Highlights of the Tour of Britain in southern Scotland and Cumbria

Stage one of the race passed through Dumfries and Galloway Credit: PA

Many of the world's leading cyclists have been racing through the south of Scotland and Cumbria over the past few days, as the OVO Tour of Britain passed through our region.

Kirkcudbright, Kelso and Kendal acted as finish lines for stages 1, 2 and 4 of the event. It's the first time in modern race history that the opening stages have been held in Scotland.

Cyclists included 10-time stage winner Mark Cavendish and 2016 champion Steve Cummings, who both ride for Team Dimension Data, Mikel Landa, who finished sixth in this year’s Tour de France, and Julien Vermote.

The eight day race finishes in Manchester on Saturday 14 September.

STAGE 1 - SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER

  • Start: Glasgow

  • Finish: Kirkcudbright

  • Distance: 201.5km

  • Winner: Dylan Groenewegen, Holland

Holland's Dylan Groenewegen won the opening stage of the Tour of Britain in a sprint finish at the end of the 125-mile ride between Glasgow and Kirkcudbright.

Groenewegen, who also won Stage 3 and is a two-time stage winner in the event, held off Davide Cimolai and former European champion Matteo Trentin.

STAGE 2 - SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER

  • Start: Kelso

  • Finish: Kelso

  • Distance: 166.5km

  • Winner: Matteo Trentin, Italy

The Stage Two start in Kelso attracted huge crowds as people turned out to watch some of the world’s top professional cyclists roll out of town at 11am. The 166km route started and ended in Kelso, touring round the Scottish Borders.

With a variety of entertainment throughout the day, live coverage of the race on two large screens and many shops and food and drink businesses open, the town centre was busy right through until the stage finish at 3pm.

Charity Live Borders and Visit Kelso put on a range of entertainment and activities during the day in the town centre, with local musicians and members of Live Borders’ Borders Young Creatives programme performing.

There was also a cycle pump track/skills area and drop-in spinning fitness sessions and the ‘Great British Bike Off’, with Kelso Wheeler Callum Dickson taking the title of fastest local after racing to 1000m on a static bike in just 55 seconds.

Riders line up at the start line for stage two of the Tour of Britain from Kelso to Kelso. Credit: PA

STAGE 4 - TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER

  • Start: Gateshead

  • Finish: Kendal

  • Distance: 173.2km

  • Winner: Mathieu van der Poel, Holland

Credit: Janet Walton

The South Lakes hosted Stage Four of the eight-day race, known as “the Queens Stage” as it’s the hardest in this year’s Tour of Britain.

It's the fourth time that the race has finished in Kendal.

The 171.5km stage started in Gateshead and crossed the Pennines before heading through the Yorkshire Dales National Park, passing through Sedbergh, Barbondale, and Kirkby Lonsdale for the first time in its history before heading into Kendal up Beast Banks to tackle the 500-metre, 11 per cent average climb to finish the race on Greenside.

Credit: Janet Walton

HOW TO WATCH ON TV

ITV4 will have full live coverage of each stage of the Tour of Britain until Saturday 14 September, and there will be a highlights show each day at 8pm.