Tour of Britain stage coming to Gloucestershire after last year’s …

The Tour of Britain[1] has announced that Gloucestershire[2] will be hosting a stage of the cycling race after missing out last year. The seventh and penultimate stage of the 2023 Tour will start in Tewkesbury[3] and finish in Gloucester[4] on Saturday. September 9.

This will be the first time that a full stage will be held in the county and a rescheduled date after the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II led to Stage Six and the remainder of the 2022 race to be cancelled. The full route details and a timetable of Stage Seven have yet to be released but the start town will be Tewkesbury before an undulating route that passes into South Gloucestershire[5] before a finish near to Gloucester Docks.

“We know how much people in Gloucestershire were looking forward to our planned stage in 2022, so, a little later than expected, we’re excited to be heading to this beautiful part of Britain”, said Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director.

After Cheltenham[7] hosted a stage finish of the race in 2017 and featured Cleeve Hill as one of the decisive climbs, leader of Gloucestershire County Council[8] Mark Hawthorne has expressed his delight at the race finally coming for a full day of bike racing.

“Events like the Tour of Britain are key to helping our economy thrive and showcase, to a significant international audience, all that Gloucestershire has to offer”, Cllr Hawthorne said. “Bringing world-class cyclists to our doorstep also has the potential to inspire more people to ride their bikes.”

Keep up to date with news from Gloucestershire through our newsletter[9]

References

  1. ^ Tour of Britain (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  2. ^ Gloucestershire (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  3. ^ Tewkesbury (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  4. ^ Gloucester (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  5. ^ South Gloucestershire (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
  6. ^ RIAT air-to-air photographs gives pilot’s eye view of Eurofighter and F15 Strike Eagles (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  7. ^ Cheltenham (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  8. ^ Gloucestershire County Council (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
  9. ^ our newsletter (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)