Tour of Britain 2024: All the photos and videos from the finish line in Felixstowe

The crowd erupted with cheers as the world’s best cyclists crossed the finish line in Felixstowe, bringing this year’s Tour of Britain to a close.

The 20th edition of the UK’s premier cycling event kicked off on Tuesday in Kelso, Scotland, followed by legs in the Tees Valley, South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and West Northamptonshire.

Today, visitors and residents eagerly awaited to catch a glimpse of the riders as they travelled through East Suffolk, having set off for the final stage from the Lowestoft Promenade this morning.

Matevz Govekar (Bahrain Victorious), of Slovenia, took victory in the final stage, while Stevie Williams (Israel – Premier Tech) held onto his lead and secured the top spot overall – the first home winner since 2016.

Williams also made history as he became the first Welshman to win the modern Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men.

Govekar won the sprint finish in Felixstowe ahead of Denmark’s Rasmus Pedersen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team) and Great Britain’s Ben Swift (INEOS Grenadiers), who also won the combativity award of the day.

Among those competing for first place were Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medallists Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers).

The podium ceremony started soon after, but not before the Tour de France’s all-time record holder for stage wins and cycling’s greatest sprinter, Sir Mark Cavendish, was celebrated for his contribution to the sport.

Cavendish retired from international cycling this year and today cheered from the sideline with his friends and family.

He appeared in Felixstowe as a special guest and was honoured for his incredible achievements.

It was the seventh time the Tour of Britain had visited Suffolk and the first time the county hosted the final stage.

When asked what this meant for the county, Phil Harris, head of communications at East Suffolk Council, said: “It’s was an incredible event that came to Suffolk.

“We're proud to have been able to support a truly great sporting event.

“It was a great way to showcase the county’s beauty, its towns, the coastline, and also for local people to come and have a great day out watching fantastic athletes right on their doorstep.

“Having the Tour of Britain also showed that East Suffolk is exactly the kind of place that can host events like this, that can handle the teams, the infrastructure, and the requirements.

“For us, there was no better way to show what an amazing part of the world this is than having an international audience see these athletes cycling through our countryside and towns."

The day was celebrated with a myriad of activities planned to coincide with the sporting event.

In Lowestoft, there was live entertainment, workshops and a BMX pump track for all to enjoy.

Nearly 50 miles down the Suffolk coast, the Love Felixstowe festival was well under way, having kicked off on Friday.

The festival included circus entertainers, arts and craft, games and a big screen broadcasting the final stage.

Among those cheering on from the finish line were members of the Ipswich Bicycle Club.

When asked what the tour meant for Suffolk, Leanne Nixon said: "It was huge seeing local roads on television.

“And it was incredible to have been able to bring the kids here.”

Another spectator was Jon Lewis, who lives near Felixstowe.

He added: “This was incredible for our county.

“It was quite an honour to have Tour of Britain here and to see all the routes we know locally. It was quite inspiring.”

The six-day event saw 108 riders compete.