‘We want to build the fourth biggest stage race in the world’: Tour of Britain reveals plans to expand to nine days
The organisers are also applying for the new UCI ProSeries status for next season
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Mathieu van der Poel wins stage seven of the Tour of Britain 2019 (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
The organisers of the Tour of Britain have revealed their plans to expand to nine days and “build the fourth biggest race in the world.”
Capitalising on a successful 2019 edition of the race and a home World Championships, the Tour of Britain organisers and British Cycling have also confirmed they have applied to be part of the new UCI ProSeries race status, which will be introduced next year.
Hugh Roberts from race organiser SweetSpot said: “Together with British Cycling we want to build the Tour of Britain into the fourth biggest race in the world, and as such are looking for new commercial partners to join us on this exciting journey.
“The fantastic crowds and exciting action we have seen across the country over the past eight days show that the appeal of the Tour of Britain continues to grow, and the fact that this year we achieved truly global television coverage shows how the race can continue to celebrate Britain and our fantastic culture, heritage and natural landscapes at home and abroad.”
Organisers of the HC categorised Tour of Britain hope to be a UCI ProSeries level race from next season, the new category which will replace the current HC and Class One events.
They also aim to increase the number of stages from eight to nine, in order to cover more of the country each edition.
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The 2019 edition saw 20 teams and 120 riders racing over eight stages from Glasgow to Manchester, with an estimated 500,000 fans watching the final stage from the side of the road.
Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) emerged victorious, with stages also won by Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) and Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott).
>>> Tom Pidcock will return to racing at Yorkshire 2019 World Championships after serious crash
British Cycling chief executive Julie Harrington said: “The 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain confirmed its status once again as a landmark of the British sporting summer and gave us the perfect platform from which to look forward to the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire.
“For British Cycling, working with SweetSpot on events like the Tour of Britain and with local authority partners like Manchester City Council mean we can reach even more people and encourage everyone to get active by getting on their bikes.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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