2021 Tour

Having been postponed last year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tour of Britain will return in September 2021 for the 17th modern edition of the UK’s biggest bike race.

Our handy online hub page will track all the latest news and announcements relating to the 2021 Tour as they happen.

2021 race dates

The 2021 race will take place during the second week of September, as is now traditional: Sunday 5 to Sunday 12 September.  The 2021 dates were confirmed by the UCI, the sport’s governing body, last year.

Where is the 2021 Tour going?

GRAND DÉPART: PENZANCE TO BODMIN – SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

Cornwall will host the Tour of Britain for the first time ever in September 2021, with the Grand Départ of this year’s race seeing riders travel 170 kilometres through the Cornish countryside, starting at Penzance and ending in Bodmin.

The stage’s provisional route (subject to final approval) will also visit St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Newquay, St Austell and the Eden Project.

The agreement to hold the race was confirmed at a special signing ceremony with the Tour of Britain organiser SweetSpot and Cornwall Council at Chy Trevail in Bodmin on Friday 22 March 2019.

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STAGE TWO: SHERFORD TO EXETER – MONDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

Taking place on Monday 6 September, the Devon stage will start in the new community of Sherford in the South Hams and finish in the city of Exeter. The cathedral city last hosted a stage finish in 2014 when Austrian Matthias Brändle soloed to the victory.

Details of the stage were first revealed on Tuesday 5 November 2019 by SweetSpot and Devon County Council.

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STAGE THREE:  CARMARTHENSHIRE TEAM TIME TRIAL – TUESDAY 7 SEPTEMBER

A team time trial features for only the second time in Tour of Britain history on stage three. The Carmarthenshire team time trial stage will see the world’s best tackle an 18.2-kilometre route, starting from outside Llandeilo and finishing at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, which is home to the world’s largest single-span glasshouse. Carmarthenshire previously welcomed the Tour in 2018, when it hosted the race’s Grand Départ.

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STAGE FOUR: ABERAERON TO GREAT ORME, LLANDUDNO – WEDNESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER

Stage four – the Queen stage of the 2021 race – will culminate with a finish atop the Great Orme in Llandudno. The 215-kilometre route will take the race to parts of mid-Wales for the first time in modern Tour history, including Aberaeron, the start host venue in Ceredigion, Aberystwyth, Borth and Barmouth. A tough ending to the stage sees the race heading through the Snowdonia National Park and an ascent of the Great Orme’s Marine Drive toll road before tackling the 1.9km, 9.8% average climb to the finish.

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STAGE FIVE: ALDERLEY PARK TO WARRINGTON – THURSDAY 9 SEPTEMBER

North West England will play host to stage five of the 2021 Tour of Britain, a day of racing that begins at the world-leading biotech campus Alderley Park and culminates in Warrington for a finish outside the town’s famous Golden Gates. Both start and finish locations are new to the race.

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STAGE SIX: CARLISLE TO GATESHEAD – FRIDAY 10 SEPTEMBER

As previously announced Cumbria will welcome the return of the Tour of Britain for a third consecutive year when Carlisle hosts the start of a stage that will finish across the Pennines in Gateshead. This will be the first stage finish in the town since 2009 – the winner will be crowned in the shadows of Sir Antony Gormley famous Angel of the North sculpture.

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STAGE SEVEN: HAWICK TO EDINBURGH – SATURDAY 11 SEPTEMBER

Scotland is due to host two stages of the race with Hawick hosting the Tour of Britain for the first time and the city of Edinburgh hosting its first ever stage finish of the race. As well as visiting parts of East Lothian for the first time, this stage will finish along Queen’s Drive in the famous Holyrood Park.

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STAGE EIGHT: STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN – SUNDAY 12 SEPTEMBER

Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils have agreed a two-year deal to host the Tour of Britain, now beginning with the final stage of the 2021 race on Sunday 12 September.

The Aberdeenshire coastal town of Stonehaven will play host to the stage start, with the route also featuring a much-anticipated ascent of the famed Cairn o’Mount climb in the opening kilometres.

Full details of the route will be unveiled in due course, although it can be revealed that the successor to Dutch sensation Mathieu van der Poel will be crowned in Aberdeen city centre following a day of racing largely set in the stunning Aberdeenshire countryside.

Not only will the 2021 stage mark the first time the Tour of Britain has visited the region, it will also be the furthest point north the modern edition of the race has ever reached.

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How much does it cost to watch?

The Tour of Britain is FREE to watch – making it the most spectator-friendly and accessible events on the UK sporting calendar. Make sure to join in the party atmosphere along the route and embrace the arrival of the world’s best riders in your home town!

For anybody wishing to enhance their viewing experience, we offer hospitality packages at each stage start and finish. Click here for more information.