Glasgow hosts 2019 Grand Depart for Tour of Britain
This year’s Tour of Britain will begin in Glasgow on Saturday 7 September with a 201.5- kilometre stage to Kirkcudbright.
The following day’s stage 2 is a 166.4 circuit starting and finishing in Kelso before the race moves to Berwick on the Monday with a stage south from there to Newcastle.
The race usually finishes in London but the 2019 edition will finish in Manchester on Saturday 14 September after getting no further south than Worcester.
The eight- day, 1,250 -kilo - metre route includes uphill finishes in Newcastle, Kendall and Warwickshire’s Burton Dassett Country Park.
In a statement, race director Mick Bennett said: “This year’s race is a quintessentially British affair, combining the short and sharp climbs we’re famed for with finishes for the world’s best sprinters and, hopefully, a few surprises along the way.
“More than ever, this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain route has been designed with spectators in mind.
Manchester city centre, home to national governing body British Cycling, has not hosted a Tour of Britain stage since 2004, the year the race was relaunched after a fiveyear absence.
I TV 4 will be providing live, free -to -air coverage of the entire Tour of Britain, which was won last year by French star Julian Alaphilippe, with a nightly highlights programme, as well.
At the Giro D’italia, France’s N ans Peters won stage 17 as overall leader Richard Carapaz gained a few extra seconds on his rivals.
Peters powered clear from an 18- man break away with around 15 kilometres remaining of the 181km stage from Commezzadura to Anterselva Antholz.
The 25-year- old Ag2r-la Mondiale rider was never in danger of being caught as he claimed his maiden win in a grand tour and his team’s first in the Giro since 2011.
Peters finished one minute 34 seconds ahead of Este - ban C haves( Mitch eltonScott), with Davide Formolo (Bora-hansgrohe) a further 17 seconds adrift.
Peters’ team-mate Larry Warbasse told Eurosp or t: “N ans has been riding incredibly so, when he got in the break toda,y he was our best chance because he has a good sprint, although he arrived alone. It’s so cool to see a guy like Nans, who is always working so hard, finally get his day.”
Carapaz was well behind but still extended his lead over Vincenzo Nibali by seven seconds to 1min 54secs, with Primoz Roglic another 22s behind in third. Britain’s Simon Yates remains eighth in the general classification, more than seven minutes adrift of Carapaz.