Lloyds Tour of Britain Men 2026
This race started on September 2nd with the opening stage starting and finishing in Lincoln. Lincolnshire is a famously flat county so having a King of the Mountains classification seems bizarre. Michaelgate is a mediaeval cobbled hill. It covers 240 metres but rises steeply on an uneven cobbled surface which can be trying on a rainy day. The riders must tackle it five times in the course of the day.
There are five stages to the race, with the second taking the riders from Boston to Skegness, a distance of 180.2 km. This is a flat coastal route.
Stage three starts in Hull and ends in Beverley at the racecourse. The fourth stage also occurs in Yorkshire, from Helmsley to Leyburn.
The final stage takes the riders across the Scottish Borders and starts and finishes in Earlston.
The Tour of Britain does not have the allure of the Tour de France or La Vuelta and does not attract high numbers of competitors or spectators. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see local schools and residents turning out to cheer on the cyclists, who pass by in a sizzling flash of highly engineered bikes and colourful lycra and helmets.
