Tour of Britain 2022: Details of all eight stages revealed

The 2022 edition of the Tour of Britain takes place between Sunday 4 September and Sunday 11 September, covering eight stages across the UK. 

Hill-top finishes at Glenshee Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire and The Needles on the Isle of Wight will bookend the Tour of Britain, with stages in the North Pennines, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset in between. 

The route will see the riders cover 1,204km over eight stages, with Aberdeen starting off proceedings with the most northerly Grand Départ of the Tour of Britain to date. The first stage from Aberdeen to the Glenshee Ski Centre also features the first-ever opening day summit finish in the race's modern history, with the final 5km of the race averaging a gradient of 4.8%. 

Stage two moves towards the Scottish borders, with a start in Hawick and a first-ever finish in Duns 178km later. Moving into England the next day, stage three begins in the shadow of Durham Cathedral, before heading to Sunderland.

The fourth day of the race could shape the general classification, with riders facing difficult climbs in the North York Moors National Park, from Redcar to Duncombe Park, Helmsley. 

For stage five the race will finish in Mansfield, with stage six then representing Gloucestershire’s first-ever full stage of the Tour of the Britain, from Tewkesbury to Gloucester. 

The Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs through Dorset is included on the penultimate day, as the riders cycle from West Bay to Ferndown in the county. 

Finally, the race will end with a stage looping around the Isle of Wight, making the Tour of Britain the largest sporting event to take place on the Isle. Featuring a 400m climb at an average gradient of 9.6% to conclude the race, this stage from Ryde to The Needles could go right down to the final moments. 

Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) won last year's race, with the lead changing five times in the eight days of racing. The Belgian faced stiff competition from Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers), but he eventually proved too strong in the closing stages.

The Tour of Britain regularly attracts a roadside audience of over 1.5 million spectators, and last year's race generated £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy, according to research by Frontline.

Tour of Britain 2022 route

Stage one, Sunday 4 September: Aberdeen to Glenshee Ski Centre (185km) 

Aberdeen will become the third Scottish city to host the start of the race when the Tour of Britain gets underway on Sunday 4 September. The race will feature the first-ever opening day summit finish in the race's modern history, with the Old Military Road climb from Auchallater to Glenshee measuring 9.1 kilometres long, and the final five kilometres averaging a gradient of 4.8%.

Stage two, Monday 5 September: Hawick to Duns (178km) 

Heading to the Scottish Borders, Hawick will host the opening of the second stage. A mix of new and old roads will be added to the race, before a first-ever finish in Duns. 

The stage winner will climb atop the podium next to the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum, which celebrates the two-time Formula 1 world champion who lived nearby.

Stage three, Tuesday 6 September: Durham to Sunderland (168km) 

The third stage from Durham to Sunderland will be the first time riders are on English soil in the race, with the event starting in the shadow of Durham Cathedral. The stage will initially head through the North Pennines, before coming back into County Durham towards Sunderland. 

After cycling through the north-east city, the race will finish at Sunderland's new City Hall. 

Stage four, Wednesday 7 September: Redcar to Duncombe Park in Helmsley (152km)

A day likely to shape the general classification, stage four will travel from Redcar to Duncombe Park, Helmsley, passing through seaside towns such as Whitby and heading into the North York Moors National Park on route. 

The unforgiving final 30 kilometres of this 150 kilometre stage feature the climbs of Carlton Bank (2km long, 9.8% average gradient) and Newgate Bank (2km long, 6% average gradient) before descending into the finish at the Yorkshire estate of Duncombe Park.

Stage five, Thursday 8 September: West Bridgford to Mansfield (191km)

Stage five features the longest route across the eight days, though there is less than 2,000 metres of climbing. Starting in West Bridgford and finishing in Mansfield resembles the same points from the 2018 Tour of Britain stage, whereby Ian Stannard memorably secured a solo victory.

However, the finish at Mansfield's Civic Centre will be approached from the opposite direction, with multiple other route changes throughout the race. 

Stage six, Friday 9 September: Tewkesbury to Gloucester (169km)

The start and finish locations are separated by a little over 10 miles, meaning fans will have the opportunity to attend both locations on race day. Stage six will head into the Cotswolds from Tewkesbury, before finishing at the Gloucester Docks. 

Stage seven, Saturday 10 September: West Bay to Ferndown (180km)

West Bay to Ferndown on stage seven will take in Dorset's Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering views of the south coast of England and the golden cliffs in the county. The route will then head inland towards Dorchester and multiple other towns, before looping around the finishing destination of Ferndown. 

Stage eight, Sunday 11 September: Ryde to The Needles (150km)

Showcasing the Isle of Wight on the final day of the Tour of Britain, the 150km route could throw up plenty of surprises and drama around the Isle. Looping multiple times around towns closely connected, spectators will have plenty of opportunities to witness the action, as the race heads towards the finishing spot of The Needles Landmark Attraction.

This year’s race culminates with a two-kilometre climb up to Tennyson Down, the final 400 metres of which average a gradient of 9.6%, making it the toughest ending to any Tour of Britain in modern history.

Tour of Britain 2022 startlist

No riders have been confirmed to race the Tour of Britain 2022 yet. 

Tour of Britain 2022 TV schedule

As per previous years, live coverage of the Tour of Britain will be shown in the UK on ITV4, with highlights also available.

Eurosport, Eurosport Player and GCN+ will also have coverage of the race.

Who sponsors the Tour of Britain?

The Tour of Britain hasn't announced a title sponsor for 2022 yet, but online investment company AJ Bell was the title sponsor last year.

Past winners of the Tour of Britain

• 2004 – Mauricio Ardila (Col) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
• 2005 – Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic
• 2006 – Martin Pedersen (Den) Team CSC
• 2007 – Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel
• 2008 – Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Agritubel
• 2009 – Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia-HTC
• 2010 – Michael Albasini (Sui) Team HTC-Columbia
• 2011 – Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank
• 2012 – Nathan Haas (Aus) Garmin-Sharp
• 2013 – Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky
• 2014 – Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Garmin-Sharp
• 2015 – Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN-Qhubeka
• 2016 – Steve Cummings (GBr) Team Dimension Data
• 2017 – Lars Boom (Ned) LottoNL–Jumbo
• 2018 - Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors
• 2019 - Mathieu van der Peol (Ned) Corendon-Circus
• 2020 - No race due to Covid-19 pandemic
• 2021 - Wout Van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma