The Route

The 2008 Tour of Britain serves up a varied menu of challenges for the 96 riders who line up in London on 7th September and the winner of the Yellow Jersey in Liverpool will have to be versatile and tactically aware as well as strong in order to prevail over his rivals. Click here to view the national map.

Stage 1 – The TfL London Stage:

The opening stage of the race sees a brand new circuit and a return to the very heart of London for the Tour of Britain in 2008. Based around the embankment and featuring some of the great landmarks of London this circuit will offer spectators a great chance to see the opening skirmishes of the 2008 race unfold as all the action is relayed live back to the TfL big screen throughout the afternoon.

Stage 2 – The South East of England

Two new venues for the race are the bookends to our second stage of the race on a journey that heads from a new town, Milton Keynes, to one of the oldest in the region, the picturesque market town of Newbury.

Stage 3 – The South West

Our first ever visit to Somerset last year was one of the showpiece stages of the 07 race. The dramatic terrain proved to be the backdrop for some equally dramatic racing and this years South West stage in Somerset and North Devon should be no different as the riders tackle a route from Chard through to Burnham on Sea for our first ever coastal Tour of Britain stage finish!

Stage 4 – The West Midlands

The race received a fantastic reception in Worcestershire in 2007 with massive crowds throughout the county, especially through the picturesque town of Malvern Spa. We’ll be returning again in 2008 to start the race once again at Worcester race course before heading north to finish for the first time in Stoke on Trent, a hotbed of cycling throughout the years and home to some of the great names of British cycling history.

Stage 5 – Yorkshire

A region which has hosted a stage of the Tour of Britain every year since it’s inception in 2004, Yorkshire has always served up it’s fair share of challenges for the Tour of Britain and this year is no different with an awesome new stage from Hull to the Dalby Forest. The finale of this stage is narrow, twisty and punctuated by short steep climbs and descents that could well see the Peloton fragmented and significant changes in the overall classification.

Stage 6 – The North East

2008 will be the first time The Tour of Britain has visited the North East of England and we’re looking forward to plotting new territory for the event. Our stage will begin in Darlington, one of England’s 6 cycling demonstration towns, before heading further north to finish on Tyneside in the beautiful city of Gateshead. Cycling has an enthusiastic following in this region so expect to see passionate crowds greet the race on the day.

Stage 7 – Scotland

Host of the overall finish of the race in 2007 and subsequently announced as the host for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow will once again host the race in 2008 with the start of the penultimate stage. From there the race will head into Dumfries & Galloway where the satge will finish.

Stage 8 – England’s North West

The finale of the 2008 Tour of Britain brings us back to the region in which the entire race first began back in 2004. England’s North West has been a supporter of the event every year so far and Blackpool and Liverpool have been involved in some of the most memorable stages of the race so far. In this year when the North West plays host to the European capital of culture it is fitting that the race should finish overall in the heart of Liverpool. After racing south from Blackpool the stage will culminate with an hour of racing around a city centre circuit in Liverpool at the end of which, the overall winner of the race will be known.