Tour of Britain 2022 stage six preview: Tewkesbury-Gloucester

After a brief day of respite from altitude gain topping 2,000 metres, it’s back to climbing on the 170 kilometre long course. 

The Tour of Britain has briefly passed through Gloucestershire before, although this will be the first time the county has hosted the race for a full day. Just ten miles apart, this will provide a rare opportunity for fans to easily catch both the start and finish in the same day. 

The Cotswold Hills will provide challenging terrain, and the positioning of the final climb once again could make a difference to how the day pans out. Once they hit the summit of the category two Crawley Hill, riders will need to navigate a series of obstacles including cattle grids before heading towards Painswick and onto Gloucester. The climbs certainly aren’t as hard as what will have come before, although a category two climb could be the perfect launch pad for a lone attacker ahead of the finish if the main field is still together. 

In June, the Women’s Tour visited the area and also finished in Gloucester although via a different route. Lorena Wiebes took the victory. 

TOUR OF BRITAIN 2022 STAGE SIX EXPECTED TIMINGS

WHERE TO WATCH

If you’re unable to catch both the start and finish, the race passes through Cirencester and Tetbury. Both typical Cotswold towns have plenty to do whilst waiting for the racing.  

ONE TO WATCH

British rider Alex Richardson of Saint Piran excelled on hilly terrain at this year’s British National Championships. 

The London based rider is equally as capable in a group breakaway or on a powerful solo raid, and could potentially be very active in the latter stages of today if his team are still without victory.