Bodmin to stage Tour of Britain as race comes to Cornwall for the first time
Cyclists will endure a challenging stretch of the Tour of Britain as the race comes to Cornwall for the first time.
The iconic race is set to finish its opening stage in Bodmin on Sunday 5 September and will end outside Bodmin General Station, Bodmin Keep: Cornwall’s Army Museum, and Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry War Memorial.
The opening stage of the race is due to start in Penzance and the route will visit many of Cornwall’s iconic tourist attractions as well as visiting St Ives, Camborne, Redruth, Falmouth, Truro, Newquay and St Austell en route to Bodmin.
Councillor Debbie Henderson, Bodmin Town Council’s Chair of Community Services, said the town will benefit from showcasing the sports event.
She said: "Bodmin, indeed Cornwall in its entirety, needs something to lift its spirits and be able to have a day of true celebration.
"Bodmin always recovers from adversity and the Tour of Britain will prove just how well we do that."
Details of the iconic race coming to Cornwall and its routes have been published to celebrate St. Piran’s Day, Friday 5 March.
As well as hosting sporting events, the government's roadmap to exit lockdown has raised hopes of Cornwall's Boardmasters Festival going ahead this summer.
The Tour will feature a fast run in to the town centre where riders will climb for 500 metres up Turf Street and St Nicholas Street - a section that begins with a 13 per cent incline.
The finish is reminiscent of the finish into Newcastle city centre two years ago, when Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen tamed the uphill climb of Grey Street to take a memorable stage victory.
Independent economic reports suggest the Tour will generate more than £3million of extra spending.
Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for culture, economy, and planning Tim Dwelly said: "Having the Tour of Britain in Cornwall offers us a chance to show our wonderful corner of the world to a global audience and will provide a much-needed boost for our towns and our tourist industry."
Cornwall will also host the G7 Summit in June 2021 which is estimated to provide the county with an economic boost - if it can go ahead in spite of coronavirus restrictions.
Approximately 180,000 people will line the roads of the region, depending on coronavirus restrictions, to watch the stage which will be the biggest ever sporting event to be hosted in Cornwall.
Although Cornwall previously hosted the Milk Race – the popular pro-am race held across England and Scotland between 1958 and 1993 - the modern Tour of Britain has never previously visited the Duchy since its return to the calendar in 2004.
Relaunched in 2004 after a five-year absence from the calendar, the Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, held annually across eight days in September.
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