The 2022 Tour of Britain will start where the last edition left off, with the peloton set to roll out from Aberdeen in Scotland for a summit finish in Glenshee, which will set the tone for the eight-stage race as it hops south through the country with different stage locations.
From September 4 to September 11 the Tour of Britain will unfold with two stages in Scotland, before heading into England and through the North Pennines, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset before a finale on the Isle of Wight.
There the race will end with a view of The Needles as it climbs to Tennyson Down, which could make it another edition where the changes to the overall lead keep coming right up to the very last day.
Last year’s race was won by Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who claimed the overall lead, which changed five times in the eight days of racing as he battled with Julian Alaphilippe and Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers).
The Tour of Britain is again expected to attract the best British riders and those looking for a week of hard racing before travelling to Australia for the UCI World Road Race Championships.
“As promised when we unveiled the Tour of Britain’s host regions in February, this year’s race features a number of surprises, none more so than hill-top finishes to start and end the eight days of world-class competition,” Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said.
“Creating a route that encourages aggressive racing and brave tactics from day one will enhance the reputation of the race, leave the one million plus spectators watching on in person for free with long-lasting memories, showcase the stunning beauty of our host venues, and repeatedly entertain a worldwide audience.”
In 2022, the 185km stage starting in Aberdeen will get the battle for the overall category off to an immediate start, with the first summit finish in the race’s modern day history. The climb up the Old Military Road, from Auchallater to the Glenshee Ski Centre, is 9.1 kilometres long, with the final 5km averaging 4.8 per cent.
The 18th modern edition of the Tour of Britain will then move to the Scottish Borders, with a start in Hawick and, 178km later, a first-ever finish in Duns. The 168km stage 3 takes the race into England, with the riders starting in the shadow of the Durham Cathedral, rolling through the North Pennines, before going back through County Durham and to the Sunderland finish line.
Stage 4 is expected to be another important day for the riders in search of the overall podium, heading out from Redcar through the towns of Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Whitby then to North York Moors National Park. Before the 152km stage is over the riders will tackle the Carlton Bank climb – 2km long with a 9.8 per cent average gradient – and Newgate Bank and then descend to the finish at Duncombe Park, Helmsley.
Stage 5 in Nottinghamshire has the least climbing of all, but is the longest day on the bike at 191km. It heads from West Bridgford to Mansfield, via Sherwood Forest. Only a little more than ten miles will separate the start and finish locations of stage 6, with riders rolling out from the the medieval market town of Tewkesbury into the Cotswolds and then back to the cathedral city of Gloucester to finish the 169km day.
Dorset is home to the 180km stage 7, providing the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site as a backdrop. The stage from West Bay to Ferndown is set to run parallel with the West Dorset Heritage coast, then pass through Dorchester, West Lulworth and Corfe Castle before heading away from the coast towards Wareham, Milton Abbas and Wimborne Minster before finishing in the heart of Ferndown.
The finale will take place on the Isle of Wight on Sunday September 11, with the 150km stage 8 looping its way from Ryde to The Needles, a row of three distinctive chalk rocks.
The circuitous route will traverse the steep spiralling hills in and out of Ventnor before race coverage captures the views of the English Channel as the peloton heads along Military Road in the final 20km. Then the last contest will unfold on a two-kilometre climb up to Tennyson Down, which has an average a gradient of 9.6 per cent during the last 400m.
