West Northamptonshire stage route announced for Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men

The route for the first ever stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men cycle race to take place in West Northamptonshire has today been revealed.

Stage five, the penultimate leg of the 2024 race, will take place on Saturday 7 September, starting from the University of Northampton and finishing at the Guildhall on Northampton’s Derngate after 147 kilometres (91 miles) of racing through the area, including Daventry and nearly 30 villages.

Along the way the race will pass through Daventry, followed by a loop south of the town through villages including Abthorpe, Wappenham, Helmdon, Culworth, Byfield and Hellidon, before looping around Northampton via Watford, West Haddon, Naseby, Kelmarsh and Brixworth for the approach to the finish via Sywell and Ecton.

During the stage riders will tackle a pair of categorised King of the Mountains climbs at Newnham Hill and Bulls Hill, just south of Daventry, and an intermediate sprint at Holcot, at the eastern end of the Pitsford Water causeway.

Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure, said: “We are incredibly excited to host the first-ever stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men in West Northamptonshire. This prestigious event will not only showcase our beautiful region to a global audience but also bring the community together in celebration of sports and local pride.

“The route, winding through our historic towns and scenic countryside, offers a thrilling challenge for the riders and a spectacular experience for spectators. We invite everyone to join us for a day of excitement and to cheer on the cyclists as they race towards the finish line in Northampton’s vibrant town centre.”

UON Vice Chancellor, Professor Anne-Marie Kilday, added: “The University’s purpose is to create social impact, and sport can have the same transformative effect on people’s lives.

“It is an honour to host the men’s Tour of Britain and I look forward to welcoming the athletes and fans to watch the start at our beautiful Waterside Campus.”

Mark Mullen, Operations Manager for Northampton BID, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the riders and supporters to Northampton. The event provides an opportunity to showcase the county to a wider audience while attracting higher levels of football into our town centre, which is great news for our businesses.”

Commenting on the route announcement, Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Race Director Rod Ellingworth, said: “The penultimate stage of this year’s race is in area new to the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, which is always exciting as it means that the majority of the peloton will be unfamiliar with the roads that we will be using.

“With the stage being on a Saturday and its central location, we are expecting a lot of fans to be at the roadside to cheer the riders on.

“With the start on the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus so close to the finish line in the town centre, it will make for a great location for fans of all ages to come down and see the start and finish of the stage and to make a day out of it, so we would like to thank our partners at West Northamptonshire Council and the University of Northampton for making this possible.”

The stage will get underway at 11am from the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus, where a full day of activities and entertainment is planned, including race coverage on big screens, just a short walk away from the town centre finish location.

The stage is expected to finish with a sprint in Northampton town centre between 14:23 and 15:05.

While it is the first time that the men’s Tour has come to Northampton, the town’s Derngate hosted the first ever stage finish of the women’s Tour, won by Swedish rider Emma Johansson, in May 2014, and Daventry in West Northamptonshire has twice also hosted the women’s race, with a start in 2017 and a stage finish in 2018, won by Coryn Labecki.

The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men begins in the Scottish Borders on Tuesday 3 September followed by stages in the Tees Valley, South Yorkshire and East Midlands. Following the West Northamptonshire stage the race concludes in Suffolk on Sunday 8 September after six days of racing.

More details of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, including the detailed stage timings and competing teams will be announcing in the coming weeks.

Fans wanting to enjoy the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men with premium experiences, can now get closer to the action with hospitality, in-car places, and exclusive helicopter packages, now available via Sportive Breaks here.

The full list of areas included in the stage five route are:

• Nobottle
• Whilton Locks
• Norton
• Daventry
• Preston Capes
• Little Preston
• Maidford
• Blakesley
• Abthorpe
• Wappenham
• Helmdon
• Thorpe Mandeville
• Culworth
• Byfield
• Charwelton
• Hellidon
• Catesby
• Welton
• Watford
• West Haddon
• Cold Ashby
• Naseby
• Kelmarsh
• Harrington
• Lamport
• Scaldwell
• Pitsford
• Holcot
• Sywell

Map showing the route of stage 5 of the 2024 Tour of Britain Mens’ Cycle Race.