Tour of Britain 2011 Route

[LugHugger]

The problem then is the need to finish in London, TDF-style. An East Anglian stage, in order that there be only 1 huge transfer not 2, has to come just before London, which means you have a front-loading of the race with a tame, flat end. If you started in London you could do Norfolk straight away then go up the West of the country and in Wales as they tend to do, then finish off in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Yep. Or start in Norfolk - perhaps with an ITT? - and follow an anti clockwise tour and finish in London via the Downs or the Cotswolds for the last stage. That way, if the penultimate day was in the SW, the transfer to Reading/Brighton/Milton Keynes would not be 225 miles!

 

[Jan the Man]

The stages in Wales and the South West are likely to be the decisive ones if the GC has a shake up before the TT.

 

[ruswilks]

The route again looks very restricted by reliance on Local Authority money. The Stoke stage starts and finishes there so doesn't help to move the race south. The Devon stage is similar, 10 miles from start to finish as the crow flies.

Hopefully the profile of the race continues to grow, bringing in more sponsors or more LAs, so the organisers can afford to go to new locations without the LAs paying them to be there, or have choice from more regions wanting to host the race.

The route would make much more sense if Devon/Somerset was one stage (Exeter to Wells is 60ish miles so there is scope for detouring on the way), then there was a stage somewhere in the central southern counties (Wilts, Hamps, Berks, Beds, Bucks, Herts). Bath to Oxford, Newbury to MK are both 60-70 miles and would reduce the transfer to East Anglia massively.

It would also be good if the London stage started on the outskirts and the finished on a circuit like the TdF, it would again give some flexibility to the transfer situation if the race could stage 40 miles outside central London.

 

[Finbouy]

I do the bumps around Exmouth/Exeter/Dawlish/Teingnmouth/Dartmoor etc. and can concur that they are steep bumps indeed, I'd love to see them hit the hills around Budleigh and/or Bovey Tracey..too..

 

[Captain_Cavman]

The problem then is the need to finish in London, TDF-style. An East Anglian stage, in order that there be only 1 huge transfer not 2, has to come just before London, which means you have a front-loading of the race with a tame, flat end. If you started in London you could do Norfolk straight away then go up the West of the country and in Wales as they tend to do, then finish off in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Plus if all the stages were reversed, the racing would be more interesting.

Can't believe Stoke to Stoke is a stage and that one of the towns or cities on the other side of the Peak district couldn't manage a start. It'd be fun to watch them fly up Winnats for instance.

 

[euanli]

You'd think Glasgow would stump up some cash given the Commonweath games is coming up in a few years. Though the roads at the moment are shocking. Few years ago the riders complained about Paisley Road West, its amazingly much more worse now. Its return to the cobbles underneath in parts.

 

[rolfrae]

The roads in and around Edinburgh a mess so maybe best the race doesn't come here for now. We could fix them if Labour and the Lib Dems hadn't foisted a white elephant tram scheme upon us.

There was talk a few months ago of Scotland hosting the Grand Depart of Le Tour, so maybe a stage or two of the ToB a bit further north would be a start in achieving that end goal.

 

[Anonymous]

It is the same old cities and counties again, but good luck to them. The south west especially has supported the Tour of Britain for years and has been rewarded 2 stages a year for the last 3 years. Exeter has had the tour series two years in a row, and its no coincidence that the South west has also done the most work on its cycle routes with an almost complete coastal route now as well as north to south routes.

Its a shame other local authorities dont stump up the cash, but good on Stoke (which is synonymous with cycling in this country), Devon, and the rest of them.

 

[Mambo95]

Stoke (which is synonymous with cycling in this country)

Is it? Maybe you're right, but it's something that's completely missed me.

I could make a case for Manchester, South Wales, Nottingham, Herne Hill or the Isle of Man, maybe even Leicester. But Stoke? Really?

 

[Andy99]

Tour of Britain 2011: Teams...

