The Tour of Britain will start and end in Felixstowe
The Tour of Britain’s Suffolk route has been revealed, with Felixstowe hosting its start and end.
This stage will mark Suffolk’s first appearance in the men’s Tour of Britain since 2017 and its first time as stage starting point.
Cyclists will head to Felixstowe on September 7, having started in Manchester on September 3. They will then race through Ipswich, Hadleigh, Stowmarket, Debenham, Framlingham, Saxmundham, Leiston, Snape and Woodbridge – before returning to Felixstowe.
Karen Chapman, partnership manager at Suffolk Growth, said: "This event is a fantastic opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate this world-class cycling event in our beautiful county."
To amplify the anticipation around the route reveal, Suffolk landmarks along it have been lit up with Tour-related projections this week – including the Orwell Bridge, Framlingham Castle, and an Apache helicopter at Wattisham Airbase. Ms Chapman said this generated tremendous excitement.
Mick Bennett, race director for the Tour of Britain, said: “It has been great to see famous locations in Suffolk illuminated with the Tour of Britain brand and we now look forward to lighting up the county with some exciting racing from the world’s best teams and riders.”
The illumination of Suffolk’s landmarks was carried out by Motion Mapping.
Sharon Head, Motion Mapping spokesperson, said: “As a Suffolk-based company we are thrilled to be sponsoring the Tour of Britain, Suffolk stage.
“We look forward to working with the organisers and promoting the event in the coming weeks, showcasing Suffolk.”
With a worldwide television audience of 30.7 million and 1.4 million roadside spectators, the eight-day Tour of Britain is the country’s largest free-to-attend sporting event. It contributes around £19 million to the UK economy.
The Tour attracts the world's top teams and riders and the likes of Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas, Primoz Roglic, Julian Alaphilippe, Wout Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Dumoulin, Caleb Ewan and Tom Boonen have all competed and enjoyed success in the event.
