Tour of Britain cycling race to include first-ever stage finish in Edinburgh

Edinburgh will provide a picturesque backdrop for this year’s Tour of Britain cycling race, with a first-ever stage finish in the Capital.

The race is scheduled to take place between Sunday 5 and Sunday 12 September, starting at Penzance in Cornwall and finishing in Aberdeen, as previously announced.

On September 11, Edinburgh will host the finish of stage seven, which will start in Hawick in the Scottish Borders, the day after a stage from Cumbria to Gateshead.

The opening two stages, the first between Penzance and Bodmin and the brutal second between Sherford in Devon and Exeter via Dartmoor, have already been announced alongside the finale from Stonehaven to Aberdeen.

Stages three and four are due to take place entirely within Wales, but no further details have yet been released due to the different Covid-19 regulations in the country.

Stage five will take the peloton along the Cheshire lanes on a relatively flat route to the golden gates of Warrington, which will be making its debut as a host venue.

It is then back into the hills for a stage linking Cumbria to Gateshead via the Lake District and the climb of the Hartside Pass in the northern Pennines, finishing in the shadow of the Angel of the North.

After stage seven into Edinburgh, the climbing legs will then be needed again on the final day, with the climb of Cairn O’Mount in the Grampian mountains included on the route from Stonehaven to Aberdeen.

This year’s Tour of Britain will include a first-ever stage finish in Edinburgh.

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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