An Post-Sean Kelly Cycling Team
Colnago CSF Inox
Endura Racing
Europcar
Garmin-Cervelo
HTC-Highroad
Leopard-Trek
Motorpoint
NetApp
Rabobank
Raleigh
Rapha Condor Sharp
Sigma Sport-Specialized
Sky Professional Cycling Team
Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
Vacansoleil-DCM

 

[will10]

Is it? Maybe you're right, but it's something that's completely missed me.

I could make a case for Manchester, South Wales, Nottingham, Herne Hill or the Isle of Man, maybe even Leicester. But Stoke? Really?

The SOT council has spent a huge amount of money on cycling over the last few years.

 

[Mambo95]

The SOT council has spent a huge amount of money on cycling over the last few years.

I don't doubt it.

It was more the use of the word synonymous. Wimbledon is synonymous with tennis, St Andrews is synonymous with golf, Wembley is synonymous with football. But cycling and Stoke?

 

[LugHugger]

Is it? Maybe you're right, but it's something that's completely missed me.

I could make a case for Manchester, South Wales, Nottingham, Herne Hill or the Isle of Man, maybe even Leicester. But Stoke? Really?

Try looking up a list of frame builders and riders who have been based in Stoke over the last 50-60 years.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

I don't doubt it.

It was more the use of the word synonymous. Wimbledon is synonymous with tennis, St Andrews is synonymous with golf, Wembley is synonymous with football. But cycling and Stoke?

Pottery and Stoke I'd have thought.

But anyway, it's good to see somewhere invest in cycling. I only wish my home town would. I have it from the horses mouth that the Government was offering them a huge sum of money to improve the cycling infrastructure, but it never came to anything.

 

[Anonymous]

Pottery and Stoke I'd have thought.

But anyway, it's good to see somewhere invest in cycling. I only wish my home town would. I have it from the horses mouth that the Government was offering them a huge sum of money to improve the cycling infrastructure, but it never came to anything.

thats how exeter got their money. They are one of the nominated "cycling cities" and get central funding for cycle lanes, paths, cycle racks etc in town.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

thats how exeter got their money. They are one of the nominated "cycling cities" and get central funding for cycle lanes, paths, cycle racks etc in town.

Cool. Exeter's one of my favourite places, never ridden a bike there though. Drinking at the Double Locks is a stand-out memory.

 

[Anonymous]

Cool. Exeter's one of my favourite places, never ridden a bike there though. Drinking at the Double Locks is a stand-out memory.

Great pub. Nice little easy 10k down the river to there. Used to ride with the wife along the river as far as about Dawlish Warren (30k) and then back to the double locks for beer. Then a wobbly 10-12k home.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Plus if all the stages were reversed, the racing would be more interesting.

Can't believe Stoke to Stoke is a stage and that one of the towns or cities on the other side of the Peak district couldn't manage a start. It'd be fun to watch them fly up Winnats for instance.

They used to do a Leeds-Sheffield stage that had a couple of bumps - http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/aug05/britain05/?id=stages/britain053

Looks like both Holme Moss and Snake Pass are within a reasonable distance that they could be included in a Stoke-Stoke stage. I know Sheffield is built amongst hills, anybody know if they put in an uphill finish in those years?

 

[Captain_Cavman]

They used to do a Leeds-Sheffield stage that had a couple of bumps - http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/aug05/britain05/?id=stages/britain053

Looks like both Holme Moss and Snake Pass are within a reasonable distance that they could be included in a Stoke-Stoke stage. I know Sheffield is built amongst hills, anybody know if they put in an uphill finish in those years?

The 2004/5 route appears to have come off the Peaks from the West. So the ride through Sheffield would have been downhill for the most part.

The finish was on Pinstone St outside the Town Hall; assuming they approached from the South (tram track free), there is a 150m incline before levelling out at the top for the last 100m. Nothing to worry road sprinters.

Snake Pass could be included, Holme Moss maybe too far. But the start of both lie well to the North of Stoke, making it a bit out-and-back.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

The finish was on Pinstone St outside the Town Hall; assuming they approached from the South (tram track free), there is a 150m incline before levelling out at the top for the last 100m. Nothing to worry road sprinters.

I've been told the sprint didn't come from the South but the West, so very much downhill at the end.