The Tour of Britain through Cornwall
Cyclists from around the world are making their way 111 miles from Penzance to Bodmin
Last updated 5th Sep 2021
The Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional cycle race, is officially underway in Cornwall.
Some of the world's top riders are making their way 111 miles from Penzance to Bodmin today (Sunday 5th September).
Tour of Britain in Cornwall: Route, timings and road closures
The race has returned after an absence of 722 days following the cancellation of the 2020 event due to the pandemic and it is the first time it has come to Cornwall.
There is a star studded field headlined by Mark Cavendish, reigning World Champion Julian Alaphilippe and Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Wout van Aert and Ethan Hayter.
Speaking to us before the race, Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) said: "Starting our national tour it's exciting, I hope the sun comes out in Cornwall today because I know it's a beautiful part of the world and it'll be nice to ride it. Its going to be hard, it's up and down, there's no flat here is there."
The star studded 107-rider line-up contains five reigning national road race champions and a total of seventeen different nationalities represented.
Among them is the Cornish pro cycling team Saint Piran, in their first ever Tour of Britain competition.
When they were introduced on stage in Penzance the crowds went wild, cheering and shouting for their local team.
The team is headed up by local lad Steve Lampier who spoke to us just before the competition kicked off and says the reaction from fans gave him goosebumps.
He told us: "I'm super excited, I've done six of these in the past and you always get a good reception but never like this. There is a massive range of emotions, excited, nerves, you name it.
"Personally for me whatever happens today I'm just going to enjoy it, it's the highlight of my career, to do a race on home roads, roads I grew up training on, is unreal."
Team mate Tom Mazzone added: "Being a Cornish team down here in Cornwall is absolutely incredible, before we even start the race if we can get out there and show off the jersey today then it'll be amazing."
Andy Hawes is the route director of the Tour of Britain, speaking to us in Penzance he said Cornwall could bring some challenges for the riders.
He said: "There are many challenges out on the route today, it is quintessentially Cornish from the start to the finish with narrow, twisty roads, some good climbs but most of all some spectacular views so I just hope the cloud lifts.
"I think we wanted to make sure that everybody knew that stage one was in Cornwall, so anything that had a Cornish feel or flavour to it we wanted to make sure that was there. We pass through many tin mines we pass through Camborne which has a deep history in mining.
"What we didn't want to do was to upset the holidaymakers coming to and from the county, so we've avoided the A30 and A38 as much as we can.
"We have to run to a certain amount of kilometres per day, so we can't overstretch the stages. Making sure we could get in everything that we wanted to, the first time the race has been here, and Bodmin being the county town of Cornwall it made perfect sense to finish there.
"And also, having not explored all of Cornwall, means that we can come back."
The Tour is being supported by a famous Cornish resident who you may recognise, the incredible Andrew Ridgeley from Wham!
Andrew is a keen cyclist and is excited to see the prestigious competition in the Duchy.
He told us: "It's a big day for Cornwall and Penzance, it's a big sporting event, the route today goes through some really spectacular scenery, it's a great turn out and it will be very exciting.
"Cornwall is challenging for anyone on a bike so it will be a tough race I imagine for some of the guys.
"I think there will be a fair degree of excitement along the way with a good turnout of people, and lots of people at the finish. It's a good day out for the good folk of Cornwall and the cycling community especially."
Commenting on the race, AJ Bell Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said; “The fact that we were unable to run the Tour of Britain in 2020 was enough to raise the excitement level going into this year’s event. Yet, combined with the truly spectacular and challenging route we’ve designed, the quality of this year’s start list makes me believe that we’re about to witness one of the most exciting editions of the modern race to date.
“We look forward to seeing the roads of Great Britain lined with spectators all the way from Penzance to Aberdeen, and I would encourage everybody planning to attend the race to respect their fellow spectators and, of course, the riders, as well as following local COVID-19 guidance."
The race gets underway with an opening 180.8-kilometre (112.4-mile) stage through Cornwall from Penzance to Bodmin on Sunday 5th September, culminating with a challenging uphill finish on St Nicholas Street outside Bodmin Keep.
After a second stage in the south west – between Sherford and Exeter in Devon – the AJ Bell Tour of Britain includes two stages in Wales, the first an 18.2-kilometre team time trial to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and the second a testing 210 kilometres ending atop the Great Orme on the North Wales coast.
Stages Five and Six take the race to Cheshire and Warrington, and then across the Pennines from Carlisle to Gateshead with a finish in the shadow of the Angel of the North. The final pair of stages take place in Scotland, between Hawick and Edinburgh, and then culminating with the final stage from Stonehaven to Aberdeen on Sunday 12 September.
The AJ Bell Tour of Britain is sponsored by AJ Bell, one of the UK’s leading online investment platforms, helping people invest for the long term via ISAs, pensions and general investment accounts. It has a rich history of supporting elite level sport including badminton, cricket, rugby, squash and triathlon.