Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 06/04/2022

Hill-top finishes at Glenshee Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire and The Needles on the Isle of Wight will bookend the Tour of Britain, which returns for what promises to be a ground-breaking eighteenth modern edition from Sunday 4 to Sunday 11 September.

Building on the success of last year’s race, which saw the overall lead change hands five times in eight days, the battle for victory in the 2022 edition is set to go down to the final pedal strokes once again.

Scotland will host the two opening stages of this year race, with Aberdeen becoming the third Scottish city to host the start when the Tour of Britain’s most northerly Grand Départ to date takes place there on Sunday 4 September.

Not only will this stage feature an entirely new route compared to last year’s finale in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, it will also include the first-ever opening day summit finish in modern race history. The Old Military Road climb from Auchallater to Glenshee measures 9.1 kilometres long, with the final five kilometres averaging a gradient of 4.8%.

The Scottish Borders will host a full stage for the second time in three editions on day two of this year’s race. Hawick, famous for its knitwear and the first whisky distillery to open in the region since 1837, will be the starting point of stage two.

The race’s eighth visit to the Borders will feature a mix of roads old and new to the event, before a first-ever finish in Duns. The stage winner will be crowned in the shadow of the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum, which celebrates the two-time Formula 1 world champion who lived nearby.

The Tour of Britain will then cross the border into England with race comprising the following stages:

  • Stage three Tuesday 6 September Durham to Sunderland
  • Stage four Wednesday 7 September Redcar to Duncombe Park, Helmsley
  • Stage five Thursday 8 September West Bridgford to Mansfield
  • Stage six Friday 9 September Tewkesbury to Gloucester
  • Stage seven Saturday 10 September West Bay to Ferndown
  • Stage eight Sunday 11 September Ryde to The Needles

The Tour of Britain is once again being supported by EventScotland through its International Events Programme. 

As promised when we unveiled the Tour of Britain’s host regions in February, this year’s race features a number of surprises, none more so than hill-top finishes to start and end the eight days of world-class competition. Creating a route that encourages aggressive racing and brave tactics from day one will enhance the reputation of the race, leave the one million plus spectators watching on in person for free with long-lasting memories, showcase the stunning beauty of our host venues, and repeatedly entertain a worldwide audience.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain Race Director

EventScotland is delighted to once again be working in partnerships with Aberdeen City Council, and Aberdeenshire Council and the Scottish Borders Council to bring the opening two stages of the Tour of Britain to Scotland in 2022, including a first-time finish in Duns.

Scotland is the perfect stage for the Tour of Britain with great stretches of open roads and challenging climbs ideal for Britain’s leading men’s professional cycling race and is part of an exciting calendar of cycling events taking place this year as we build towards the first-ever UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland

Spectators can watch all the action by the roadside or tune in to ITV4 who will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage, as well as a nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, in part thanks to the event’s partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.

Last year’s star-studded race was won by Belgian rider Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo – Visma), with reigning world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe finishing third overall. A roadside crowd of over one million spectators resulted in the Tour of Britain generating £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy, according to research by Frontline.

Find out more about this year's event at the Tour of Britain website. 

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