Tour of Britain will return to Cumbria and the Borders this summer
Video report by Jennifer Cordingley.
A major British sporting event will be returning to our region this Summer.
The Tour of Britain, which is scheduled to take place in September, will see hundreds of cyclists race through Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.
Stage 6 of the race will begin in Cumbria and end in Gateshead, and stage 7 will start in Hawick and finish in Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh.
The Secretary of the Hawick Cycling Club says he hopes the event will bring people to the town and encourage locals into the saddle.
David Killean said: "It's one of the big cycling events in the UK, the tour of Britain, so I'm absolutely delighted, delighted for the town, in terms of the publicity it will give us and for the cyclists in the town, great news, great news."
The race was scheduled to return to the region for the third consecutive year in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on plans.
Organisers have announced this year’s Tour of Britain will take place between Sunday 5 and Sunday 12 September, starting in Penzance and finishing in Aberdeen.
Councillor Mark Rowley said: “The Scottish Borders is Scotland’s leading cycling destination, with some of the world’s finest mountain biking tracks and a network of fantastic on-road cycling routes.
"I am therefore delighted that we’ve been able to work with the Tour of Britain team to bring the race back to the region again to showcase just what we have to offer.
In 2019, more than 10,000 spectators flocked to Cumbria for the event which generated more than £1.5 million for the local economy. Organisers are expected to announced specific locations in Cumbria soon.
Councillor Deborah Earl, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Public Health, said: "The Tour of Britain is a fantastic sports event that inspires more people to get out on their own bikes, which is great for everyone’s health and wellbeing.
"We fully support the race organisers’ efforts to work with stakeholders to monitor the public health situation and to meet any requirements in place for outdoor sports events in September to ensure that the Tour of Britain can take place safely.”