Welcome return for Tour of Britain
Written by John Williamson on 06/06/2018
Some of the world’s best cyclists will be heading back to South Lakeland in September.
The news that this year’s Tour of Britain will once again feature a stage in the district has been welcomed today by South Lakeland District Council’s portfolio holder for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Chris Hogg.
The route, announced last night, confirms the sixth stage of this year’s event on Friday, 7 September, will start in Barrow and then follows a route along the Coast Road to Ulverston, up to Lowick, Torver and Coniston before heading to Ambleside and Grasmere.
The riders will then continue up to Keswick and out to Workington before looping back in-land to the stage finish at Whinlatter Pass.
Councillor Hogg commented: “I’m delighted that the Tour of Britain will once again be coming to South Lakeland.
“It really is a terrific event and at SLDC we have had a long association with the race. It brings world-class athletes to our streets, attracts thousands of people who turn out to watch along the route, brings significant economic benefits, promotes the health benefits of cycling and showcases our wonderful area to a worldwide TV audience.
“We’ve had stage finishes in Kendal before so it is really pleasing that other areas in the western parts of the district will get to enjoy the spectacle this year. I’m particularly looking forward to some of the climbs, including at Hawkshead Hill and Dunmail Rise.’’
Last time the Tour of Britain visited South Lakeland, in 2016, it came a year after the devastating Storm Desmond floods, and SLDC was among a number of Cumbrian organisations that lobbied to ensure the event took in flood-affected areas of the county to help deliver the ‘open for business’ message.
Figures showed that the Tour of Britain attracted 40,000 spectators in South Lakeland in 2016 and helped generate £1.3 million for the district’s economy.
An estimated 1.1 million viewers worldwide watched television coverage of the Cumbria stage on ITV4 in 2016 and pictures from the stage were beamed to 20 broadcast markets, including north America, Asia and Africa, as well as all across Europe.
For more information on the Cumbrian stage of this Tour of Britain, see: http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/stage-six/
