 with a 175km stage from Pembrey Country Park to Newport and visit the South West, Warwickshire, Cumbria and Nottinghamshire before a return to the familiar circuit finish in London on September 9.
The team time trial will come on stage five, covering 14 kilometres from Cockermouth to Whinlatter Pass in the Lake District.
A day later, the riders will return to the summit, but this time coming up the tougher eastern side at the end of a 169km stage which starts in Barrowin-Furness.
“Our partners at Cumbria County Council have helped us to achieve something that we have been keen to do for a number of years on stage five – a team time trial that finishes atop Whinlatter Pass,” said race director Mick Bennett.
“This will be a test like no other, as teams will have to get their equipment choices and tactics spot on.
“The race may not be won here, but some riders could certainly lose it.
“In another first for the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, we return to the same climb the following day for a double ascent of our summit finish - although riders will tackle it during a conventional road stage, albeit from its harder eastern side.”
While Whinlatter Pass is likely to be the focus of the battle for the overall leader’s green jersey, there are testing climbs throughout the route, often in the final kilometres of the day.
The opening stage will take the riders over the short, sharp Belmont Hill outside Newport in the final 10km, while the 174km stage two from Cranbrook to Barnstaple includes the 13% inclines of Challacombe a little over 20km from the line.
“This year we have worked hard to create an innovative and unpredictable route, with several surprises in store throughout the race,” Bennett added.
“Several stages have stings in the tail; climbs positioned towards the finale of stages one, two and three will keep the outcome up in the air until the very end.”
Stage three will take the riders over a lumpy 125km circuit which starts and finishes in Bristol, with the 183km stage four from Nuneaton to Royal Leamington Spa revisiting roads which will feature on this year’s Women’s Tour in June.
After stages five and six in Cumbria riders face their longest day in the saddle, a 223km stage from West Bridgford to Mansfield before the finale in London, which will cover 14 laps of a 5.5km circuit around the capital.
With a series of sprint finishes keeping time differences at a minimum, Dutchman Lars Boom won the 2017 Tour thanks to his victory on the stage five time trial, and his LottoNL-Jumbo squad are one of 10 WorldTour teams already confirmed to take part this year.
Mark Cavendish’s Team Dimension Data, Team Sky and Mitchelton-Scott are also on the list.