Cornwall and Devon will host the opening two stages of the next edition of the Tour of Britain in September 2021, with the routes of both stages unveiled by organisers and ESA member SweetSpot to mark the week when the race should have been taking place.
The 2020 edition of the Tour of Britain was postponed in May due to COVID-19, with the route that will start in Penzance and finish in Aberdeen now being used between 5 and 12 September 2021 for the next edition of Britain’s biggest professional cycle race.
The Tour of Britain will start for the first time in Cornwall, with an opening stage from Penzance to Bodmin on Sunday 5 September. A day later the race will resume in Devon for a leg from Sherford, outside Plymouth, to finish in Exeter city centre.
The first ever Cornwall stage is expected to deliver a net economic impact of more than £3 million and provide a welcome boost for the Duchy’s tourism economy through visitors on the day and worldwide television and media coverage.
“It is fantastic news not just for those of us lucky enough to live in Cornwall, but it will also attract visitors to come down to celebrate the start with us and provide an economic boost at the start of the late summer season,” said Malcolm Bell, Chief Executive of Visit Cornwall.
Cllr Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for culture, economy and planning, said: “Having the Tour of Britain in Cornwall offers us a chance to show our wonderful corner of the world off to a global audience and will provide even more reasons for visitors to come here and add a much-needed boost for our towns and our tourist industry next year.”
“We will also work to ensure we create a long term legacy from the event by raising the profile of cycling in Cornwall and motivating more people to cycle and lead healthier and active lives.”
For Devon it is their eleventh year of hosting the Tour of Britain since 2008, with an estimated 1.7 million people having seen a stage in the county, bringing in a net economic impact of over £41 million to the local economy.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for cycling, said: “We’ve got a year to prepare for the Devon stage of the 2021 Tour of Britain so we want to make it the biggest and best ever and try to inspire even more people to take to two wheels.
“Next year’s stage should be a good challenge for the world’s best riders and it will provide a very welcome boost for our local economy.”
Stage One in Cornwall (Sunday 5 September) embraces some of the iconic rural and coastal landscapes of Cornwall as well as showcasing historic towns and includes St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Newquay and St Austell over its 183 kilometres (113.5 miles).
The Devon stage (Mon 6 September) is a 185 kilometre (115 mile) route between Sherford and Exeter, that will visit the South Hams, passing through Dartmouth and Kingsbridge, and cross Dartmoor.
The Tour of Britain, and its sister event The Women’s Tour (part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour), continue to look for a headline sponsor for 2021 and beyond.
With cycling enjoying a boom in the UK, and hundreds of thousands of new and returning cyclists taking to two wheels, partnership opportunities for brands looking to target a healthy national audience and to be associated with Britain’s two biggest professional cycling events are available at all levels and on a regional level to support individual stages.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Stage maps of the Cornwall and Devon stages can be downloaded for use here along with photography of launch events in Penzance and Exeter.
About the Tour of Britain
Relaunched in 2004 after a five-year absence from the calendar, the Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, held annually across eight days in September.
The free-to-watch sporting spectacular features Olympic, world and Tour de France champions, and attracts a roadside audience of over 1.5m spectators. Live coverage of the race is shown daily in the UK on ITV4 and Eurosport, in addition to around the world. The Tour of Britain is part of the new UCI ProSeries, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events in the sport’s global calendar.
Follow the Tour of Britain on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or via the event’s official website at tourofbritain.co.uk
For further media information, please contact Peter Hodges via peterH@thetour.co.uk and 07970 526 519.